Spend Less Time at Work with Automation
Since 2016 I have been working in the IT field and since then I learned a thing or two about how to automate some of my daily tasks so I can have more time learning other things. But as someone with an IT background, automation is not something totally new to my ears and in one way or another, I already automate most of my tasks just because it is a habit.
In the perspective of a company owner, automating company processes is something that should be done even before the company is started. By having a great work automation plan, company owners can hire fewer employees and be focused on activities that require a human touch.
As you can see, both employees and company owners are both benefited if there is a great work automation plan.
After 4 years working in the IT industry, I realized that it is time to find out new automation ideas so I can spend less time at work and more time doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu or playing games.
After reading and learning from many online blogs and asking some of my closest friend that works for top cybersecurity firms in Pittsburgh. I have made a list of things that can (and should be) automated in order to make your work time as productive as it gets.
What Tasks Should You Automate?
As IT is synonymous with information it is safe to say that generally my work can be done by computers/robots provided I can outline the processes clearly.
But don’t be fooled in thinking that all of your tasks can be automated, that is simply not true because a human touch Is needed in almost every aspect of life. Even building a robot will involve humans. So be conservative and look to automate tasks that CAN BE automated.
Here are a set of questions that can determine whether a task can be automated or not
- Repetitive Tasks? Things that you do almost every day on a regular basis are one of the best candidates of things that can be either automated or outsourced.
- Long/Short Tasks? If you are using Microsoft Excel fairly often you already know the benefits of saving most used formulas for future documents. The same principle can be applied for tasks that you are looking to automate. If a task took 4 hours for you to do manually and the time to automate the task is 7 weeks then it might be wiser to DIY it for the time being.
- Is Automation Cheap? This is a factor that you should really consider, especially if you are looking to outsource instead of automation. If it cost you 3$/hour to hire a VA that can do the task that you are paid 300$/hour to do then it seems stupid not to do so. This is not applicable if you are working in the medical field because most of the time you need to do the task yourself. As you can see, terms and conditions are applied.
- Is Task Important? As with everything in life you should have a priority when looking to automate some of your tasks. For a task that requires a human brain or your presence then there is no chance you can automate it in any shape or form. Aim to automate tasks that does not discriminate between human or computer.Tasks that require perfection such as entering lots of data to produce a report or analyze performance should be your main priority when it comes to automation
Here are some IT things that you could do to save time:
- Password Management: Cloud-based apps all require a username and password, and the more apps your coworkers use, the more time you'll spend helping people retrieve lost credentials. If you are working in a field that requires you to deal with huge client servers then Microsoft LAPS is your friend
- Role Management: Another time-consuming task is getting every new employee set up with the apps they need to do their work—or removing access from exiting employees.
- Cost Management: Want to help your company lower operating costs? A good starting point is finding the apps you're paying for but aren't using.Intello (free for basic reports and up to two admins) automates the process for you, giving you detailed reports that show which licenses/subscriptions you're paying for that aren't being used.
