There are plenty of tasks in my business that only take a minute or two.
Copy this information. Add it to a spreadsheet. Send this email. Update that record.
The problem is, “it only takes a minute” becomes a lot of minutes when you do the same thing over and over again.
That’s one of the reasons I use automation.
For me, automation isn’t about removing myself from my business or trying to automate every interaction I have with a customer. It’s about looking at repetitive administrative work and asking:
Does Karrie really need to be the one doing this? Or could technology handle this part for me?
One of the tools I use to do that is Zapier.
And even though newer AI assistants like Muse are starting to change how I automate some of my work, Zapier is still part of my technology toolbox.
Because I don’t need one tool to win.
I need the repetitive task to disappear.
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What Is Zapier?
Zapier is an automation tool that lets different apps and services work together.
A simple way to think about it is:
When this happens → do that.
The “this” is the trigger.
The “that” is the action.
For example:
When a customer places an order → add the order information to a spreadsheet.
Instead of me receiving an order, opening a spreadsheet, creating a new row, and manually entering the information every single time, an automation can handle those steps for me.
One order might not save me much time.
But I’m not creating an automation for one order.
I’m creating it so I never have to manually repeat those same steps for every order that comes after it.
That’s where automation starts giving you time back.
What Does Zapier Actually Do?
Zapier works by connecting apps that might otherwise require you to move information between them yourself.
Let’s say information arrives in one place and you need some of that information somewhere else.
Without automation, your process might look like this:
You receive the information.
You open another program.
You find the right place for it.
You copy and paste the information.
You save it.
Then you move on to whatever comes next.
None of those individual steps sounds particularly difficult.
But that’s exactly why repetitive work can sneak up on us.
We tell ourselves:
“It only takes a minute.”
And then we do that one-minute task 20 times.
Or 100 times.
Or every week for the next three years.
That’s the kind of work I want technology doing.
How I Use Zapier With Customer Orders
One of my own automations starts when a customer places an order.
There is information associated with that order that I need for other parts of my business.
I could manually take that customer and order information and add it to a spreadsheet.
But why?
If the information already exists digitally, I don’t need to be the human bridge carrying it from one place to another.
I can use automation to move the information where I need it.
That spreadsheet can then become part of another process.
And this is where automation becomes much more interesting than simply saving yourself a few clicks.
You’re beginning to create a system.
Information comes in.
Technology handles the repetitive administrative steps.
I can spend my time on the work that actually needs me.
But What About Muse?
This is where things have gotten really interesting for me lately.
A couple of days ago, I shared Muse, Meta’s new AI Assistant, because AI assistants are beginning to change what we can hand off to technology.
I’ve already started moving some of my automation work into Muse.
That does not mean I immediately threw Zapier out the window.
Different tools work differently.
A traditional automation tool like Zapier can be very useful when you have a specific event that should trigger a specific action.
Something happens.
The automation sees it.
The next step runs.
An AI assistant can approach some tasks differently. For example, I can have an assistant periodically check information, evaluate what it finds, and then take an appropriate action.
Those capabilities create some really interesting possibilities, but they don’t automatically make every existing automation tool unnecessary.
At least for me, right now, the answer isn’t:
Zapier OR Muse.
It’s:
Zapier AND Muse, depending on the job.
And as I continue using Muse, that balance may change.
Don’t Get Loyal to the Tool. Get Loyal to the Outcome.
This is an important part of technology that I think gets lost sometimes.
People can become very attached to a particular tool.
This is the program I use.
This is the automation platform I use.
This is the AI I use.
But technology changes constantly.
The tool isn’t the goal.
The outcome is the goal.
If Zapier is the best way for me to automate a particular process, I’ll use Zapier.
If Muse can handle another part more effectively, I’ll use Muse.
If something completely different comes along six months from now and does the job better, I’ll look at that too.
I don’t need every task in my business to run through the same piece of technology.
I need a system that works.
How Do You Know What You Should Automate?
You don’t need to start by building a complicated workflow.
Start by paying attention to repetition.
The next time you’re working, notice when you think:
“Didn’t I just do this?”
That’s your clue.
Maybe you repeatedly:
- Copy information from one place to another
- Add the same type of information to a spreadsheet
- Send a similar message after a particular event
- Create a record every time something happens
- Move information between two apps
- Perform the same administrative steps every time you get a new customer or order
Those are the places I would investigate first.
Don’t begin with:
“What can Zapier automate?”
Begin with:
“What am I doing repeatedly that I wish I didn’t have to do?”
Then you can look for the technology that solves that particular problem.
That’s a much better way to build a useful system than finding a cool automation tool and desperately searching for something to automate with it.
Should You Automate Everything?
Absolutely not.
Just because technology can do something doesn’t mean I want it to.
There are parts of my business where I want the human interaction.
If someone needs an actual conversation with me, I don’t want to eliminate that relationship just so I can say my business is automated.
That’s not the kind of time freedom I’m trying to create.
I want to automate the things that take time away from relationships.
Copying data?
Technology can have it.
Moving information between systems?
Please. Take it.
Performing the same administrative process for the 47th time?
Have at it.
But the time I save there gives me more time and energy for the things where Karrie actually needs to show up.
That’s why one of my favorite ways to think about automation is:
Automate the administration. Keep the relationship.
Start With One Repetitive Task
If automation feels intimidating, don’t start by trying to automate your entire business.
Find one annoying repetitive task.
Pay attention to exactly what you do:
What starts the process?
Then:
What do you do next?
And:
What happens after that?
You may discover that what feels like one task is actually a predictable series of small steps.
That’s exactly the kind of process technology may be able to help you with.
Maybe Zapier is the right tool.
Maybe an AI assistant like Muse can handle it.
Maybe another automation tool makes more sense.
You don’t need to know that part yet.
First, find the repetition.
Then ask:
Could technology do this part for me?
Because saving yourself one minute once isn’t particularly exciting.
Saving yourself that minute every single time you would have had to do that task again?
Now we’re talking.
And if the technology landscape changes and I eventually move more of my Zapier workflows into Muse, that’s okay too.
I’m not building my business around Zapier.
I’m not building it around Muse.
I’m building systems that give me time back.
And that’s the part worth keeping.
Technology Made Simple. 💙