Repetitive Tasks Got You Down: Use This Simple Framework so You May Not Have to Do Them Again!
How to free up your time from repetitive tasks and focus on doing the creative work!!
Engineers hate repetitive tasks.
So much so that they will spend hours automating a thing that otherwise would take 10 min to do manually. Why?
Not because they love automation (well, some do) but because they hate doing things that lack creativity. While engineers personify this, it applies to every creator. So what can we do about the repetitive task?
We should automate them or eliminate them like a madman. Here's a simple framework to do that.
Framework for repetitive task
New task (Will I need to do this again?)
Yes (Can I automate it?)
Yes (Automate the task by using IFTTT or mental frameworks or automation scripts)
No, (Can I eliminate it?)
Yes (Can I delegate it with instructions?)
Yes (Find the person to delegate and delegate the task)
No (Can I make this task obsolete?)
Yes (Find the task that makes this obsolete?)
No (Do the task)
You will find that very few repetitive tasks will end up in the "Do the task" bucket. Here are few examples of how to use this framework:
Do groceries [Repetitive: Yes; Automate: Yes (Save everyday grocery in Instacart. Order on the weekend)]
Do gardening [Repetitive: Yes, Automate: No (Need clipping trees, shrubs); Eliminate: Yes (Hire a gardener)]
Post blog on the various platform [Repetitive: Yes, Automate: Yes (Use IFTTT)]
Exercise [Repetitive: Yes, Automate: No; Eliminate: No; (Do the exercise)]
Reply to email [Repetitive: Sometimes, Automate: Partially (Create an email template to a specific type of emails like sending receipts); Eliminate: Possibly (Hire help)]
Read/play with kids [Repetitive: Yes, Automate: Hell No; Eliminate: Hell No; (Spend time with kids)]
So next time you are about to take on a new task that seems repetitive, run it through this framework so you can save your time and energy for more creative work.
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