These Tasks You Do Every Week Can Run on Their Own

How much time do you spend each week on tasks you could explain to someone in 2 minutes?

"I take the day's orders, copy them into another file, send a confirmation email to each customer."

"Every Monday, I compile the week's figures and send a summary to the team."

"I check unpaid invoices and send a reminder to late customers."

These tasks have one thing in common: they always follow the same steps. They're predictable. And they can be automated.

What "Automate" Really Means

We're not talking about replacing your job with a robot. We're talking about delegating mechanical tasks to keep your time for what matters: customer relationships, strategy, work that truly requires your expertise.

Concretely, automating means:

Triggering actions automatically (when X happens, do Y)
Connecting your tools to each other (no more copy-paste)
Generating documents or emails without intervention

5 Concrete Automation Examples

1. Unpaid Invoice Reminders

Before: Every week, you open your invoicing software, list overdue invoices, write a personalized reminder email for each customer, send it.

After: A script automatically checks your invoices. At D+7 after due date, the customer receives a friendly reminder email. At D+15, a firmer reminder. At D+30, you're alerted to make a phone call.

Estimated gain: 2-3h per week

2. New Client Onboarding

Before: New client signed. You create their file in the CRM, send them a welcome email, create a shared folder, add a calendar event for the first meeting.

After: You enter the client once. Everything else happens automatically: personalized welcome email, folder created, access sent, calendar updated.

Estimated gain: 30-45 min per new client

3. Weekly Reporting

Before: Every Monday morning, you open 3 different tools, export data, compile them in Excel, create charts, send by email.

After: The report generates itself Monday at 7am and arrives in the team's inboxes. You arrive at the office, it's already done.

Estimated gain: 1-2h per week

4. Appointment Confirmation and Reminder

Before: A client books an appointment. You send them a confirmation email. The day before, you think (or not) to send them a reminder.

After: Automatic immediate confirmation. Automatic D-1 reminder. SMS reminder H-2 if you want. You don't think about it anymore.

Estimated gain: 15-20 min per appointment + fewer no-shows

5. Synchronization Between Tools

Before: A prospect fills out your contact form. You re-enter them in your CRM. Then in your mailing tool. Then in your tracking file.

After: The prospect fills out the form. They're automatically added everywhere. You don't have to do anything.

Estimated gain: 5-10 min per prospect

The Tools I Use

Depending on the case, I work with:

For simple automations (between existing tools)

Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat)
Native tool connectors

For custom automations

Node.js/TypeScript scripts
APIs from various services
Webhooks

The difference? No-code tools (Zapier, Make) are good for connecting standard services. But when your process is specific, a custom script is often more reliable and cheaper in the long run.

How Much Does It Cost?

Some price ranges:

Simple connection between 2-3 tools (via Zapier/Make): €500 - €1,500
Complete automated workflow (multiple steps, conditions): €1,500 - €4,000
Custom script with business logic: €2,000 - €6,000

The real calculation to do: how many hours per month will this automation save you? Multiply by your hourly rate. Over 12 months, the investment is usually recouped in 2-4 months.

Where to Start?

Step 1: List Your Repetitive Tasks

For a week, note every time you do something repetitive. Even small things. Especially small things.

Step 2: Identify the Most Time-Consuming

Rank by time spent. Tasks that come back every day or every week are priorities.

Step 3: Check if It's Automatable

A task is automatable if:

It follows clear rules (if X then Y)
It doesn't require human judgment
The tools used have APIs or connectors

Step 4: Let's Talk

I look at your list, tell you what's feasible, with what budget, with what expected gain. No surprises.

What I Don't Do

Automate decisions that require human judgment
Replace positions (automation frees up time, it doesn't eliminate jobs)
Promise miracles (some tasks simply aren't automatable)

One Last Word

Automation isn't "being lazy." It's respecting your time. You didn't start your business to spend your days doing copy-paste.

Mechanical tasks, leave them to machines. Keep your energy for what really moves your business forward.