10 Simple Automations Anyone Can Set Up Today

You've read about automation. You understand the benefits. But maybe you're thinking, "Where do I actually start?"

The best way to learn automation is by doing it. And the best first automations are the ones that:

• Solve a real problem you have today
• Are simple enough to build in one sitting
• Show immediate results
• Build your confidence to tackle bigger projects

In this guide, we'll walk through 10 practical automations that anyone can set up today, even if you've never automated anything before. Each one takes 15-30 minutes to build and will save you time immediately.

Before You Start

What You'll Need

For most of these automations, you'll want:

• A free account on an automation platform like Zapier (easiest), Make, or n8n
• Accounts for the apps you want to connect (Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, etc.)
• 15-30 minutes of uninterrupted time for each automation

First-Time Setup

If this is your first automation:

1. Choose a platform: We recommend Zapier for absolute beginners (most intuitive), Make for visual learners, or n8n for those comfortable with tech
2. Sign up for free: All major platforms have free tiers
3. Connect your first app: You'll be prompted to authorize the platform to access your apps
4. Start simple: Pick ONE automation from this list to build first

Ready? Let's dive in!

1. Save Email Attachments to Cloud Storage

Problem: Important files arrive by email and you have to manually download and organize them.

Solution: Automatically save all email attachments to Google Drive or Dropbox.

How It Works

Trigger: New email with attachment in Gmail Action: Upload file to Google Drive folder

Why This Is Useful

• Never lose important documents
• Automatic backup of contracts, invoices, receipts
• Easy access from any device
• Can organize by sender or date automatically

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Gmail → "New Attachment"
3. Customize trigger:
   • Optional: Filter by sender (e.g., only from your accountant)
   • Optional: Filter by subject (e.g., containing "invoice")
4. Choose action: Google Drive → "Upload File"
5. Configure action:
   • Select destination folder
   • Use the attachment from the email
   • Filename: Use original filename or create a custom naming pattern
6. Test and turn on

Time to build: 15 minutes Time saved: 5 minutes per email, 20+ hours per year

Pro Tips

• Create a folder structure in Drive first (e.g., "Email Attachments/2025/December")
• Use filters to organize different types of attachments into different folders
• Set up a separate automation for each important sender

2. Get a Daily Weather Report

Problem: You forget to check the weather and end up unprepared.

Solution: Get a daily weather notification at a specific time.

How It Works

Trigger: Every day at 7:00 AM Action 1: Get weather forecast Action 2: Send yourself an email or text

Why This Is Useful

• Start your day prepared
• Never get caught without an umbrella
• Perfect for planning outdoor activities
• Can include multiple locations if you travel

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Schedule → "Every Day"
3. Set time: 7:00 AM (or your preferred time)
4. Choose action: Weather by Zapier → "Get Current Weather"
5. Enter your location: City name or zip code
6. Choose second action: Email by Zapier → "Send Outbound Email"
7. Configure email:
   • To: Your email
   • Subject: "Today's Weather"
   • Body: Include temperature, conditions, forecast
8. Test and turn on

Time to build: 10 minutes Time saved: Daily convenience, never caught off guard

Pro Tips

• Send to SMS instead of email for immediate notification
• Add a second weather check for evening commute
• Include multiple locations if you travel between offices
• Use conditions to only notify you if rain is expected

3. Backup Form Submissions to a Spreadsheet

Problem: Form submissions are stuck in the form tool and hard to analyze or share.

Solution: Automatically log all form submissions to a Google Sheet.

How It Works

Trigger: New form submission (Google Forms, Typeform, etc.) Action: Add row to Google Sheets

Why This Is Useful

• Create your own database of responses
• Easy to analyze, filter, and share
• Backup in case form service goes down
• Can trigger additional automations from the spreadsheet

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Google Forms → "New Response in Spreadsheet"
   • Or: Typeform → "New Entry"
   • Or: Your form tool of choice
3. Select your form
4. Choose action: Google Sheets → "Create Spreadsheet Row"
5. Configure action:
   • Select your spreadsheet
   • Select your worksheet (or create new)
   • Map form fields to spreadsheet columns
6. Test with a sample submission
7. Turn on

Time to build: 15 minutes Time saved: Hours of manual data entry per month

Pro Tips

• Set up the spreadsheet columns before building the automation
• Include timestamp, respondent email, and all form fields
• Add conditional formatting to highlight important responses
• Use the spreadsheet to trigger other automations (like sending follow-up emails)

4. Post to Multiple Social Media Platforms at Once

Problem: You write the same post 3-4 times for different social media platforms.

Solution: Write once in a spreadsheet, automatically post to all platforms.

How It Works

Trigger: New row in Google Sheets Action 1: Post to Twitter Action 2: Post to LinkedIn Action 3: Post to Facebook

Why This Is Useful

• Save 10-15 minutes per post
• Maintain consistent presence across platforms
• Schedule posts in advance
• One place to manage all content

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create your content spreadsheet:
   • Column A: Date/Time to post
   • Column B: Post content
   • Column C: Image URL (optional)
   • Column D: Posted (checkbox)
2. Create new Zap
3. Choose trigger: Google Sheets → "New or Updated Spreadsheet Row"
4. Add filter: Only continue if "Posted" column is empty
5. Choose action 1: Twitter → "Create Tweet"
6. Choose action 2: LinkedIn → "Share an Update"
7. Choose action 3: Facebook → "Create Page Post"
8. Add final action: Google Sheets → "Update Spreadsheet Row" (mark as posted)
9. Test and turn on

Time to build: 30 minutes Time saved: 15 minutes per post, 10+ hours per month

Pro Tips

• Customize post text for each platform (Twitter 280 chars, LinkedIn longer)
• Use scheduling: Add a filter to only post if date/time has passed
• Include hashtags specific to each platform
• Track engagement by adding columns for likes/shares

5. Create Tasks from Starred Emails

Problem: You star emails as reminders but then forget about them.

Solution: Automatically create tasks in your task manager from starred emails.

How It Works

Trigger: Email starred in Gmail Action: Create task in your task manager (Todoist, Asana, Trello, etc.)

Why This Is Useful

• Email doesn't get buried in your inbox
• Clear action items in your task system
• Can set due dates and priorities
• Separate email from task management

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Gmail → "New Starred Email"
3. Choose action: Your task manager → "Create Task"
   • Todoist → "Create Task"
   • Asana → "Create Task"
   • Trello → "Create Card"
4. Configure task:
   • Task name: Email subject
   • Description: Email body or summary
   • Due date: Tomorrow (or extract from email)
   • Priority: Set based on sender or keywords
5. Optional: Add action to unstar the email
6. Test and turn on

Time to build: 15 minutes Time saved: Never miss an action item from email

Pro Tips

• Create different projects/lists for different types of emails
• Use filters to set priority based on sender
• Include link back to original email in task description
• Auto-assign to team members based on email content

6. Get Notified of Important Emails

Problem: You miss important emails in a flood of newsletters and notifications.

Solution: Get instant Slack or text notifications for emails from specific people or with specific keywords.

How It Works

Trigger: New email in Gmail matching criteria Action: Send notification to Slack or SMS

Why This Is Useful

• Never miss emails from your boss, clients, or family
• Respond faster to urgent requests
• Filter noise from important messages
• Can set different notifications for different types of emails

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Gmail → "New Email"
3. Add filter: Set up conditions
   • From specific senders (boss, top clients)
   • Subject contains "URGENT" or "ASAP"
   • To specific email addresses
4. Choose action: Slack → "Send Channel Message"
   • Or: SMS by Zapier → "Send SMS"
5. Configure message:
   • Include sender, subject, and preview
   • Link to email for quick access
   • Optional: @mention yourself
6. Test with a sample email
7. Turn on

Time to build: 10 minutes Time saved: Faster response time, better relationships

Pro Tips

• Create a dedicated Slack channel for email notifications
• Set up different automations for different priority levels
• Include quick action buttons in Slack (reply, archive, etc.)
• Use "Do Not Disturb" hours to avoid late-night notifications

7. Track Expenses Automatically

Problem: You forget to log expenses and scramble at month-end.

Solution: Automatically log expenses from receipts emailed to you.

How It Works

Trigger: New email with receipt/invoice Action 1: Extract amount and vendor Action 2: Add to expense tracking spreadsheet

Why This Is Useful

• Automatic expense tracking
• No more lost receipts
• Easy to categorize and analyze
• Ready for tax time

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create expense tracking spreadsheet:
   • Columns: Date, Vendor, Amount, Category, Receipt Link
2. Create new Zap
3. Choose trigger: Gmail → "New Email"
4. Add filter: Subject contains "receipt" or from specific vendors
5. Optional: Use AI: Add "Formatter" step to extract amount from email
6. Choose action: Google Sheets → "Create Spreadsheet Row"
7. Map fields:
   • Date: Email date
   • Vendor: Email sender
   • Amount: Extracted or manual
   • Receipt: Link to email
8. Test and turn on

Time to build: 20 minutes Time saved: Hours during tax season

Pro Tips

• Forward receipts to a specific email address (receipt@yourdomain.com)
• Use categories to automatically classify expenses
• Set up monthly summary email
• Add conditional formatting to flag large expenses
• For better parsing, consider using dedicated tools like OpenAI to extract data from receipts

8. Birthday and Anniversary Reminders

Problem: You forget important dates and feel bad about it.

Solution: Get reminded a week before birthdays and anniversaries.

How It Works

Trigger: Schedule check of birthday/anniversary spreadsheet Condition: Check if date is 7 days away Action: Send reminder email or Slack message

Why This Is Useful

• Never miss important dates
• Time to order gifts or make plans
• Strengthen personal and professional relationships
• Can include gift ideas and contact info in reminder

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create important dates spreadsheet:
   • Columns: Name, Date, Type (birthday/anniversary), Gift Ideas, Notes
2. Create new Zap
3. Choose trigger: Schedule → "Every Day" at 9:00 AM
4. Choose action: Google Sheets → "Lookup Spreadsheet Row"
5. Configure lookup: Find rows where date is in 7 days
6. Add filter: Only continue if row was found
7. Choose second action: Email or Slack notification
8. Include: Name, date, type, gift ideas, days remaining
9. Test and turn on

Time to build: 25 minutes Time saved: Priceless (saved relationships!)

Pro Tips

• Set up multiple reminders (7 days, 3 days, day of)
• Include Amazon/gift links in the reminder
• Track what you gave last year in the spreadsheet
• Add reminder for spouse's family members too

9. Backup Instagram Posts to Google Drive

Problem: You want to keep a personal archive of your social media posts.

Solution: Automatically save Instagram photos and captions to Google Drive.

How It Works

Trigger: New Instagram post Action 1: Download photo Action 2: Save to Google Drive Action 3: Save caption to document

Why This Is Useful

• Personal backup of your memories
• Easy to create year-end compilations
• Protect against account loss
• Can use photos for other purposes

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Instagram → "New Media Posted by You"
3. Choose action 1: Google Drive → "Upload File"
4. Configure:
   • File: Instagram photo
   • Folder: Instagram Archive/2025
   • Filename: Use date + caption preview
5. Optional: Choose action 2: Google Docs → "Append Text to Document"
6. Add caption and date to yearly journal
7. Test with a post
8. Turn on

Time to build: 15 minutes Time saved: Hours of manual downloading

Pro Tips

• Create monthly or yearly folders
• Back up to multiple cloud services for redundancy
• Include hashtags in the backup
• Set up similar automations for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

10. Meeting Follow-Up Automation

Problem: After meetings, you need to send recap emails and create tasks.

Solution: Automatically create follow-up tasks and send recap email template.

How It Works

Trigger: Calendar event ends Action 1: Create tasks for follow-up actions Action 2: Send recap email template to attendees

Why This Is Useful

• Never forget meeting action items
• Professional follow-up every time
• Save 10 minutes after each meeting
• Keep everyone aligned

Step-by-Step Setup (Zapier)

1. Create new Zap
2. Choose trigger: Google Calendar → "Event Ended"
3. Add filter: Only for specific calendar or events with specific keyword
4. Choose action 1: Your task manager → "Create Task"
5. Configure task:
   • Name: "Follow up: [Meeting Title]"
   • Due: Tomorrow
   • Notes: Include attendees and calendar notes
6. Choose action 2: Gmail → "Send Email"
7. Configure email:
   • To: Event attendees
   • Subject: "Re: [Meeting Title] - Recap and Next Steps"
   • Body: Template with meeting name, date, attendees, placeholder for notes
8. Test carefully
9. Turn on

Time to build: 25 minutes Time saved: 10 minutes per meeting, 5+ hours per month

Pro Tips

• Create different templates for different meeting types
• Add a delay to give you time to customize before sending
• Include link to meeting notes or recording
• Create separate tasks for each action item (requires more advanced setup)

Building Your First Automation: Step by Step

Ready to start? Here's exactly what to do:

Step 1: Choose Your Automation (5 minutes)

Pick ONE from this list. We recommend starting with #1 (Save Email Attachments) or #7 (Track Expenses) as they're simple and immediately useful.

Step 2: Gather Your Tools (5 minutes)

• Sign up for automation platform (Zapier recommended for beginners)
• Make sure you have accounts for apps you need
• Have login credentials ready

Step 3: Build (15-30 minutes)

Follow the step-by-step instructions for your chosen automation:

• Don't skip the testing step
• Try with sample data first
• Make sure it works before turning it on

Step 4: Document (5 minutes)

Write down:

• What this automation does
• What apps it connects
• Any important notes
• Ideas for improvements

Step 5: Monitor (Ongoing)

For the first week:

• Check daily to make sure it's working
• Make adjustments as needed
• Celebrate your wins!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not Testing Thoroughly

Mistake: Turning on automation without testing.

Fix: Always send a test trigger and verify the result is exactly what you want.

2. Forgetting About Error Notifications

Mistake: Not knowing when your automation breaks.

Fix: Set up email notifications for errors (usually in automation settings).

3. Making It Too Complex

Mistake: Trying to automate your entire workflow at once.

Fix: Start with ONE simple automation. Master it, then build the next.

4. Not Checking Limits

Mistake: Building an automation that exceeds your plan limits.

Fix: Check your plan's limits for tasks/automations and monitor usage.

5. Setting and Forgetting

Mistake: Never reviewing if automation still makes sense.

Fix: Review all automations quarterly, disable ones you don't need.

What to Automate Next

After building your first automation, here's how to choose your next one:

1. Look for repetition: What do you do the same way every day?
2. Track your time: What takes up surprising amounts of time?
3. Notice friction: Where do you think "I wish this was automatic"?
4. Start a list: Keep an "automations to build" list in your notes

Progressive Complexity

Weeks 1-2: Simple one-step automations (like those in this article)

Weeks 3-4: Multi-step automations (trigger → multiple actions)

Month 2: Conditional automations (if/then logic, filters)

Month 3: Data transformation (formatting, calculations, parsing)

Month 4+: Complex workflows (error handling, webhooks, code)

Measuring Success

How do you know your automations are working?

Track These Metrics

Time saved: Estimate minutes saved per automation run

• 5 minutes saved × 20 runs per month = 100 minutes

Error reduction: Count how many mistakes you avoid

• Forgot to log expense 5 times per month → 0 times now

Consistency improvement: Rate before/after

• Hit deadlines 70% of time → 95% with automated reminders

Mental load: How much less do you worry?

• Can't put a number on this, but it's real!

Celebrate Wins

When an automation saves you time or prevents a mistake:

• Make a note of it
• Share with team or community
• Use that success to motivate building the next one

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"My automation isn't triggering"

Check:

• Is the automation turned on?
• Did you test the trigger?
• Are you actually creating the trigger event? (e.g., new email with attachment)
• Check the automation's run history for errors

"The automation runs but doesn't do what I want"

Check:

• Review the test results vs. what you expected
• Verify field mappings are correct
• Check if you need filters or conditions
• Look at the actual data being passed between steps

"I'm getting too many notifications/actions"

Check:

• Add filters to limit when automation runs
• Check for duplicate automations
• Verify trigger settings (e.g., only new emails, not all emails)

"It worked once but now it doesn't"

Check:

• Did an app change its API or authentication?
• Check if the automation tool sent you error notifications
• Verify accounts are still connected
• Look for service outages on the app's status page

Your 30-Day Automation Challenge

Want to really jumpstart your automation journey?

Week 1: Build automations #1, #2, and #3 Week 2: Build automations #4, #5, and #6 Week 3: Build automations #7, #8, and #9 Week 4: Build automation #10 + one custom automation for your unique need

By the end: You'll have 10+ working automations and be comfortable with the fundamentals.

Tools for These Automations

All of these can be built with any of these platforms:

Zapier: Best for beginners

• Easiest to learn
• Most pre-built integrations
• Best documentation

Make: Best for visual learners

• Visual flowchart interface
• Free tier includes these automations
• More powerful than Zapier

n8n: Best for technical users or high volume

• Free if self-hosted
• Unlimited automations
• Most flexibility

IFTTT: Best for personal use

• Simplest possible
• Great for home automation
• Very affordable

Beyond These 10

Once you've mastered these beginner automations, you're ready to explore:

• Multi-step workflows with branching logic
• Data transformation and processing
• API integrations with custom services
• Webhook-triggered automations
• Database operations
• AI-powered automations with OpenAI or Anthropic

But don't rush. Build these 10 first, get comfortable with the concepts, then expand.

Join the House of Loops Community

Ready to take your automation skills to the next level?

Join House of Loops and get:

• 100+ automation templates ready to copy and customize
• Step-by-step video tutorials for building complex workflows
• Weekly automation challenges with prizes
• Live help when you get stuck
• $100K+ in credits for tools like n8n, Supabase, OpenAI, and more
• Community of builders sharing ideas and solutions

Join the Community and automate your way to more free time!

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Which automation will you build first? Share your automation wins in our community - we'd love to celebrate with you!