3 Ways I Automate for the Sake of My Sanity
Maegan is my name, automaetion is my game.
I’m a natural problem solver + tech lover and I’m always looking for ways to make life easier for my clients and me.
I particularly look to automate a task when…
- I don’t enjoy the task/I find it to be super annoying.
- The task is time-consuming.
- The task doesn’t create joy, inspiration or shmoney. 🤑
Before I dive in, here are my essential automaetion tools:
- Notion
- ConvertKit
- Calendly
- Google Calendar
- Gmail
- Zapier
Here are 3 ways I automate so that I have time for more enjoyment (and money) throughout my day:
1 | CALENDLY
Oh Calendly, my first automated love. Calendly is a tool that makes scheduling a meeting très simple. You know that whole back and forth of “Can you meet tomorrow at 11?” “No, can you do tomorrow at 3?” I HATE THAT SHIT.
One of my fave features is that you can collect payments for meetings with Calendly. This is essential for my consultations.
So and so slides in my DMs asking if I offer a consult on how to attract men with 8-packs. I say “of course I do!” Create a quick description and list of intake questions that I need them to answer so that we can maximize our time together. Plop that info in Calendly, set a price and send the link. My Calendly is integrated with all of my Google Calendars so I know that I’ll never get scheduled for a time when I’m not available.
My Calendly is also integrated with my Zoom account so when the meeting invite is sent, the Zoom link is included. (One of my biggest pet peeves is “what’s the Zoom link?” I never send it, I instead say “it’s in the calendar invite”.)
Here’s a whole workshop to get you started in Calendly. I’ve helped so many humans transition to the platform and I’ve seen the first-hand effects of how well it works for them. You won’t be disappointed.
2 | CALENDLY X NOTION X ZAPIER
First, I created a database in Notion to host all of my Calendly meetings. For each one, I want to know who scheduled it, how much they paid and the consultation type. This way, I’m consistently building my CRM and I get to know which consultations are the most popular. (Right now, the most popular is my 1-hour Systems Overhaul. #shocker)
After I created the database, using Zapier, I linked my Notion and Calendly accounts. Now when someone schedules a meeting with me, it’s sent to that database along with all of the info I mentioned above.
I created an intake template in that database so I select the consult in the database, click “Intake template” and boom. I’m ready to dive into the call and already have space within the template to include a recording of the meeting (I host them on YouTube for easy access), meeting notes and homework for the client.
3 | ZAPIER X CONVERTKIT X GOOGLE GROUPS X GOOGLE CALENDAR
What’s productivity without Power Hours? IDK.
- First, I created a Google Group titled “Power Hours”. They’re often unpredictable and scheduled on the fly so I want the process to be as seamless as possible. Google Groups are the greatest for batching frequent contacts. When I had interns, I created a group called “Internz” so when emailing them, I didn’t have to type their individual emails. Simple type the Google Group name wherever you’d type an email and everyone is included.
- Then, using Zapier, every time someone purchased access to a Power Hour, they were added to that “Power Hour” group.
- Now, I have a Google Calendar template (here’s how to make one) that I use to schedule Power Hours. Instead of typing out all of those participant names manually, I type “Power Hour” and done!
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, automaetion is but a dream.
Once you get going on your automaetion mission, you’re going to notice a shift in your mindset. You’ll start asking yourself “How can I make this system easier? Can I automate this?” I know it to be true because I’ve watched it happen with my clients and it’s a nerdy dream come true to see this shift happen!
Ready to get started? Start simple. Identify one task that’s beneficial to current or Future You and ask yourself how you mae go about automating it.
A simple suggestion I always give is to automate your check-ins.
Let’s say you’ve recently maed a new connection with someone and you want to nurture that relationship. Rather than hope you remember to reach out to them in the future, do this instead:
- Get their email address.
- Draft a cute follow-up email.
Hey Bob!
It was such a joy meeting you at [wherever you met]. I hope all is going well with [whatever they mentioned to you]. Please let me know if there’s anyway I can help with [a challenge that they’re facing].
Talk soon!
- Using the Gmail “schedule send” feature, schedule the email for a few weeks in the future.
- Boom! You’re an automater — look at you, you tech whiz!
Like I said, once you get going, automaetion is going to remain in the back of your brain as you approach new challenges and projects. And hopefully, you start to really have fun with it. I know I do.
Stay automated,
Maegan
