Summary

The website content discusses the benefits and capabilities of automation services IFTTT and Zapier, emphasizing their role in simplifying everyday tasks and saving time.

Abstract

The article "Stop Wasting Time and Start Automating" delves into the transformative power of automation in managing routine tasks through the use of technology. It highlights the convenience brought by smart home devices like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Siri, and introduces IFTTT and Zapier as tools to connect various services, apps, and devices for enhanced efficiency. The author provides examples of how these services can automate tasks ranging from checking the weather to updating social media profiles, and explains the functionality of IFTTT's applets and Zapier's Zaps. While IFTTT is suitable for personal use with its free applet offerings, Zapier is presented as a more business-oriented service with a free basic plan and paid subscriptions for more complex automation needs. The article concludes by encouraging readers to adopt these automation tools to save time and streamline their daily activities.

Opinions

The author believes that automation is underutilized and that there is much more potential to explore with services like IFTTT and Zapier.
Smart home devices are praised for making it easier to perform tasks through voice commands.
IFTTT is seen as user-friendly, with a multitude of pre-existing applets shared by the community.
Zapier is highlighted for its web-based platform and its ability to handle more complex integrations, making it suitable for business use.
The author suggests that the time saved through automation justifies the cost of Zapier's subscription plans.
There is an emphasis on the ease of creating Zaps in Zapier, even without software development knowledge.
The author expresses personal use cases for Zapier, such as bin collection reminders and organizing files in Google Drive, demonstrating its practicality.
The article promotes the idea that automating small tasks can lead to significant time savings in the long run.
The author invites readers to subscribe to their articles for direct updates and to support their work through Medium membership or donations, indicating a commitment to providing valuable content.

Stop Wasting Time and Start Automating

Taking the pain out of everyday tasks

Have you ever wondered how you could make your life simpler?

Automation is the key. Whether using services or a physical ‘machine’ there are many ways to take advantage of using the technology at your fingertips.

It’s becoming more prolific, and the arrival of Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Siri have done so much to make it easier to get things done.

I just walk into my office and say ‘Alexa, turn on the workspace’. This switches on the lamp and turns on the power to the laptop and monitor and then plays me the news headlines.

Lights are on a timer. The heating can also be controlled via Alexa.

What’s more, I know that I’m not using it to the full extent. I probably haven’t even scratched the surface of the capabilities!

This article is about two services that you can use to help kick-start your automation life

IFTTT and Zapier (pronounced like ‘happier’), are ways to get your services, apps and devices talking to each other to save you time.

Why Automate?

Here’s a list of some examples for what automation can do:

Want to know if you’ll need an umbrella (without needing to check the weather)?
Use your Amazon Echo device to add something to your Apple Reminders shopping list?
Missed a call? Then set the ringer to high volume so you don’t miss the next one!
Want to turn off WiFi, on your phone, when you leave home
Do you listen to Spotify (or another music service)? Then add a saved song to a spreadsheet.
Maybe you want to update your Twitter profile picture when you update your Facebook profile pic. IFTTT will automate that, so you don’t have to go to two different places.

I could spend ages just listing through all the possible variations of applets, that are available via IFTTT.

IFTTT

Why is it called IFTTT?

This is taken from the way a software developer writes code designed to look at the options and then make a decision.

Quite literally, If This [happens] Then do That.

With the app, you create an Applet. Or you can use one of a multitude of applets that are already available, and shared by other users. These applets connect the services you want to run.

Zapier

Zapier, in contrast, doesn’t have an app. It’s all on the web; and whilst this is very much geared towards businesses, there is still much it can do to save you time. You create Zaps that do the work for you.

So, what exactly is a Zap? Well, it’s a connection, or integration, between two or more apps that automate your tasks. A Zap is made of a “trigger” (e.g. When I receive a new email in Gmail…) and an “action” (e.g. …send me an SMS message).

Zaps run automatically to move and manage data without any work on your part.

One of the main uses I have for Zapier is to tell me which bin needs to be left out for collection.

When the email from the council is received, it is parsed into Zapier, and the pertinent information is captured. This is then forwarded to me in a message in Slack

Another example is after I’ve uploaded a document to Google Drive, a Zap will pick it up and move it to a specific directory. It saves me time having to locate the directory at the time of uploading it.

There are tons of integrations that you can explore — it’s worth having a look to see what Zapier could do to help you.

More importantly, the majority of the zaps can be created easily, via a step-by-step process led by the software. You don’t need knowledge of software development; although you can make really complex zaps if you need to. Zapier has some pretty good documentation and support.

Cost

Zapier is free to use the basic service, which allows only two-step Zaps; anything above that will require a subscription, starting at $20 per month. However, this is more of a business service and the cost can easily be considered an actual saving, due to the amount of time that could be saved repeating tasks.

IFTTT is free for up to 3 applets. After that, there is a charge to use the service.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Two excellent services that enable you to get things done and save you time in the process. It’s the small things that count. By automating even the smallest tasks will build up and save you more time in the long run.

Thank you for reading

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