Have you ever looked at those super-productive people and wondered how they do it all? It often feels like they have some secret superpower, a hidden gear that allows them to move faster and accomplish more. For years, I chased productivity hacks, trying to squeeze more out of the day, often ending up exhausted.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many feel automation is a complex beast. But what if the most powerful gains aren’t in working harder, but smarter… by leveraging simple automations already at your fingertips? Today, my co-host Brooks Duncan and I will reveal five personal automation wins we use daily. These aren’t theoretical… they’re practical, real-world examples that have saved us countless hours and frustration. You don’t need to be a tech genius. Let’s unlock your hidden productivity superpower.
Typing Smarter, Not Harder: The Magic of Text Replacement
Think about how much you type every day. Emails, reports, messages… a big chunk involves repetitive phrases, your email address, or even entire paragraphs. What if you could type all of that with just a few keystrokes? That’s the magic of text replacement.
I remember a few years ago, at a dinner party with smart entrepreneurs, I started talking about TextExpander. To my surprise, none had heard of it. I pulled out my laptop and showed them how I could type “aet” and it would instantly expand to my full Asian Efficiency email address, or quickly insert phone numbers. Everyone was amazed. “Whoa,” they said, “I need this!”
It’s one of those things you don’t know you need until you see it. My email address is prone to misspellings. So, I created a snippet: “aet”. Now, it instantly expands. A tiny tweak, but it saves countless frustrating typos. Brooks, my co-host, once showed how he could generate a six-paragraph email by typing just three characters. That single automation saved him over 106 hours. It’s not just about time… it’s about eliminating those little frustrations that add up.
The best part? You don’t need a fancy app. Many operating systems have this built in. On iOS and macOS, it’s “Text Replacement”. On Android, “Personal Dictionary”. Microsoft Office has “AutoText”. No excuse not to try.
What repetitive phrases or misspellings do you type often? Imagine the time and frustration you could save by automating those.
The Power of a Single Keystroke: Mastering Keyboard Shortcuts
If you want to move faster and stay in your flow, keyboard shortcuts are your secret weapon. We spend so much time clicking through menus. What if you could perform those actions with a quick tap of keys?
I once showed my mom how to use “E” to archive an email in Gmail. She only remembered that one, but it still saves her a ton of time. You don’t need to learn dozens of shortcuts to see massive benefit. Just one or two for your most-used apps can make a world of difference.
Email is a prime candidate. You’re constantly replying, archiving, deleting. Learning these shortcuts helps you fly through your inbox, keeping your hands on the keyboard and your focus uninterrupted. I remember trying to get our team to use “GR” for “Go Recent” in Confluence. I told them countless times! But nobody adopted it until I demoed it in person. It was a lightbulb moment.
Even I had a recent “aha!” moment. Brooks mentioned “Command O” in OmniFocus. I’ve used OmniFocus for years, and I didn’t know about this! It lets you quickly jump to any project or tag. Life changer!
Here’s a simple challenge: Pick one app you use frequently. Find just one useful keyboard shortcut. Commit to using it at least five times a day. You’ll be amazed how quickly it becomes second nature.
What’s one app you use constantly, and what’s one action you perform repeatedly within it? Can you find a keyboard shortcut for that action and commit to using it this week?
Copy and Paste on Steroids: The Power of Clipboard History
How many times a day do you copy something, then realize you need to paste something else, and have to go back and re-copy the first thing? It’s inefficient. This is where clipboard history comes in… a super-powered memory for everything you’ve copied.
I first discovered this in 2008 while manually entering data from CSV files into a CRM and invoice templates. Copying a first name, pasting it twice, then the last name, pasting it twice… it was painfully slow. I stumbled upon clipboard history in LaunchBar.
It was a game-changer. I could copy the first name, then the last name, then the address… all in sequence. Then, I’d go to the CRM, pull up my clipboard history (the last 15 items), and paste everything in order. What used to take an hour now took about 15 minutes. That’s a 75% time savings!
Brooks uses clipboard history extensively for team collaboration. He’s constantly clipping URLs, ticket numbers, and page links. Instead of going back and forth, he clips everything, then pulls it from his history when ready to share. Incredibly handy for information sharing or data entry.
Many operating systems now have this built in. Windows 10 has clipboard history… just turn it on. For Mac users, fantastic third-party apps like Alfred (free version available), Keyboard Maestro, or LaunchBar offer robust features.
Where do you find yourself copying and pasting repeatedly? How much time could you save if you could access a history of everything you’ve copied?
Your Digital Butler: Automating File Organization
Is your downloads folder a chaotic mess? Do you spend too much time searching for that one document you know you saved “somewhere”? File automation is like having a personal digital butler that automatically sorts, renames, and files your documents for you.
Before I moved to the States, I filed a mountain of paperwork for my green card. Endless versions of documents, passport copies, bank statements… it was a nightmare. I set up file automation rules: as soon as an email attachment with “green card” or my lawyer’s name was downloaded, it would automatically move to my “Green Card” folder. Anytime I needed a file, I knew exactly where it was. It saved countless hours of searching.
Brooks has similar automations. He has a rule that keeps his desktop clean: if a file hasn’t been opened in more than a day, it sweeps it into an “Old Desktop” subfolder. He also manages large podcast recordings, automatically moving them to an external hard drive after 30 days to save space.
I use it for bank statements. My rule detects the generic file name, moves it to my “Bank of America” folder, and renames it with the current month and year. Completely hands-off.
This sounds complicated, but tools like Hazel for Mac or File Juggler for Windows make it simple. You tell the tool what to watch for (file name, keyword, date) and what to do (move, rename, tag). It’s a one-time setup that pays dividends forever.
Imagine your digital life perfectly organized without you lifting a finger. What kind of files would you love to have automatically sorted and filed away?
Set It and Forget It: The Peace of Mind of Automated Backups
This might not sound like the most exciting automation, but it’s arguably the most important: automated backups. Losing your precious photos, important documents, or years of work can be devastating. And yet, so many of us put off backing up until it’s too late.
My mom loves taking photos. She was constantly worried about losing them. She thought backing them up meant complicated steps with her old MacBook Pro. It felt like a huge, weekly chore.
I showed her one simple iCloud setting. Just by flipping a switch, all her photos would automatically back up to the cloud. I even offered to pay for her iCloud storage… a small price for her peace of mind! It saved her 15 minutes a week, but more importantly, it freed up so much mental energy. She didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Brooks recently shared a story about his high school girlfriend whose daughter accidentally wiped her phone. If there’s no backup, those precious memories are often gone forever.
Automated backup systems are built right into almost every platform. You don’t need complicated software. For Mac users, Time Machine is built-in. For Windows users, File History. For iOS users, iCloud Backup. For Android users, online systems are available.
If you rely on a human to do something that isn’t fun, it probably won’t get done consistently. Backups fall squarely into that category. Setting up an automated backup system is a one-time effort that protects your digital life and gives you incredible peace of mind.
If you haven’t set up automated backups yet, please make it your top priority. What’s the one thing you absolutely cannot afford to lose on your devices? How much peace of mind would you gain by knowing it’s automatically protected?
We’ve covered five powerful personal automation wins today: typing smarter with text replacement, mastering keyboard shortcuts, supercharging your copy and paste with clipboard history, letting a digital butler organize your files, and gaining peace of mind with automated backups. Each can save you minutes, even hours, every single week. When combined, the time savings are truly significant. Brooks estimates he saves at least 10 hours a week, and for me, it’s easily an hour to an hour and a half a day. That’s a lot of extra time for things that truly matter.
Automation isn’t just for tech experts. It’s accessible, simple, and incredibly powerful.
Here’s your simple call to action: Pick just one of these automation wins that resonated with you. Maybe it’s setting up text replacement for your email, learning one new keyboard shortcut, or finally turning on automated backups. Implement that one thing this week. Notice the small moments of frustration it eliminates and the tiny pockets of time it creates. Once you experience the power of even a single automation, you’ll be hooked. Your future, more productive self will thank you.
