Week 6: No-code automation

Tuesday, April 1st at 9am PT | 12pm ET | 5pm UK

Overview

In this session, we learned how to use no code automation tools like Zapier, Make and MS Power Automate to automate your workflow and take your productivity to new heights.

Hosted by Cortney Hickey, no-code automation expert and EA to the CEO at Zapier

Session resources

Take me to the session recording

Key points

No code automation = having a process done automatically for you, without knowing how to code

  • This is fantastic as it means you can set repetitive tasks to run in the background, and minimise data entry and app switching — maximizing your efficiency

  • Cortney gave an overview of how to use Zapier to automate pushing data between different work tools you’re using

  • She shared some specific ways to use Zapier that are most valuable for EAs:

    • Common initial blockers:

      • Time investment concerns

      • Uncertainty about where to begin

      • Fear of automations "going off the rails"

    • Recommended first steps:

      • Start with email/message triage automation

      • Focus on repetitive tasks that follow "when X happens, do Y" pattern

      • Use AI-powered "What would you like to automate?" box for guidance

      • Progress over perfection approach - start basic, enhance over time

    • Practical use cases for EAs:

      • Calendar management: cross-posting between work/personal calendars; automated meeting prep summaries; text message reminder for critical meetings

      • Email management: customer email summaries sent to Slack; draft reply generation using AI; priority message alerts

      • Team coordination: milestone tracking and gift automation; event signup automation via emoji reactions; automated meeting recording distribution

      • Progress over perfection approach - start basic, enhance over time

Further Resources:

For those of you with access to Microsoft Power Automate, check out this useful tutorial (37 mins). It’s a thorough walkthrough of how to set up no code automations in MS.

Links from Cortney:

Slides from the session