the automate checklist · @shazimbuilds
Find your first automation in 10 minutes
List every task you did more than once last week — small ones count
(replying to leads, chasing an invoice, copying data between tools, posting content,
sending recaps). Then run each task through these five questions.
1 Does it repeat on a schedule?
Daily or weekly beats monthly.
Frequency is what makes automation pay. A 15-minute task done daily is 90 hours a year.
score: daily +3 · weekly +2 · monthly +1
2 Are the steps the same every time?
Could you write the steps on one index card?
If yes, a machine can follow the card. If every instance is different, it's not automation material yet.
score: identical steps +3 · mostly same +2 · always different +0
3 Does it need your judgment — or just your hands?
The question that surprises people.
Most tasks founders "must do personally" only need their hands (moving, formatting, sending), not their judgment (deciding). Hands-work automates. Judgment-work gets a draft prepared for you instead.
score: just hands +3 · draft-then-approve +2 · pure judgment +0
4 Would you pay someone to never make you do it again?
The emotional test — it's rarely wrong.
The task you dread is the one you delay; the one you delay is the one that leaks money.
score: instantly yes +3 · probably +1
5 Does it touch money or leads?
Careful tier — automate the draft, keep the send.
Invoice chasing, lead replies, quotes: highest payoff AND highest risk. Automate everything up to the final tap, then you press send. One rule keeps it safe: machines draft, you send.
score: yes +2 (and apply the rule) · no +1
Your first automation = the task scoring 10+.
Tie-breaker: pick the one from question 4.
Not the fanciest one. Not the newest AI toy. The boring 10+ task.
What to build it with
| Your winner looks like… | Start with |
|---|
| Same message answered again and again | Claude Project with your FAQ + tone → drafts replies, you send |
| Data moved between two tools | n8n or Zapier: trigger → transform → destination. No AI needed. |
| Chasing invoices / follow-ups | n8n schedule + Claude-drafted nudge emails, escalating politely |
| Weekly report or recap | Scheduled Claude job: pull numbers → 3 plain-English takeaways |
| Posting content everywhere | Make it once, schedule via a posting API (one render → all platforms) |
The 2-week rule: run the automation alongside your manual process
for two weeks before trusting it. If its drafts match what you would have done
9 times out of 10, hand it the keys (except the send button).