The 5 Automations That Give Me Back a Full Work Day Every Month

Early on, I was sending follow-up emails by hand. Creating invoices in a spreadsheet. Copying contacts into my CRM one by one.

This lasted until my third client, at which point the wheels came off completely.

I couldn't scale myself. But I could scale my systems.

Two years later, my business runs on a foundation of automation. I spend my time on high-value work—strategy, client delivery, content creation—while the repetitive stuff happens automatically.

Here's how you can do the same.

The Automation Mindset

My rule of thumb: if I've done the same task three times in a month, it's time to automate it.

Not everything qualifies. But anything that's repetitive, predictable, and follows clear rules? That's automation territory.

Ask yourself:

• Do I do this regularly (daily, weekly, for each client)?
• Are the steps basically the same each time?
• Could I write down the decision logic for someone else?

If yes to all three, automate.

The 5 Automations Every Solopreneur Needs

1. Lead Capture → CRM

The manual way: Someone fills out your contact form. You copy their info into a spreadsheet. You send a thank-you email. You create a task to follow up.

The automated way:

Contact Form Submitted
        ↓
Add to CRM (Notion/Airtable)
        ↓
Send thank-you email (Resend)
        ↓
Add to newsletter (Beehiiv)
        ↓
Notify you (Slack/Email)
        ↓
Create follow-up task

Tools: Beehiiv automations, or n8n/Make for custom flows

Time saved: 10 minutes per lead × 20 leads/month = 3+ hours/month

2. Booking → Preparation

Someone books a discovery call. Before they even hang up the phone, my system:

• Pulls their LinkedIn profile and company info
• Creates a prep doc in Notion with their background
• Sends them a questionnaire about their goals
• Schedules reminders for 24 hours and 1 hour before the call
• After the call, creates follow-up tasks automatically

I show up to calls actually prepared, without spending 15 minutes researching each person.

Tools: Cal.com + Zapier/Make + Notion

Time saved: 15 minutes per call × 10 calls/month = 2.5 hours/month

3. Invoice → Payment → Thank You

The manual way: You finish a project. You create an invoice in your spreadsheet. You send it. You wait. You chase payment. You manually record it.

The automated way:

Project marked complete
        ↓
Generate invoice (Stripe)
        ↓
Send to client (auto)
        ↓
Payment reminder at 7 days
        ↓
Payment received → Thank you email
        ↓
Update records + accounting

Tools: Stripe + Make/Zapier

Time saved: 20 minutes per invoice × 5 invoices/month = 1.5+ hours/month

4. Content → Distribution

The manual way: You write a blog post. You manually share on LinkedIn. Then Twitter. Then your newsletter. You forget one platform.

The automated way:

Blog Post Published
        ↓
Extract title + excerpt + image
        ↓
Post to LinkedIn (scheduled)
        ↓
Post to Twitter/X (scheduled)
        ↓
Add to next newsletter
        ↓
Update content calendar

Tools: Buffer/Hootsuite, or n8n for full control

Time saved: 30 minutes per post × 4 posts/month = 2 hours/month

5. Client Onboarding

The manual way: New client signs. You create a project. You set up their folder. You send welcome docs. You schedule kickoff. You add them everywhere.

The automated way:

Contract Signed (DocuSign/PandaDoc)
        ↓
Create project in PM tool
        ↓
Create shared folder (Google Drive)
        ↓
Send welcome packet (email + docs)
        ↓
Add to client portal
        ↓
Schedule kickoff call
        ↓
Create onboarding checklist

Tools: DocuSign/PandaDoc + Make/n8n + Your tools

Time saved: 45 minutes per client × 2 clients/month = 1.5 hours/month

Total Time Saved

That's a full work day back every month. I use it for client work, content creation, or just not burning out.

My Recommended Stack

For solopreneurs, I recommend:

Total cost: $0-50/month (most have generous free tiers)

Getting Started: The 80/20 Approach

Don't try to automate everything at once. Start with the highest-impact automation:

Week 1: Lead Capture

Set up: Form → CRM → Email → Notification

Week 2: Booking Flow

Set up: Calendar → Confirmation → Reminder

Week 3: Invoicing

Set up: Invoice → Payment tracking → Thank you

Week 4: Content Distribution

Set up: Publish → Social posts → Newsletter

After one month, you'll have the foundation. Then iterate.

Common Mistakes

Over-Engineering

Don't build a 20-step automation for something that happens once a month. Start simple.

No Error Handling

Automations fail. Build in notifications for failures. Check logs weekly.

Forgetting the Human Touch

Some things should stay personal. Automate the mechanical parts, but keep authentic human moments.

Not Documenting

Six months from now, you won't remember how it works. Document every automation.

The Bottom Line

I spent maybe 20 hours total building these automations over my first year. They've given me back 10+ hours every month since.

The math isn't complicated: set it up once, get the time back forever.

If you're drowning in repetitive tasks and want help building automations that actually work, let's talk.