Start automation with checklists and templates before…
Start automation at the lowest-tech level that solves the problem (checklists, templates, calendar events) before considering platforms or scripts, because simplicity reduces maintenance burden.
When This Fires
- Deciding how to automate a repetitive task
- When the first instinct is to write a script or build an integration
- After a complex automation broke and you're wondering if there's a simpler way
- Any time automation maintenance costs are consuming the time savings
Common Failure Mode
Building a sophisticated automation for a problem that a checklist solves. You spend 4 hours writing a script that saves 2 minutes per day — breakeven in 120 workdays, assuming zero maintenance. But the script requires monthly updates, breaks when dependencies change, and needs documentation for when you forget how it works. The checklist would have cost 5 minutes to create and zero minutes to maintain.
The Protocol
Before building any automation: (1) Can a checklist or template solve this? If yes → stop here. (2) Can a calendar event or reminder solve this? If yes → stop here. (3) Can a spreadsheet formula or no-code tool solve this? If yes → stop here. (4) Only if levels 1-3 fail → consider scripts or custom code. (5) At each level, the test is: does this level adequately solve the problem? Not "could the next level solve it better?" — adequate is the standard, not optimal.