Investing Time

Everyone wants more time.

Even after automating your brains out with Zapier you can still feel like you need more time.

The truth is if you feel this way, you don’t know how to set priorities. Because no matter how hard you try, you only get twenty-four hours in a day.

But once you set priorities, your time will feel like something to invest instead of something to spend. Your workday will transform from busy and scattered to focused and free.

When you move towards this new view of time, automation takes on a new meaning as well. You’ll have done the pre-work that will make using Zapier more valuable and fun.

In this post, I’m going to share three aspects of time that will simplify your life and help you get more done.

Let’s swan dive in:  

Prioritizing

In 2018, I got married and started a family—there are now four of us and counting! Spending time with them is a top priority in my life.

At work, we’re launching something new for high schoolers. Listening to students, parents, and experts is a top priority for me. We are relentless with quality and aim to have a personal touch with all that we do.

What’s your priority?

Priorities are similar to focus. The key to focus is to tune everything else out. It’s to blur your surroundings so that only one thing is left in sight. Most of the action comes from intentionally moving things out of view.

So it goes with setting priorities. You have to say no to things in your life. You may have to say no to the quick and easy way to support users and email them individually.

Most people don’t get this right and they dilute their lives. They think the solution is “more time.” But that’s fool’s gold.

Clear this level and you get to move on.

Saving

Once you decide on your priorities, then saving time looks like cutting out anything that doesn’t support your priorities.

The trick here is that while automation can save time, without your input it doesn’t know whether automation is a good idea.

Here’s an example:

If your priority at work is personality and relationship and you’re tasked with creating a customer onboarding experience, then automating a welcome email using Zapier does not actually save time. Instead, you would automate the reminder to send the email and then you’d personalize the email based on everything you know about the new customer and send it yourself.

Investing

"One of the most critical skills in life—and yet never taught in school—is choosing where to direct your attention.

After graduation, the valedictorian will often get lapped by "average" people who better invest their time."
—James Clear

The idea is simple: do something now that will either give you more time or value later on.

Invest time creating a Zap that will save you hours of time each month and allow you to invest time on your more valuable priorities.

Invest time with your children and make a rippling impact on them and whoever they interact with.

Prioritizing, Saving, Investing. They all go hand-in-hand.
‍

‍
Happy Building,
Bryce