🧠 You’re not lazy. You’re overleveraged.
If you're juggling emails, calendars, tools, and team handoffs all day, you're not alone, and you're not the problem.
You’ve hit the modern knowledge worker's biggest bottleneck: repetitive digital busywork.
The fix? Automation. Specifically: Zapier.com and Make.com, two tools that can turn chaos into smooth, repeatable workflows.
⚙️ What is Automation, Really?
At its core, automation is about connecting your favorite apps so they talk to each other without you needing to be the middleman.
Instead of:
Copy/pasting data between tools
Manually sending reminders
Hunting for files
You build “set-it-and-forget-it” rules that do it all in the background.
It's like hiring a quiet assistant who never sleeps.
Both tools let you link apps together in powerful ways, but they have different strengths.
Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
Ease of Use | 🟢 Beginner-friendly | 🟡 Slight learning curve |
Power/Flexibility | 🟡 Simple workflows | 🟢 Complex scenarios |
Visual Editor | ❌ Minimal | ✅ Full drag/drop logic |
Pricing | Slightly higher | More generous free tier |
Use Cases | Simple task automation | Data-heavy or multi-step logic |
⚡ 3 Real Automations You Can Steal Today
1. New Lead → Airtable → Slack Ping
When someone fills out your Typeform or site form:
Automatically send their info to Airtable
Tag it with a timestamp or category
Ping you (or your team) in Slack
→ No more inbox tag-sorting or delayed follow-ups.
2. AI Email Digest → Notion Archive
Filter for important emails using Gmail filters
Use Zapier to trigger OpenAI to summarize each
Automatically save summaries in a Notion page
→ Perfect for client updates, internal newsletters, or decision logs.
3. Form → Auto-generated Client Proposal
Use Make.com to watch for new Google Form responses
Pull in pre-filled info into a Google Doc template
Auto-generate a PDF proposal and send it via Gmail
→ Feels like magic. Saves 30+ minutes per proposal.
🤔 So Which One Should You Use?
Use Zapier if:
You’re just getting started
You want quick, linear automations
You prefer a polished, simple interface
Use Make.com if:
You love visual flowcharts
You’re dealing with complex logic or branching
You want more control for less cost
Bonus: Many power users use both, Zapier for quick wins, Make for deeper flows.
🎯 Your Move This Week: Automate One Task
Pick one thing you do more than twice a week, then ask:
“What triggers this task?”
“What’s the outcome I always want?”
“What tools do I touch when doing it?”
Chances are, Zapier or Make can connect those dots in minutes.
🧰 Coming Soon:
In next week’s TactiStack drop, I’ll share:
Free templates for these exact automations
A side-by-side build walkthrough
Affiliate links if you want to support the site
Start stacking smarter. Your future self will thank you.
- T