Great, quick read on "how to think" about software automation to offload cognitive tasks to free yourself up for higher thinking.

Maybe would have been more eye opening prior to the mainstream releases of AI but still good concepts and ideas

This was incredibly insightful and really well-written. If you are a fan of systems thinking, follow the work of other productivity experts, or just want to find the time to focus on the work that matters most, then you need to read this book!

It is not just a bunch of short-term tips and tricks, but rather a deep dive into the enduring principles of automation (and the accompanying mindset) that gives people the bandwidth to do deeply human work.

It's filled with practical examples, backed by deep research, and provides the motivation to re-evaluate your current workflows. I highly recommend it!

This book lacked sufficiently practical ideas for automating true busywork and the concepts for freeing yourself from the tyranny of "busyness" was undeveloped. If you work for a decently large company you can't simply download and use random third party apps as he suggests, nor can you deploy most automation without a reasonable degree of technical aptitude. The poor business schmucks who read this will get an account with Jotform and realize they still need two more integrations and a pro from IT to actually develop a working workflow. Need to onboard an employee? Yeah, you shouldn't use an off-the-shelf toolkit unless you want to hang your company's entire reputation and financial well-being on your capacity to map, build, and deploy software on your own. His advice may be more suitable for a family or small business of less 20 employees. Conceptually the ideas to think in terms of automation are helpful for laypeople but entirely superficial for readers with experience in coding, Agile, and the software delivery lifecycle.

Those of you who are busy days and nights love this book. Wisdoms taught in this book are essential to identify which work flows we are to automate for devoting our attention to deep work.

Contains practical applications to automating business functions. Features an actionable framework to follow and then includes use cases and tools that you can take and apply for your business functions.

Henry Ford's assembly lines demonstrated that machines don't replace people. Rather, they are replaced by other people who know how to work with machines. In Future Shock (1970), Alvin Toffler observes, "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." I was again reminded of that prediction as I worked my way through Aytekin Tank's book, Automate Your Busywork.

Tank immediately establishes a collaborative rapport with his reader by skillfully using first-person PLURAL pronouns and direct address. Many readers will have the same reaction that I did, that he wrote this book specifically written for me. He had me at the outset:

"We're all drowning in busywork. We all have too much to do. Despite all our technology -- or maybe because of it-- so many of us spend our days fighting busywork that distracts us from our higher purpose.

"What would you do if you could eliminate the dull and repetitive tasks you hate? If you could have back all of the hours you spend treading water, trying to stay one step ahead of your ever-expanding to-do list?"

As Tank explains, his ideas about work and automation "have evolved over the years, but a few principles continue to hold true:

o "Your productivity is not the problem." He identifies what it is and explains HOW to solve it.

o "Work isn't going anywhere." So what? He explains HOW to focus on what must be done and done well.

o "If you have a manual or repetitive task, you can automate it." He explains HOW to focus on what can't be automated.

o Modern work requires a machine for success. Replace linear thinking with circular thinking.

o Automation cannot happen overnight. Circular thinking about automation can happen immediately. Tank explains HOW.

Why bother to automate what can and should be automated? Tan identifies seven specific benefits:

1. Overcome human limitations

2. Increase speed

3. Document processes

4. Maintain consistency

5. Enable continuous improvement

6. Enable complexity

7. Lower costs

Tan makes brilliant use of various reader-friendly devices that include checklists, bullet points, action step sequences, and boxed mini-commentaries (e.g. "Some Truths About Creativity"). Of special interest to me are his "Exercises" strategically located throughout his narrative. They serve two separate but equally important functions: The exercises force the reader to focus on key points, and, they suggest how to apply them. Here are five:

o 'What Do You Want to Fix the Most?" (Page 14)

o "Prioritize Each Day's Most Important Task" (19)

o "Email Filters" (32)

o "Which Workflows Can I Automate/" (48)

o "Your Impact/Effort Matrix" (54)

John Kotter once observed that the most difficult change to achieve is to change how people think about change. In a similar vein, Tom Kelley and his brother David have devoted their lives and careers to helping as many people as possible to think more creatively about creativity. It is important to keep in mind that ultimate success will depend on your ability to automate busywork from your efforts to automate busywork.

I highly recommend that Automate Your Busywork be read in combination with two others: Age of Invisible Machines: A Practical Guide to Creating a Hyperautomated Ecosystem of Intelligent Digital Workers, written by Robb Wilson with Josh Tyson and Workforce Ecosystems: Reaching Statrfgeic Goals with People, Partners, and Technologies,co-authored by Elizabeth J. Altman, David Kiron, JeffSchwartz, and Robin Jones.

Here are two concluding suggestions: Highlight key passages, and, keep a lined notebook near at hand while reading Automate Your Busywork in which you record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), page references as well as your responses to the questions posed and to lessons you have learned. (Pay close attention to the “Key Points” at the end of chapters.) These two simple tactics will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.

I’m a huge fan of JotForm and use it at my school to streamline a lot of processes that Google Forms and other apps can’t really handle or provide a viable solution. I figured the book would offer more ideas in the area of education uses, but it’s geared more towards business than school….understandably. I did walk away with a few ideas, but nothing really mind-blowing.

Love this book and I wish the mainstream media pushed books like this but obviously they will continue to market those "you are a loser if you don't wake up at 5am" non-sense and make us all feel like a failure. I found this book very actionable. 4 days in and I'm making some healthy progress towards applying the Automation Flywheel which is the framework at the center of the book. Aytekin Tank offers insights that are as enlightening as they are practical, painting a picture of a man who not only talks the talk but walks the walk. I love his vision for a future where busywork is a thing of the past. Highly recommended

Automate Your Busywork" is a groundbreaking book by Aytekin Tank that offers a practical roadmap to maximize productivity and reclaim your time. Tank explores the power of "no-code" automation tools, showing readers how to offload repetitive tasks and focus on what truly matters. This must-read guide empowers professionals to achieve a state of "timefulness" and revolutionize their approach to work and life.

Appealing title but very abstract on the content, tought it was gonna be way more actionable but no

I have never read a book with so much padded out, filler content. There is nothing of real value here.