This document provides an introduction to automation and workflows to improve office productivity. It discusses principles of productivity like Getting Things Done (GTD) and the Pareto principle. It then outlines various automation tools for task management, notes, time tracking, text expansion, speech to text, and password management. Specific apps mentioned include OmniFocus, Evernote, 1Password, and Zapier. The goal of automation is to eliminate wasted effort and get the most out of your time without having to work harder.

1. flickr.com/quacktaculous
Introduction to Automation and
Workflows to Save Time and
Increase Office Productivity
Paul Sufka M.D.
paulsufka.com
@psufka

2. flickr.com/quacktaculous
Disclosures:
Own Apple shares
(<0.000025% of the company)

3. flickr.com/quacktaculous
Slides and links to
essential material:
paulsufka.com/automation

4. Overview
Productivity: 7 Principles
Getting Things Done (GTD)
Automation Tools
flickr.com/whoisthatfreakwiththecamera

5. Why Productivity?
Get the most possible out of
your time
Eliminate wasted effort
Not about cutting corners

7. Don’t work harder.
Develop a system.
flickr.com/64894594@N08

8. –Abraham Lincoln
“Give me six hours to chop
down a tree and I will
spend the first four
sharpening the axe.”
flickr.com/bigberto

9. Mise en Place
(The importance of preparation)
flickr.com/afireinwinter

10. How Different Groups Spend Their Day
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/31/business/20080801-metrics-graphic.html

11. xkcd.com/1205

12. Parkinson’s law
“Work expands so as to fill the time
available for its completion”

13. Decision Fatigue

14. Pareto Principle
(80/20 Rule)
Input ≠ Output
20% Effort 80%
Results

15. URGENTNot Urgent
IMPORTANTNotImportant
“Interruptions”
Delegate
“Distractions”
Avoid
“Goals”
Schedule
“Critical”
Do Now

16. Batching Tasks
Avoid the time-consuming
“switching cost”

17. Batching: Schedule
Non-urgent Items
Email
Phone calls
Prescription
refills
Forms

18. Pomodoro Technique
Break down work into intervals (25 min),
separated by short breaks (5 min)

19. Perils of Interruption

20. GTD
1.Capture
2.Clarify
3.Organize
4.Reflect
5.Engage

21. Capture

22. Clarify
Actionable?
No Yes
<2 min?
Do it now
or

23. Organize
Specific date?
Projects Contexts+

24. Reflect
Review tasks on a regular basis

25. Engage
守破離(shuhari)

26. Most Important Tasks
(MITs)
flickr.com/photography-andreas

27. flickr.com/stevecorey

28. –John F. Kennedy
“Man is still the most
extraordinary
computer of all.”
Automation Tools
flickr.com/florianric

29. Task Management

31. Omnifocus
(Mac & iOS)

32. Omnifocus: Projects

33. Omnifocus: Contexts

34. Clear
(Mac & iOS)

35. Due
(Mac & iOS)

36. Workflowy
(All Platforms)

37. Trello
(Mac, iOS, Android, Web)

38. Other Task Management Apps

39. Notes Apps
flickr.com/mcgraths

40. Evernote
(All Platforms)

41. Evernote
(All Platforms)

42. Other Notes Apps
Simplenote
(iOS, Mac, Android, Web)
Microsoft Onenote
(All Platforms)
Notability
(iOS, Mac)

43. Time Tracking
flickr.com/raneko
–Peter Drucker
“What gets measured, gets managed.”

44. RescueTime
(Mac & Windows)

45. Timing
(Mac)

46. Text Expansion
flickr.com/theleetgeeks

47. iOS Text Replacement
Settings »General »Keyboard »Text Replacement

48. TextExpander
(Mac)

49. Windows Text Expansion
ActiveWords
Phase Express

50. Speech to Text
flickr.com/evanforester
WPM
0 40 80 120 160
Typing
Speaking

51. Apple
Siri
Windows
Cortana
Dragon

52. Keyboard Automation
flickr.com/mecookie

53. CheatSheet
(Mac)

54. Keyboard Maestro
(Mac)

55. Windows Keyboard
Automation
AutoHotKey
Mac Trackpad
Automation
BetterTouchTool

56. Password managers
Dilbert: November 27, 1995

57. 1Password
(Mac, iOS, Windows, Android)

58. 1Password
⌘ + /

59. Email Tricks & Automation

60. Email filters and rules
Gmail Outlook
Archive/delete
Grouping
Forwarding
Automatic responses

61. Unroll.Me

62. Boomerang
for Gmail
Schedule email:
to send later
to return later

63. Automating meeting
scheduling

64. Doodle

65. Automating the Internet
Google Data Center

66. IFTTT
Zapier

67. Workflow app

68. Questions?
Slides and links
paulsufka.com/automation