24 ways to automate your digital life

Ever since my post about my secret to productivity (automation), I’ve been meaning to compile and present the complete list of all my automation tools and tricks. In that post, I’ve mentioned briefly some of the things that I automate in my desktop and browser.

This time around, to celebrate the relaunch of the blog, I’m starting a 24-day post series (the biggest I’ve ever embarked upon) with 24 ways you can use to automate your digital life.

With “digital life”, I mean your daily interaction with your PC, including the desktop operating system and the browser. So essentially the tips in this post series are categorized as either Windows- or Web-related. It’d be interesting to see how many of the Windows-related tips can be applied to the Mac. However, all Web-related tips should be relevant to anybody using any popular operating system.

Every one of these automation tips is explained in dead simple terms with a step-by-step procedure for implementing it. Non-tech savvies as well as geeks should find this material useful and come out with at least one or two automation tricks under their belts.

So what do I mean by automation and what’s in it for you?

What’s automation?

In this context,

automation is the process of letting your computer take care of things you usually bother with on a regular basis.

That’s about as simple as a made-up definition can be :) Of course, feel free to read the more nerdy one.

To reiterate on my previous post:

By automation, I mean putting an end to manually doing those nasty repetitive tasks that kill your productivity by wasting your time and sucking up your energy.

What’s in it for me?

I live by a rule that says if something I do on my computer occasionally or frequently can be streamlined or completely automated, then that’s the way it’s has to be done. There are many advantages to this rule, including:

  • Not feeling like a donkey doing repetitive donkey work. We’re humans and we’re capable of so much creative thinking. How about we leave the “donkey” tasks to the computers and we focus on more important things?
  • Reducing your mental and information overload. In this hectic digital age, having so much to do on your mind inevitably boosts your stress level. Automation can help you forget about things computers can take care of so you can check one more thing off your to do list.
  • Reducing your overall daily interactions with computers. I used to be the opposite, but now I believe that life’s too short to spend it in front of a speechless monitor. When you look back at your younger years, it will seem like it’s gone by in a blast when you only get to interact most your day with a piece of equipment. Don’t trade your life for tech.

What can I automate?

The possibilities are endless. Various tasks can be completely or partially automated. It’s just a matter of spotting those tasks and knowing which tools to use to help you with them.

In fact, that’s what I’m here for! Let me give you a rundown of all of the automation tips I’m going to share with you over the next 24 blog posts:

Windows-related:

  1. Locate files faster
  2. Push annoying buttons and dialogs
  3. Launch applications faster
  4. Backup important files
  5. Maintain and clean up your PC
  6. Check for updated version of installed software
  7. Change computer settings in different networks
  8. Watch your favorite TV shows
  9. Synchronize your music collection
  10. Avoid typing common phrases
  11. Resize multiple images at once
  12. Reduce your clicking in half

Web-related:

  1. Keep up with news and web sites
  2. Simply scroll instead of repeatedly clicking ’Next’
  3. Fill out entire forms automatically
  4. Comment and follow up on a post’s comments
  5. Synchronize your bookmarks
  6. Delete unwanted recurring e-mail messages
  7. Auto-login to websites
  8. Post links to multiple social news sites
  9. Browse photos on Flickr faster
  10. Save and share Office documents online
  11. Set text size and encoding once for any given site
  12. Generate random, disposable e-mail address for registration on annoying sites

Stay tuned!

You can bookmark this post, as each point will be updated with a link pointing to the detailed instruction post. As an alternative, you can subscribe to this blog to get all those cool automation tips delivered to your e-mail or feed reader.