The solo bottleneck
Without a backlog, you automate randomly and still feel busy.
This guide is part of a free series: 50 useful automations for people running the business alone. Download the printable PDF anytime: Free PDF — Run an automation backlog like a product roadmap.
Stack that stays small
Scored backlog + weekly ship slot.
Tools named here: Notion, Trello, Nexarch. Prefer official docs and native features before adding another SaaS.
Ship the automation
Capture every annoyance in an Automation Backlog DB.
Score 1–5 on pain and frequency; sort by product.
Weekly: ship the top item end-to-end (trigger → action → alert).
Retire automations that fire wrongly more than they help.
Keep it honest
The goal is fewer decisions, not more Zapier zaps. Kill ruthlessly.
Automations should reduce decisions and errors — not hide broken processes. If a Zap fails weekly, fix the process or delete the Zap.
Download
Grab the free PDF for this task: Download PDF. Or browse the full set from the homepage automation carousel.