If there’s one thing you should know about Project Spaces, it’s that we keep things simple by design.

Why?

We find superfluous stuff gets in the way of what’s important and we incorporate that philosophy into our founder-friendly space.

We like simplicity here. Our sole goals are to give founders and freelancers a place to work that lets them keep as much money in their pockets as possible; make sure our members can crush their goals in a comfortable setting; create a place where humans can do what they do best: connect and make friends; and be the keepers of the vibe so that Project Spaces is always an awesome place to be.

Anything beyond that is redundant for us.

But with that being said, we’ve invested big bucks into implementing systems and technology at PS to help achieve those goals, like keycards to your smartphone, a wicked mobile app, iPads for booking meeting rooms, and the best WiFi in the business.

And while not every business is a coworking space, our point is this: by finding ways to streamline your workday, you can reduce stress, cut back on distractions, save yourself some time, and focus on the most important parts of your job.

So, we thought we’d dive into a few daily tasks you could automate to make your life simpler.  

1. Invoicing and Expense Management

Alright, admittedly, invoicing might be more of a biweekly or monthly thing, but with simple, cheap-and-cheerful software like Freshbooks, you can create retainers and recurring invoices that send on the same day each month so you don’t have to think about it.

It also allows you to scan receipts, so you don’t have to keep the paper copies. You can just snap a photo as soon as you get it and move on with your life.

You can also use a tool like Expensify for dialing in your budget and expenses.  

2. Publishing Stuff on Social Media

Most businesses use social media in some capacity. But we think it’s safe to say it can be challenging to maintain on a daily basis.

That’s why tools like Buffer and Later are lifesavers.

Rather than having to think about your publication every day or week, you can schedule your posts a month (or two or three or twenty) in advance, even specifying times.

3. Turning Off Your Workday

Alright, this one might seem a bit weird, but it’s pretty important.

One thing we found when we worked from home during the pandemic was that it started to feel like the workday never really ended.

Our computers and work gear were all right there in our condos and we had no separation between work and home.

And that made us realize how important it is to automate your mental workday shutoff sequence.

This can take the form of having a 30-minute wind-down routine where you finish certain tasks, check what’s on the go for the following day, and close down your computer.

It could also be getting a coworking space membership so that you can put physical distance between your work and your house. Believe it or not, even the simple act of a quick commute can help create that mental space that allows you to enjoy the rest of your night without thinking about work.

4. Winding Down for Bedtime

The same way you’ve got one routine for winding down work so you can enjoy your life, you should also automate a routine for winding down your brain before bed.

Afterall, you wouldn’t go play sports without warming up, right? So, why would you try to sleep without winding down?

This could be anything from a technology-free hour before bed to reading a book, having a cup of decaffeinated tea, or whatever else works for you.

But a wind-down routine is the key to a great night’s sleep—and a great night’s sleep is the key to having a great morning and a great day.

5. Booking Meetings

We can’t even explain how much time we once spent booking in tours by hand. And the same probably applies to your business—booking calls with clients or leads or whoever it might be.

Every time, it takes a ton of back and forth to land on a time that works for everyone.

But it shouldn’t. Just get a tool like Calendly that incorporates with your email calendar and lets people book times based on your existing availability or pre-set blackout times.

6. Making Sure Your Writing is Good

If you work on a computer, you probably spend at least some portion of your day writing something—whether it’s reports, presentation decks, articles, or just emails.

And it can be a huge (albeit very important) time-suck to proofread them over and over to ensure you sound articulate.

Instead of going through it all with a fine-toothed comb, we’ve installed the Grammarly plug-in on our web browser (and you can also get an app) that helps check your spelling, grammar, punctuation, length of your sentence, redundancy, and more—all in a freemium format.

7. Remembering Passwords

Let’s be real: there are very few people in this world who know exactly what username and password combo they created for every single one of their accounts.

For those of you who can, we commend you.

But for those who can’t, get a tool like LastPass that saves all your passwords for all your accounts under one secure master password and account and auto-populates them every time you go to sign in.

No more fumbling through handwritten notes, wracking your brain, or resetting your password.

8. Research and News

If your business requires you to keep up with current events or trends, take the proactive legwork out of looking for it by signing up for relevant newsletters and creating Google Alerts for terms that pertain to your business or interests.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t still look for great stuff when you’ve got time. We’re just saying that automating the research process can help save you time each day.

9. Create Canned Email Responses Using Gmail

Ever get sick of writing similar email responses over and over and over again? Well, if you’re a Gmail user, you can create and save multiple email templates in your inbox so you can pick the most fitting one and respond without having to re-type it all.

Here’s a 10-step process from Hubspot to explain how to do it.

You can also check out services like SaneBox, which works by learning your email habits and creating natural response templates, and Unroll.me, which removes annoying emails or newsletters you never signed up for from your inbox.

Your life is busy enough on the best of days. But you can do yourself a favour by reducing the volume of things to think about by automating your simple tasks.

If you want to streamline your workday even more, come give Project Spaces a try! We can't automate all your work for you, but we can definitely surround you with people who know what you're going through.