Recently, I came across a short video where someone answered the question, “What is automation?” with a practical example:
“It took me 6 hours to automate a task that used to take 6 minutes daily. Now it runs in just 6 seconds.”
At first glance, this might seem like overkill, investing 6 hours to save a few minutes a day. But if you do the math, you’ll see the time invested pays off in about two months. What the video didn’t mention—but what resonated deeply with me—was that the real value lies far beyond this simple equation.
When I first started automating tasks in my workflow, it wasn’t just about being efficient. It was a journey of self-learning and professional growth. Here’s what I gained through the process:
Analytical Thinking: Breaking down a repetitive task into small, automatable steps requires a deep understanding of the process.
Technical Skills: I learned how to write scripts, test automation flows, and integrate tools. Coding became more than just a developer’s job—it became a means to optimize anything.
Handling Complexity: I had to plan for exceptions, runtime failures, data dependencies, and even consider user behavior if the task was customer-facing.
Impact Analysis: It taught me to think about the bigger picture—how many people are doing the same task? How often? What’s the cumulative gain?
Communication: When I shared my automation solutions with peers, I had to document and explain them clearly, sharpening my ability to communicate technical solutions to non-technical audiences.
Confidence to Try New Things: That one automated task was the gateway to more. I started looking at every process with a mindset of “Can this be improved?”
So, while the numbers may say I “just” saved 6 minutes a day, the actual value was in:
- The problem-solving mindset I developed,
- The new skills I picked up,
- And the impact I started creating at scale.
When you automate:
- You learn coding
- You apply logic and problem-solving
- You handle exceptions and plan for edge cases
- You think about impact, scalability, and optimization
- You begin to appreciate design thinking at the micro level
Automation isn’t just about speed—it’s about scale, mindset, and evolution.