Alex Patterson for CodingCatDev

Posted on Oct 12 • Originally published at codingcat.dev

How to Automate Your Work and Free Your Time

#webdev #javascript #beginners #podcast

Original: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/how-to-automate-your-work-and-free-your-time

Welcome back to the CodingCat.dev blog! Today, we’re diving deep into a topic that’s near and dear to every busy developer’s heart: automation. If you’ve ever looked at your overflowing to-do list and wondered, “How can I get some of this done without losing my life to it?” — this one’s for you. We’re going behind the scenes with Joe, an automation and podcasting coach, who’s spent years refining processes, exploring tools, and developing frameworks that help him and his clients not only save time but also live the life they want.

This post pulls directly from a casual, fun, and super-detailed podcast interview packed with hands-on advice, links, frameworks, tools, and even a peek at Joe’s epic Stream Deck setup. So grab your coffee, get comfy, and let’s get automating.

Meet Joe: From Front-End Dev to Automation Guru

Most of us start somewhere — often with code, sometimes with burnout, and always with a drive to make things better. Joe’s journey is a classic developer story, with a twist:

20 years as a front-end developer
Specialized in responsive web design (back when it was a new thing!)
Podcasting coach and automation specialist
Focused on helping people build “no-code” solutions

“I feel like I’m uniquely positioned here because I know how a computer thinks, and I try really hard to help people with no code solutions … not in the AI sense, but in the ‘let’s connect some tools and make it happen’ — no custom Python needed!”

Joe made the transition from a demanding agency life to self-employment — with the core goal of designing a lifestyle that balances work, family, and passion. And if you’re listening to this thinking, “I barely have time for dinner”— he’s been there too.

The Podcast Life: Escaping Burnout for Balance

Joe’s transition into podcasting wasn’t planned. It came from the realization that his skill set was perfectly aligned with the growing demand for audio content — and that podcasting offered exactly the kind of flexibility he wanted as a parent.

Agency life = incompatible with being present for family
Web development was fun, but podcasting became the passion
Automation was the KEY to making it all work

There’s even a classic moment in the transcript where Joe describes a panic attack during a stressful year, and his three-year-old brings him water and reassures him. Talk about motivation for change!

“I made a promise to myself that I’m not going to put her in this position again. And so the next day I could work, I made a list of everything I did and then I put a check mark next to the things that only I could do. Everything else I automated or delegated to my virtual assistant.”

What Does “Automation” Really Mean?

Let’s get one thing straight: automation isn’t about “robot overlords” taking our jobs. In Joe’s world (and ours), it’s about finding shortcuts, reducing friction, and freeing your brain to do what matters.

Joe explains the true roots of “hacker” culture:

“The word hacker originally meant finding a shortcut — not breaking into computers, but figuring out how to do something in less time.”

That’s the vibe for this whole guide. No secret formulas, no pie-in-the-sky promises — just real, practical advice for getting stuff off your plate (whether by robots or real people).

Joe’s PER Framework for Automating Any Task

Ready for the playbook? Here’s Joe’s PER Framework — the dead-simple method for deciding what and how to automate.

P — Perform

Actually do the task
Record or document every step
Note all the inputs and outputs

E — Evaluate

Do you need to do this?
- Is this something only you can do?
Are the inputs and outputs ALWAYS the same?
If yes, could a computer do it?
- If no, could another person do it?
Do you WANT to do it?
- Some stuff (e.g. sponsor outreach) might be best kept in your own hands.

R — Remove

If a computer or another person can do it, offload it
If it’s not necessary at all (dead weight), just drop it

“You don’t have to automate everything, everywhere, all at once. Just pick something that takes a lot of time, document everything you do, and start from there.”

Try this as a checklist:

- [ ] Perform the task and write out every input/output
- [ ] Is automation possible? Are inputs/outputs predictable?
- [ ] Can another person do it?
- [ ] If not needed, remove entirely

Breaking Down the Podcast Engine

Curious what an automated podcast workflow looks like in real life? Let’s go step-by-step.

The Podcast Process

Editing: Audio and video files delivered from the editor via Dropbox (named by episode number)
Automations kick in:
- When the files hit Dropbox, a Zapier/Make flow triggers and updates Notion with episode status (“Ready for scheduling”)
- Virtual Assistant (VA) gets email notification
VA Actions:
- Upload video to YouTube
- Copy show notes from Notion
- Upload audio to hosting (e.g. Transistor)
- Link up related YouTube fields and show notes
- Add chapters, schedule release
- Post on WordPress using custom block template
- Add transcript from CastMagic (automatically fetched on publish day)
- Upload video to Spotify for Creators for video podcasts

This way, the creator only needs to:

Record the episode
Approve final cut if necessary
Everything else kicks off through automations and SOPs

“Once I’m done recording, I don’t even see it again until it’s in my RSS feed.”

Top Automation Tools

Let’s dig into the tool stack that Joe uses all day, every day. These are tested, recommended, and, as Joe puts it, selected because they reduce friction. Here’s what makes the cut:

1. Zapier

The king of easy automation — connects 1000s of apps. If you want “set it and forget it” tasks between Google Sheets, Notion, Dropbox, YouTube, and more, this is probably your starting point.

Example: Automating Podcast Episode Status in Notion

# Zapier Python code 
stepdef update_episode_in_notion(episode_number, status):notion_api.update_record(database_id='your_db_id',filter={"Episode Number": episode_number},status=status)

But you can achieve this via Zapier’s built-in UI, mapping fields between services — no code required.

2. Make.com (formerly Integromat)

If you need more control, especially with custom APIs, webhooks, or “every little detail” — Make.com is more affordable but requires a steeper learning curve.

Example: Operations Counting

Each step in a workflow = an operation.
Watch your step count to avoid hitting limits if you have a high-volume process.

Connecting Google Services (More technical)

{"operation": [{ "type": "get_file", "from": "Dropbox" },{ "type": "update_notion", "episode": "123" },{ "type": "send_email", "to": "VA@example.com" }]}

But this is all drag-and-drop in the Make.com UI.

3. Apple Shortcuts (Siri Shortcuts)

Joe uses Apple Shortcuts for startup/shutdown routines — dictating daily checklists directly into Obsidian to clear his mind and capture tasks.

4. Hazel

A Mac classic for auto managing files. Useful for organizing podcast downloads, renaming files, moving them to correct folders, and more.

Example: Hazel File Rule

If filename contains "Riverside"
Move to Needs Editing FolderRename to [episode_number]Host or [episode_number]Guest

No code needed — Hazel’s UI lets you set up “if this, then that” file automation rules.

5. Stream Deck

This is where the magic happens for repetitive tasks, quick timers, scene switching, and more. Joe’s not kidding when he says he has three Stream Decks — each with shortcuts to automate common actions.

Start time trackers
Run Apple Shortcuts
Control lighting
Copy/paste with auto-replace (e.g., fix video URLs with domains)
Switch podcast scenes

“All of this is to reduce friction in my day, right? … I want to look at the camera, I want to switch scenes. I don’t want to spend time dragging windows or finding links.”

Visual example:

6. Keyboard Maestro

Automate complex keyboard shortcuts and clipboard tasks.

7. Obsidian and Notion

Obsidian: Personal knowledge management — ideal for note-taking, journaling, and capturing daily routines. Runs Joe’s startup/shutdown scripts via Apple Shortcuts.

Notion: Project management, process docs, sponsorship/customer tracking, handover documents for VAs.

Automation in Action: Real-Life Examples

Joe’s approach is all about attacking friction, step by step. Here are some great examples:

File Management for Podcasts

Hazel watches the Riverside download folder, organizes files by role (Host/Guest), and puts them in a workflow folder — ready for editing, naming conventions applied. No more manual dragging and renaming!

Stream Deck = Productivity Powerhouse

[ ] Start/Stop timers instantly for time tracking
[ ] Switch scenes in ECAMM live for podcasting
[ ] Copy markdown for YouTube descriptions
[ ] Turn on/off recording lights (smart bulb)

Task Delegation with VAs

“When I perform a new task, I record a Loom video and tell my VA to watch it and write step-by-step instructions. She’ll send it to me for review, and once that’s right, she takes it over.”

Transcripts, video publishing, show notes, and embeds are all handled by SOPs shared in Notion — tracked by status, with notifications triggered by automations.

Apple Shortcuts + Obsidian: Mind-Clearing Routines

Joe dictated his shutdown routine via Apple Shortcuts while driving — allowing him to clear his mind and capture loose ends for tomorrow.

prompt: "What did I miss today?"voice_input -> save to shutdown note in Obsidian

Choosing: Zapier vs. Make.com for Your Workflows

Let’s get honest about the two big automation platforms.

Zapier

Pros:

Extremely user friendly
Tons of integrations (especially with small/startup products)
Partnerships (e.g., Google)
Easy to share templates

Cons:

More expensive if you need complex workflows
Some limits on flexibility

Make.com

Pros:

Much more affordable
Fine-grained control and webhooks galore
Developers can dial in logic or handle custom APIs

Cons:

Steep learning curve — definitely more technical
Some integrations require custom app setups in Google Cloud, etc.

Joe’s rule of thumb:

“For my clients, I always do this preamble — ‘I use Make.com for most of my automations, but you should use Zapier. Zapier is bigger, easier, and a lot of little details are abstracted away.’”

Example: Social Media Automation

Let’s say you use SocialBee for posting — Zapier will likely have a plug-and-play integration; Make.com might require you to build something with webhooks. Decide what’s worth your time (and money) up front!

Delegation and Teamwork: VAs, SOPs, and More

A HUGE piece of automation isn’t the robots — it’s people. The more you can standardize a process and hand it off, the more you can focus on what really matters.

How Joe Delegates Podcast Production

Loom video or similar: Record task as you do it
VA watches and transcribes the steps
You review SOP for accuracy
Repeat when process changes

And it’s not just about saving time — it’s about creating a system that survives burnout, absence, or growth.

“A lot of people say low-level VAs will cost you time in management. But if you hand off the SOP while doing the task yourself, that’s not a problem. Most of the time, it’ll be right.”

Handling Podcast Sponsorships and Relationships

Joe’s honest: “I hate CRMs.” But staying organized with sponsor outreach is still a must.

His System:

Built his own tracking setup using Notion, Make, and Todoist
Updates sponsor/tracking status in Notion
Automation triggers a Todoist task for follow-up — because that’s where to-dos get solved

Links:

Justin Moore’s Sponsor Magnet Book — more on sponsorship strategy
Podcast: Streamlined Solopreneur — Joe’s show on this exact topic

“Relationship building is the most important aspect for me. I do all my sponsor outreach — it keeps things personal, and ultimately I’m a personal brand.”

How to Get Started Today (A Step-by-Step Plan)

Feeling overwhelmed by all this? Here’s Joe’s advice for starting small and winning.

Quickstart Automation Plan

Write it down
- Spend a day logging everything you do
- Note every repeated task
Run the PER Framework
- Perform: Document every input, output, and step
- Evaluate: Could a computer handle this? Could another person?
- Remove: Drop what doesn’t matter or can be offloaded
Pick your tool
- For ready-made integrations, use Zapier
- For custom tasks, Make.com
- For file management, Hazel
- For routines and mind-dumps, Apple Shortcuts + Obsidian
Make it frictionless
- Set up a Stream Deck or Keyboard Maestro for your most annoying repeat actions
Delegate wisely
- Record yourself doing the task and have your VA transcribe the steps
- Review SOP occasionally to keep things current

Iteration is key: Don’t feel like you need the perfect solution from day one. Start with a small automation or delegation, test, tweak, and improve.

“We’re not building skyscrapers — we can iterate. Try something; if it doesn’t work, try something else.”

Real-World Example: Podcast Guest Management

Want to automate guest scheduling and communications? Here’s a Zapier recipe:

Trigger: Guest books a time via Calendly
Action: Add row in Google Sheets with guest info
Action: Send guest a personalized survey via email
Action: Update guest status in Notion
Action: Notify you or VA for follow-up

Zapier Code Step Example:

def send_survey_email(guest_info):email.send(to=guest_info['email'],subject="Podcast Guest Survey",body=f"Hi {guest_info['name']}, please fill out this survey: [url]")

Set up via Zapier UI — no code needed, unless you want custom logic!

Resource Links and Community

Find more automation ideas, tools, and guides:

For more, check Joe’s Podcast and Sponsor Magnet for advanced strategies.

Final Thoughts: Build Your Own Map

Joe wraps up with a reminder that automation is about making your life easier. Whether you’re running a podcast, managing a startup, or just keeping your head above water, these frameworks, tools, and habits can help you create time for what matters.

Start simple:

Track your tasks
Evaluate what really needs a human touch
Offload, automate, and reduce friction

And most importantly:

“Don’t overthink it. Try small things; tweak if it’s not working, toss if it really doesn’t fit. You’ll keep making it better for yourself.”

If you decide to go deeper, the CodingCat.dev team has tons of tutorials, sample code, and blog posts waiting for you. Who knows — once you start automating, you might never look back!

Got questions, want more tutorials, or have an automation win to share?

Sound off in the CodingCat.dev Discord — we’re all building the future, one shortcut at a time.

Blockquote

“You don’t go to a restaurant because you can’t cook — you go because you don’t want to have to. The same goes for automation. Sometimes, paying for Zapier is like paying for dinner — buy yourself the time back!”

Code Appendix: Favorite Snippets

If you’re a developer, here are a few jump-start code templates for common automations discussed:

End Note

A huge thanks to Joe for breaking down his process and showing us behind the curtain. Whether you’re starting out or scaling up, automation is about getting your time back so you can live your theme — not just your to-do list.

Feeling inspired? Time to pick your first task and start hacking!