How to Automate Repetitive Tasks in Windows

Computers should make us more efficient and productive. But sometimes they work against us instead, and we find ourselves getting caught on repetitive tasks — typing up the same email, backing up files or getting all the programs you need running, every time you start your computer. But you may not know easy it is to automate repetitive tasks in Windows to work with you. Then, it’s easy to cut down the repetitive tasks you perform every day.

The most productive people automate as much of their day as possible. You can set up your computer to automatically complete many simple tasks throughout the day. Don’t waste valuable time — learn how you can automate repetitive tasks in Windows with a few simple steps.

Why Automate?

Automating tasks can help you save time, simplify your workflow and start work sooner. Having Windows set up to automate important tasks can also help you ensure critical jobs — such as a daily, template-based email report — get done. That can happen even if you’re away from your computer or distracted with other work. Cutting down on typing can also save your hands in the long run.

Highly productive people automate as much of their day as possible, saving the rest for essential work that requires deep focus. Spend time setting up your computer to complete tasks for you. Doing that gives you have extra time to put towards the work that matters.

Automating Tasks With Windows

With Windows, there are a few different tools that you can use to automate repetitious tasks.

Windows Task Scheduler comes with every installation of Windows. Use it to perform routine tasks based a set schedule. They can include opening a certain program, starting a process, or a complex combination of different actions. You might want to delete the oldest file in a specific folder, send an automated email or back up the data on your hard drive to the cloud.

You can also set certain conditions that will perform tasks when triggered. So, if you need a certain task performed every-other-weekly, or on the 15th of every month, Task Scheduler can handle it.

The application has also been around since Windows 95, and its interface is a little dated. You may need to experiment to automate the tasks to your liking. And, you might also need a little bit of programming know-how to automate more complex tasks. Luckily, there is a wealth of guides and pre-written routines  on the internet to tweak for your needs. And once a routine is set up to your liking, you’ll never have to mess with the settings again.

Combined with other productivity apps and automation software, you can easily use Task Scheduler to cut down on the number of different tasks you have to keep track of.

You can also use Window’s Startup folder to have certain programs running as soon as possible. If you need a few different programs running before starting your workday — for instance, Outlook, Chrome and Excel —  set these programs to automatically launch on startup with the Startup folder, or with the Startup Apps menu in Windows 10. However, setting up too many programs may slow your computer down a bit on startup as Windows works.

And there are other, third-party programs that you can use to automate even more tasks — like PhraseExpress, which automatically expands typed abbreviations, or FormatFactory, which bulk converts media files from one format to another.

Saving Time With Windows Task Automation

The most productive people automate as much of their day as they can. With Windows, you can use Task Scheduler, the Startup folder or Startup Apps menu and third-party software to automate many of the repetitive tasks that you can get bogged down by throughout the day.