Every week Zapier saves me at least a couple of hours. I’m big on automating repetitive tasks and Zapier exactly helps me with that.

For the unknown, Zapier is a simple workflow automation tool whereby you specify triggers and then the actions that should be taken basis that (Zapier calls each of these workflows as Zaps). for example, when a new customer signs up via the website, enter her details in our CRM Pipedrive.

When I think about it, Zapier is most helpful when triggers happen on their own in the future time – in other words, you do not know when the trigger / incident will actually happen. For instance, when a customer unsubscribes from my mailing list, send him a preset mail that basically asks for feedback on why did  she unsubscribe. Pretty neat! And the possibilities can be endless.

A couple of days back, Zapier launched something called Push by Zapier and I have found myself using it several times a day. Push by Zapier is nothing but a trigger you initiate – it can be used by way of a Chrome extension. For instance, here’s how I use Push by Zapier the most:

• I use a customized GTD setup to stay organized and sane. One of my lists in my To-Do setup is “Follow-ups” – this is where I enter all the follow-up tasks along with due-dates. Now, when I send an email to a colleague or a client and want myself to follow-up with them after a couple of days, I just click te Push by Zapier button (Google extension) and enter the follow-up task right there and then… less than 2 clicks. It saves me time and hassles of switching tabs, opening my To-Do list, switching to Follow-ups list, etc.
• Similarly, I use Push by Zapier to push the tasks to my “Incoming” bucket. Incoming is what you call Inbox in GTD.

When I think about it, I have been starting to like Push by Zapier a lot. It’s equivalent of those Widgets we have on our phones. It’s where you initiate the trigger and all the actions in your Zap’s workflow will follow.