Two years ago, I was drowning in project management hell — juggling 15 remote team members, responding to 200+ daily messages, and working until 2 AM became my norm. My breaking point came when I missed my daughter’s birthday party because of a “critical” client meeting that could have been an email.
Today, I work 4 hours a day and manage the same team size more effectively than ever.
The secret wasn’t working smarter or hiring more people. It was systematically automating every repetitive task until my role became purely strategic. From enterprise-grade solutions like Makini for complex system integrations to simple Zapier workflows for basic tasks, I built an automation ecosystem that handles the mundane while I focus on strategy. Each automated process freed up mental bandwidth for what actually mattered: leading my team and growing the business.
Here’s exactly how I reclaimed my life — and how you can do the same.
The 80-Hour Hell: Where It All Started
Let me paint you a picture of my typical Tuesday in 2022.
6 AM: Wake up to 47 Slack notifications from three different time zones. My Australian team had questions, my European developers hit a roadblock, and my US clients were panicking about yesterday’s deliverables.
The Notification Nightmare
By 8 AM, I’d already:
- Answered 23 Slack messages
- Responded to 15 emails
- Updated 6 project status reports
- Scheduled 4 emergency calls
And this was before my actual work started.
The brutal reality? I was spending 6 hours daily just managing communication. Not creating value, not solving problems — just shuffling information from person A to person B.
The Breaking Point: My Daughter’s Birthday
June 15th, 2022. My 8-year-old daughter Sofia’s birthday party.
I was supposed to leave work at 3 PM. Instead, I was on a 2-hour call with a client who couldn’t figure out why their project timeline changed — information that was clearly documented in three different systems.
The Moment of Clarity
Watching Sofia blow out her candles over FaceTime while I sat in my home office broke something in me.
I was working harder than ever but creating less value than ever. The problem wasn’t my team, my clients, or my workload.
The problem was me — and how I’d structured my work.
Week 1: The Communication Audit
I decided to track everything for one week. Every message, every email, every interruption.
The results were terrifying:
The Time Thieves
Daily averages:
- Slack messages: 127 received, 89 sent
- Emails: 43 received, 31 sent
- Project status updates: 12 manual updates
- “Quick questions” calls: 7 per day
- Time spent finding information: 2.3 hours
Total communication time: 6.2 hours daily
I was essentially running a 24/7 information helpdesk, not managing projects.
The First Automation: Status Updates
I started with the most time-consuming task: project status updates.
Instead of manually updating 6 different clients on 12 different projects every day, I connected our project management tool to an automated reporting system.
The Status Update Revolution
Before automation:
- 2 hours daily creating status reports
- Constant “What’s the project status?” messages
- Information scattered across multiple platforms
After automation:
- 15 minutes weekly to review automated reports
- Clients get real-time updates automatically
- Single source of truth for all project data
Time saved: 9 hours weekly
This one automation gave me back an entire workday.
Automating the Question Avalanche
Next target: repetitive questions.
I realized 80% of the questions I received daily were variations of the same 20 questions. Instead of answering them individually, I created an automated system.
The Knowledge Base Solution
I built a searchable FAQ system connected to our Slack workspace. When someone asked a common question, the bot would instantly provide the answer and log the interaction.
Results after 30 days:
- 67% reduction in direct questions
- Team members found answers 3x faster
- New team members onboarded with zero questions to me
Time saved: 8 hours weekly
The Meeting Massacre
Then I attacked my calendar.
I was in 23 hours of meetings weekly — most of them completely unnecessary.
The Meeting Audit
I categorized every meeting:
- Essential decision-making: 4 hours weekly
- Status updates: 11 hours weekly (eliminated with automation)
- Information sharing: 8 hours weekly (moved to async)
New rule: If it doesn’t require immediate decision-making, it’s not a meeting.
The Async Revolution
I replaced 19 hours of weekly meetings with:
- Automated status updates
- Recorded video summaries (5 minutes each)
- Async decision-making workflows
Time saved: 17 hours weekly
The Handoff Automation
The final piece was task handoffs between team members.
Previously, I was the human router for all work — everything flowed through me. Developers finished a feature? They’d message me. I’d message the QA team. QA found bugs? Back to me. I’d route it to developers.
The Workflow Revolution
I created automated handoff systems where:
- Completed tasks automatically notify the next person
- Issues get routed based on type and priority
- Everyone sees real-time progress without me involved
Time saved: 12 hours weekly
The 4-Hour Workday Reality
After 6 months of systematic automation, my typical day looked completely different.
My New Schedule
9 AM – 10:30 AM: Strategic planning and high-level problem solving 10:30 AM – 12 PM: Client communication and relationship management12 PM – 1 PM: Team leadership and mentoring
Total: 4 hours of focused, high-value work
The rest happens automatically.
The Unexpected Benefits
Working less didn’t just give me more free time — it transformed everything.
What Really Changed
Better work quality: When you only work 4 hours, every minute counts. I became laser-focused on high-impact activities.
Happier team: Less micromanagement meant more autonomy. Team performance actually improved.
Stronger client relationships: Automated updates meant clients always had current information. No more “chasing Lisa for updates.”
Family time: I never missed another birthday party.
Your Automation Roadmap
Here’s your step-by-step plan to reclaim your time:
Week 1: Track Everything
Document how you spend every hour for 7 days. Use a simple time-tracking app or notebook.
Week 2: Identify the Big 3
Find your three biggest time drains. For most people, it’s:
- Status updates and reporting
- Repetitive questions
- Information routing between people
Week 3: Automate the Biggest Pain Point
Start with whatever eats the most time. Don’t try to perfect it — just get a basic automation working.
Week 4: Test and Refine
Let your automation run for a full week. Track the time saved. Fix what’s broken.
Repeat Monthly
Add one new automation each month. Small improvements compound quickly.
The Hard Truth About Automation
Not everything went smoothly.
What I Got Wrong Initially
Mistake #1: Over-automating everything at once. I broke several workflows trying to automate too quickly.
Mistake #2: Not involving my team in the process. Initial resistance was high because people felt replaced.
Mistake #3: Automating bad processes instead of fixing them first.
The key is gradual implementation with team buy-in.
Start Today: Your First Automation
Don’t wait for the perfect system. Start with one simple automation today.
The 15-Minute Challenge
Pick one task you do daily that takes 15+ minutes. Find a way to automate or eliminate it this week.
Ideas to start with:
- Automated email responses for common questions
- Calendar scheduling links instead of email tennis
- Status update templates that auto-populate
- File organization rules
Remember: The goal isn’t to automate everything. It’s to free up your time for work only you can do.
Two years ago, I was a slave to my business. Today, I work 4 hours and generate 40% more revenue.
The difference? I stopped trying to do everything and started systematically automating everything else.
Your 80-hour weeks don’t have to be permanent. Start with one automation today.
