Not long ago, working overtime made you look serious about your career. That’s changed. Today, smart workers find ways to get more done in less time and achieve sustainable career growth. One of those ways is automation.
Automation helps people focus. It cuts stress and saves time. It handles the small stuff so you can do better work. Whether you’re just starting out or in a leadership role, this shift can help you grow faster.
Let’s look at how it works and where to begin.
What Does “Working Smarter” Really Mean?
In the past, working smarter meant using to-do lists or shortcuts. Now, it means setting up systems that do tasks for you.
A recent report from Sage showed this clearly. About 93% of finance workers using automation said it helped them grow in their roles. They stopped wasting time on data entry and spent more time on work that mattered.
This isn’t just in finance. Marketing teams now use tools to post content on schedule. Clinics use apps to send patient forms and reminders. Remote workers use smart calendars and email filters.
It’s not about doing less. It’s about doing the right things without wasting time.
Why Automation Works
Some people think automation is only for big companies or tech workers. That’s not true. It can help anyone, no matter the job or industry.
Automation works because it takes small, repeat tasks off your plate. It stops time from being wasted on things like scheduling, emails, or follow-ups. These tasks may seem small, but they pile up fast.
When those tasks run in the background, you can focus on what matters. That might mean solving problems, talking to people, or learning new things.
Achieving career growth via automation is not about doing less work. It’s about freeing yourself up to do better work.
Kay Grady, a career consultant at Teal Labs Inc, said it well: “Automation gives us the opportunity to be more human.” She explains that removing the busywork gives us room to think, connect, and grow. “When your mind isn’t stuck switching between small tasks, you can be more present in the work that counts.”
Automation Isn’t Taking Jobs
Many people worry that automation will cut jobs. That’s not what’s happening.
In most cases, it shifts the work not the worker. Tasks change, but people stay employed.
A review published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change looked at decades of research and found that automation mostly removes routine tasks. It rarely removes entire jobs. Instead, people take on new duties that tech can’t handle.
These changes are more common in certain roles. Jobs that involve repeat tasks—like data entry or assembly are most at risk. Higher-skill jobs, such as project management or healthcare, remain more stable.
The study also showed that many workers move into new roles that didn’t exist before. These jobs often pay the same or more. That means automation can lead to better opportunities, not just fewer ones.
Here’s how it plays out:
- Admin work becomes project support
- Data entry turns into data review
- Customer service grows into client care and account follow-up
But there’s one catch, workers need to keep learning. The people who do best are the ones who pick up new skills as the work changes. Training helps them stay relevant and move into roles that tech supports, not replaces.
If you stay open and keep learning, automation won’t replace you. It will help you do more, grow faster, and move forward.
What You Can Automate Right Now
Start small. Pick one part of your day that repeats too much or slows you down.
Here are five common areas:
1. Time Management
- Use a smart calendar to block time
- Add alerts for focus time and breaks
- Get a weekly report to track how you spend time
2. Career and Job Search
- Use a resume builder that updates your resume for each role
- Set reminders to follow up with hiring managers
- Use a simple tracker to manage job leads
3. Learning
- Get alerts for finishing online courses
- Build a reading or podcast list that updates weekly
- Use tools that suggest quick learning content
4. Finances
- Track spending with a budget app
- Automate invoice reminders
- Set up alerts for payments
5. Communication
- Plan emails and social posts in advance
- Use filters to sort your inbox
- Try smart writing tools, but always edit them
You don’t need to automate everything. Just choose one and stick with it. Once you see the time it saves, you’ll want to do more. Start with what’s easy. Fix the part of your day that bugs you the most. Over time, these small changes add up. They help you stay on track without working more hours. That’s how you build momentum, and that’s how careers grow.
Start with One Workflow
Most people don’t plan to automate their lives. They fix one small thing, then another.
Ben, a product manager, set one calendar alert. It reminded him to reflect on his week. That habit helped him make better choices, and later, take on a leadership role.
You don’t need fancy tools. You just need to take one step. If you’re unsure where to start, ask yourself:
- What task do I do over and over?
- What slows me down the most?
- Is there a tool I already use that could help?
That’s all it takes.
Final Thoughts
At Teal, we’ve put automation to the test ourselves. Across our team, we’ve started using tools like N8n, Perplexity, Claude, Meta AI, and Zapier Agents to name a few. We use them to cut down repeat tasks, organize data, and reduce back-and-forth between teams. Every department now has ways to get more done without adding more people or hours.
These tools didn’t just make us faster, they made our work cleaner and more focused. We’ve lowered overhead and kept our teams lean. But most of all, we’ve freed up time for the work that moves us forward which is helping users with career growth.
That’s the point of automation. It’s not to replace people. It’s to help people do better work and enjoy more peace while doing it.
So start with one tool. One fix. One better habit. That’s how you work smarter. That’s how you achieve career growth.
