Why Every Assistant Needs to Stop Manually Doing What a Flow Can Do
When I look at how administrative professionals are using AI, it’s only scratching the surface of what it can do. They are mostly using it for augmentation, to make things better, faster, prettier, cleaner. They’re asking AI tools like ChatGPT to write emails, polish copy, or brainstorm ideas. That’s great. But the next step, and the one that will truly move the needle for your workload and your career, is automation.
Automation isn’t the future. It’s the now. And the best part? The low-hanging fruit is everywhere. 🍓
From Augmentation to Automation
AI for augmentation is about assistance. AI for automation is about liberation.
Augmentation helps you do the task better. Automation helps you not do it at all — or at least not manually.
Think of it this way:
When you use AI to draft an email, that’s augmentation.
When you set up a flow that drafts, sends, and files that email automatically when a meeting is booked, that’s automation.
Both are powerful, but one scales the quality of your output. The other scales you.
Why Automation Matters So Much for Administrative Professionals
Let’s talk reality. EAs, office managers, and admin professionals are under more pressure than ever with more stakeholders, more tools, more responsibilities, and fewer boundaries. Every quarter, the expectation bar gets raised.
But here’s the truth: you can’t “work harder” your way out of this anymore. You need to work smarter and smarter means automating.
By automating elements of your day-to-day processes, you:
Free up brain space for the strategic work your execs actually need from you.
Create measurable impact by saving time and money and you can prove it.
Scale your role to handle increasing demands without burning out.
This isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about future-proofing your career. Automation is what separates an overloaded assistant from a strategic operations partner.
AI + Automation: A Powerful Duo
AI isn’t just the tool that helps you build automation, it’s the tool that can live inside it.
Imagine:
An AI that categorizes your incoming emails, labels newsletters “To Read,” and summarizes key updates automatically.
A workflow that generates meeting notes, identifies action items, and updates your tracker in seconds.
A system that notices when a deadline is missed and pings you before it becomes a problem.
That’s not science fiction. It’s Tuesday afternoon when you’ve learned the basics of automation platforms like Power Automate, Zapier, or Google Apps Script.
And with the rise of tools like Microsoft Copilot and Gemini, automation isn’t just mechanical — it’s becoming intelligent. AI can now make decisions within your automations: “If this email is urgent, forward it; if not, archive it.” That’s not replacing you. That’s supporting you.
The Low-Hanging Fruit: Start Small, Scale Fast
You don’t need to be a developer. You just need to start.
Here are three examples of where most assistants can win today:
Inbox triage – Automatically label newsletters, file receipts, or forward specific emails.
Meeting prep – Generate agendas and pull key documents when a meeting is added to the calendar.
Task tracking – Auto-update a dashboard or Notion board when a project milestone is hit.
Each of these takes minutes to set up but saves hours every week.
Ready to Go from “AI Curious” to “AI Confident”?
If this resonates, you’re not alone. Thousands of assistants are realizing that automation is their next power move — and they’re learning how to make it work now.
That’s exactly what we’re diving into at the AI for EAs: Virtual Summit on October 29. I’ll be leading a live session — “How To Get Started With Automation” — where I’ll show you three practical examples of automations every EA can use, plus how AI fits into the mix.
👉 Reserve your spot for the AI for EAs Virtual Summit (You’ll leave with real-world tactics you can use the next day.)
Want to Take It Further?
If you’re ready to build your own system — a personal dashboard that keeps you one step ahead of your exec — come join one of our HQ Live: Build Your Admin Dashboard sessions.
We’ll help you design a personalized workspace in Google, Microsoft, or Notion, so you can track, automate, and visualize your workload like a pro.
👉 Join our next dashboard workshop (Premium HQ members only — free trial available.)
Final Word
Automation isn’t about replacing what you do. It’s about elevating how you do it.
Start with the low-hanging fruit. Then, keep climbing. Because the assistants who automate now? They’re the ones leading tomorrow.