1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Today's episode is another my Favorite Tip episode where I 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: go back to interviews from the past and I dig 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: out the thing that was my favorite tip, like the 4 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: thing that I got out of the interview that really 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: impacted or resonated with me. Today's extract is from my 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: chat with Peter Wells. Peter is a technology journalist for 7 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,159 Speaker 1: the Sydney Morning Herald where he writes about technology and podcasts, 8 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: and Peter is also the host of two podcasts, which 9 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: are Meta which is a podcast about podcasts which he 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: has kindly had me on as a guest, and also 11 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: The Help Desk, which is a daily technology podcast. So Peter, 12 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: being a tech journalist and IT nerd himself, has thought 13 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: a lot about technology and how we can use it 14 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: for productivity. So in this extract from my chat with Peter, 15 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: we talk about how anyone, however literate or illiterate you 16 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: are in the world of software and tech, can use 17 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: software and also non software solutions to automate their job. 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: So let's head on over to Peter. 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,559 Speaker 2: When I first started out as a macadmin at a university, again, 20 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 2: it was a job I'd never done before, I understood 21 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 2: kind of what was behind the job and like what 22 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 2: the main tenants of the job were, but I'd never 23 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 2: done it, so I didn't really know how long how 24 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: long each task would take, and so that's why I 25 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 2: started to use rescue time. But what I ended up 26 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 2: finding was eighty percent of my week was going to 27 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: packaging apps, which is a boring thing and I won't 28 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 2: go into it, but so like I just realized, like, 29 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 2: that is such a massive chunk of the week, and 30 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 2: because of that, I thought, well, that is something I 31 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: need to learn how to automate. And you know, I 32 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 2: gave myself, you know, a couple of weeks to to 33 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 2: not package anything, to give myself that eighty percent of 34 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 2: the time back and figure out a way to automate 35 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 2: that task. And you know, three weeks of hard work 36 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 2: figuring out how to automate it, I was able to 37 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 2: do that, and then suddenly I had eighty percent of 38 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 2: my week freed up to do more interesting stuff and 39 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 2: to yeah, to look at all the other sections of 40 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 2: the job. So for ASCU time, I think that was 41 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 2: the moment where I really really fell in love with 42 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 2: that app, because it was like, Okay, you've actually given 43 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 2: me eighty percent of my week back for the rest 44 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 2: of my time in this role. So yeah, that was 45 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:37,359 Speaker 2: incredibly valuable. 46 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's amazing. I want to come back to automation, 47 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: But first, what other software are you finding really helpful? 48 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,839 Speaker 2: I guess the one thing I would mention is if 49 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 2: this then that, which is software that kind of pulls together, 50 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 2: like it runs in the background to kind of try 51 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 2: to pull off that ever note idea of like the 52 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 2: one spot to look for. Basically you can set up 53 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 2: if this then that, And there's a couple of other 54 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 2: similar software out there. 55 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: Is that like zpr. 56 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, zepiers is the kind of the more polished version, 57 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 2: I guess. So I've just been using this then that 58 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 2: for so long that that's where all of my little 59 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 2: formulas are. So for instance, going back to rescue time 60 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 2: each evening, where Rescue Time will send my report to 61 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 2: Google Calendar so I can see how I did that day. 62 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 2: And if I create something to do is as you know, 63 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 2: this is a task that I need to do today, 64 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 2: then it will pop that into my Google calendar as 65 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: a thirty minute chunk somewhere. But yeah, yeah, so little 66 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: things like that. So again it's it's automation. Really, it's 67 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 2: that same idea of like, I don't want to have 68 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 2: to do the you know, input the same data into 69 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: multiple apps. I don't want to have to remind myself 70 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 2: to track certain things. And so instead my to do 71 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 2: list is talking to my calendar. My calendar is talking 72 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 2: to rescue time, rescue time is talking to whatever, and so, yeah, 73 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 2: all of these things are kind of working in the background, 74 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 2: so I don't have to think about it. 75 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: That's really cool. And so for listeners that maybe haven't 76 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: done much in the way of automation or haven't used 77 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: Zapier or zapier, is it zaper or zapier. 78 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 2: I have no idea. I think it's no idea. 79 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:27,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, I call it zaper. But if they haven't used 80 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: like software that essentially helps one application talk to another application, 81 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: how should people be thinking about this in terms of 82 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: automating some of the tasks? And I guess regular things 83 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: that they have to do. 84 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 2: I guess the first thing I would say is don't 85 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 2: over complicate things. I even though I've been using IF 86 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 2: this and that for almost a decade, I would imagine 87 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 2: I only have like a couple of rules because you 88 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 2: don't want to create an endless loop between applications. So 89 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 2: just think of, like, what is the one or two 90 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 2: things that you would love to see happening in whatever 91 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 2: it is, whether it be to say, if you want 92 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: to see your to do items as all day events 93 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 2: in your calendar, then combine those two services and see 94 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 2: if that works for you in terms of automation. Though 95 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 2: I would say more of it's not just like software 96 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 2: like if this then that, or like I don't want 97 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 2: to get too nerdy here, even though obviously. 98 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: No, please get nerdy. 99 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 2: Well, I just think that, like, no matter what the 100 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 2: role you're doing is, whether you're working as an academic, 101 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 2: you know, I previously worked at a university as tech 102 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,919 Speaker 2: support and a lot of my day was trying to 103 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 2: help people automate their tasks and not using specific software. 104 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 2: But just like saying, okay, you need you know, if 105 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 2: you need to prep for a lecture that you're giving, 106 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 2: what are the things that you need to do all 107 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 2: the time that you can just put into a bucket, 108 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 2: like whatever it is, whether it's just notes, app or whatever, 109 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 2: that you've got a list that you can just always 110 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 2: refer back to so you never have to have that 111 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 2: mental energy of going through these tasks that you do 112 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,599 Speaker 2: every day and so that's what i'd be looking for. 113 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 2: The other thing I would say, actually, and this is 114 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 2: probably not the answer you would expect from it, like 115 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 2: a nerdy person. But what I found when I was 116 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 2: trying to automate those tasks that I was talking about 117 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 2: in my old job, the first thing I did was 118 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 2: like look up conferences and people speaking about that exact issue, 119 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 2: because I realized that, like, if I'm seeing this as 120 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 2: a total pain in my day, that I'm spending way 121 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 2: too much of my day doing this, someone else much 122 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,160 Speaker 2: smarter than me has already thought of that and has 123 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 2: probably come up with solutions. So rather than try to 124 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 2: rebuild from scratch, I'm going to find someone smarter out 125 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 2: there who's already tackled this problem. And that's where I 126 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 2: was able to find a whole bunch of resources on 127 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 2: how to automate my day. Whatever your role is, whatever 128 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 2: your day to day role is, go to YouTube and 129 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 2: look for previous conferences of your area and see if 130 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:08,160 Speaker 2: someone else has kind of come up with that. For me, 131 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 2: because I was working in a very nerdy area, you know, 132 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 2: GitHub was a great great resource there of So, GitHub, 133 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,239 Speaker 2: if you don't know, is a website where people share 134 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 2: programming knowledge and skills and scripts that they've written, and 135 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 2: so I was able to find computer programs out there 136 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 2: that were doing like eighty percent of what I wanted 137 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 2: them to do. And I guess being a journalist and 138 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 2: on the one hand, really helped in this that I 139 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 2: was never embarrassed to just like I'd find out what 140 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 2: their contact details were and I'd just email them and say, hey, 141 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 2: I saw this thing that you did, and it's so 142 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 2: cool and it's so close to what I want, but 143 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 2: I would love it if it just did this as well. 144 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 2: I have no idea how to make that happen, though, 145 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 2: but wouldn't that be cool? And a lot of the 146 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 2: time they just replied back, I go, oh, yeah, I 147 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 2: didn't think of that. That would actually be cool. Here's 148 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 2: how you do it, and between the pair of us, 149 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 2: we would come up with this new system that would 150 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 2: make both our lives easier. So I've never been afraid 151 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 2: to kind of reach out to other people doing the 152 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 2: similar job that I'm doing and just quizzl them like, what. 153 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: Do you do? 154 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 2: How do you use the you know, before we started recording, 155 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 2: we were chatting about how we do backup audio recording 156 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 2: the amount of times I've sent my little screenshot of 157 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 2: like here's how I back up the audio that I'm 158 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 2: recording so I never lose it to other podcasters out there, 159 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 2: because I know what a pain it is. I know 160 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 2: how awful it is to lose audio, and so if 161 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 2: I can share that and make someone's life a little 162 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 2: bit easier than I'm more than happy to. 163 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: That is it for today's show. If you want to 164 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: listen to the full episode, I linked to that in 165 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:44,959 Speaker 1: the show notes, so you might want to check that out. 166 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: And if you are enjoying how I work, I would 167 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: be so deeply grateful if you just take five seconds 168 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: out of your date to leave a review in Apple Podcasts. 169 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: It might be a star rating or a few words, 170 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: and by doing so, it helps other people find the 171 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: show and it also brings a huge smile to my face. 172 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: So thank you to the hundreds of people that have 173 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: left reviews. It is so deeply appreciated. So that is 174 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: it for today's show, and I will see you next time.