The Simple Automation That Makes You a Genius at Work

That “Aha!” Moment Where Everyone Thinks You're a Wizard

In the constant hum of the modern workplace, we're all looking for an edge—a way to be more efficient, more effective, and, let's be honest, a little more impressive. A recent discussion on Reddit sparked this very idea, posing a brilliant question: What simple automation have you created that made you look like a genius in front of others?

It’s not about building a complex, sentient AI to run your company. It’s about the small, clever tweaks that save hours of tedious work and leave your colleagues wondering, “How did they do that?”

From Weeks of Work to a Single Afternoon

The original poster shared a fantastic example. They needed a one-minute product promo video, a task that would typically tie up a team of two or three people for at least a week. The process would involve storyboarding, shooting, editing, and endless revisions. Instead, they turned to an AI video generator.

By feeding it a single product image, they generated a professional-quality promo video in just one day. The result wasn't just good; it was better than expected. In one move, they had condensed a week of collaborative effort into a solo afternoon project. That’s the kind of efficiency that doesn’t just get noticed—it gets celebrated.

This is the core of modern productivity: identifying a high-effort, low-reward task and finding a tool that can do it 90% as well, in 1% of the time.

These “genius” moments aren't reserved for developers or tech wizards. They're accessible to anyone willing to question the way things have “always been done.”

Finding Your Own “Genius” Automation

The beauty of this concept is its scalability. You don't need access to cutting-edge AI to make a significant impact. Think about the repetitive tasks that fill your day:

• Manually copying data from an email to a spreadsheet?
• Sending the same follow-up message over and over?
• Compiling weekly reports by hand?

These are prime candidates for automation. Tools like Zapier, Make, or even the built-in functions of Google Sheets and Slack can connect apps and handle these tedious jobs for you. Imagine setting up a workflow that automatically saves email attachments to a specific cloud folder, notifies a team channel, and adds a task to your project manager—all without you lifting a finger.

The goal is to automate the mundane so you can focus on the meaningful. When you free yourself from repetitive chores, you create more space for creative problem-solving, strategic thinking, and the kind of high-impact work that truly matters.

So, take a look at your to-do list for next week. What’s the one task you dread? That’s probably where your next genius automation is hiding.