Guide
What should I automate in my business? A 15-minute check
Updated · by Rosh Perera
The best first job for your bot is already in your week. You just haven't written it down. Owners ask us this in lots of ways: what should I automate, where do I start, what should my bot do? Idea lists like our AI agent ideas page help, but the right answer comes from how you actually spend your week. This check takes about 15 minutes (our estimate). List what you did last week, score each job on three tests, and hand the top three to Grok Bot, or any AI agent, as drafts you approve. If you'd rather tap through it, our free What should my bot do? planner suggests a first 3 from 5 quick questions.
Pick your first 3 bots in 5 quick questions →The first 3 bots for your trade →What to hand to an agent first
Step 1: list last week (5 minutes)
Open your calendar, sent email and texts. Write down every job you did more than once: answering the same question, chasing payments, writing quotes, posting, booking. Aim for 15 to 25 lines.
Step 2: score each job on 3 tests (5 minutes)
Give one point for each yes. Does it happen every week? Do you do it the same way each time? If the first draft is wrong, is it cheap to fix? A job with 3 points is a good first bot. A job with 0 or 1 points stays with you for now.
Step 3: pick 3 and write one sentence each (5 minutes)
Say what it does, when, and where the result goes. Example: 'Every weekday at 7:30, list unpaid invoices over 14 days old and draft a polite reminder for each, for my OK.' That sentence becomes the bot's instructions.
If you run a trade or a restaurant
Most trade owners end up with a mix of the same few: drafted texts for missed calls, booking by text, quotes from customer photos and review asks after the job. Our trade pages have a first 3 for plumbers, HVAC, electricians, cleaners, landscapers and restaurants.
If you sell a service or run a shop
Common first picks: inbox triage with reply drafts, appointment reminders you approve each day, and an invoice chaser that drafts every reminder for your OK. Solo and online businesses often pick a morning summary, quiet-lead follow-ups and posts drafted from their own photos instead.
Your 7-day start
Day 1: set up the job with the highest score, drafts only. Days 2 and 3: read every draft and add each edit to its instructions. Day 4: add job two. Day 5: write your rules: money, complaints and anything legal come to you. Day 6: add job three. Day 7: score all three again. Keep what saved you time, change what you edited a lot and drop the rest.
Not sure? Describe last Tuesday hour by hour
Paste this into Grok Bot, ChatGPT or Claude: "Here's my last Tuesday, hour by hour: [7:00 ... 18:00]. List every task I did more than once a week, how long each took, and which ones an AI agent could draft for my OK. Rank them by time saved, and leave out anything that sends, pays or deletes on its own." The top of the list is your first job.
Not sure which jobs fit your business?
Build my free AI plan →Or get every routine pre-written in the pack →$29 one-time, plus local tax where it applies.
Ready-made use cases
- 01Missed-call text-back that books the job
Every missed call gets a short text drafted for you to approve, asking what they need and offering a booking link. Instant sending is an optional upgrade later.
~6h/week · estimate - 02Quotes from customer photos
Customers text photos; the agent drafts a quote range from your price list for you to confirm.
~4h/week · estimate - 03Ask every customer for a review, with your OK on each day's list
After each completed job the agent drafts the same friendly review request, with your Google link, for every customer. You approve the day's list in one go, then it sends. It flags any complaint that comes back to you.
~2h/week · estimate - 04Inbox triage with drafted replies
The agent sorts your inbox into reply / FYI / ignore and drafts replies in your voice for you to approve.
~5h/week · estimate - 05Invoice chaser, with your OK on every reminder
Every Monday the agent lists unpaid invoices and drafts polite, escalating reminders. You approve each one before it sends. Sending friendly first reminders without review is an optional upgrade.
~2h/week · estimate
Example: Grok Bot setup
Grok Bot routine: Missed-call text-back that books the job Schedule: Always on (missed calls) When I miss a call, draft a short text to the caller: apologize, ask what they need, and offer two booking times from my calendar. Send me the draft to approve, and only send it to the caller after I approve it. (Instant sending is an optional upgrade once you trust the wording.) Log the lead and notify me with a summary. Rules: draft first, never send or post anything external without my approval. Keep summaries short.
Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and n8n versions: all templates
Setup steps
- List every repeating job from last week, using your calendar, sent email and texts.
- Score each one: every week? Same steps? Cheap to fix if wrong? One point per yes.
- Write your top 3 as one sentence each: what, when and where the result goes.
- Set up the top one in Grok Bot as drafts only, and approve every draft for a week.
- Add the other two one at a time, then score all three again on day 7.
Keep these human
- Don't automate a job you've never done by hand. You can't check a draft you don't understand.
- A job can score 3 and still touch money, contracts or someone's safety. Those stay with you: the bot can prepare, you decide.
- Keep the human moments human: complaints, bad news, your biggest customers and anything that needs judgement.
- Hours saved are estimates until you measure them. Note how long a job takes by hand before you hand it over.
- Start in draft mode: the agent prepares, you approve, then you loosen the leash routine by routine.
Want the whole system pre-written?
The One-Person AI Business Pack: CEO agent + workers, all 46 routines in 4 formats, your role pack.
$29 one-time, plus local tax where it applies.
Next: Whop checkout. $29 one-time, plus local tax where it applies, paid by card on Whop. Files arrive by email.
14-day money-back guarantee: reply to your receipt within 14 days for a full refund.
Built by Rosh Perera, who has set up AI automations for more than 40 businesses over about 3 years.
FAQ
What are personal AI agent use cases that apply to me?
Describe your last ordinary Tuesday hour by hour and ask an AI to list the tasks you repeat weekly that it could draft for your OK. The repeat jobs at the top, like replies, follow-ups and summaries, are your use cases.
I'm not sure what to automate first. Where do I start?
With the task you did more than once last week that takes the most time and is easy to check, such as replying to enquiries or chasing quotes. Keep it on drafts for a week before adding a second.
What should I automate first in my business?
The job that happens every week, follows the same steps and is cheap to fix if the first draft is wrong. For trades that's often drafted texts for missed calls. For most offices it's inbox reply drafts or invoice reminders.
What should my bot do if I don't have much admin?
Start with a morning summary. It reads your calendar and email and sends you one message each morning, so nothing goes out. It's the safest way to learn how your bot works.
What should I never automate?
Final prices, refunds, contracts, complaints, safety advice and legal or medical answers. A bot can collect the details and draft a reply, but you make the call.
Is there a tool that does this for me?
Yes. Our free What should my bot do? planner asks 5 quick questions and suggests your first 3 bots, each with a copy-ready prompt. It uses simple rules based on your answers, so check its picks against your own list.
Do I need Grok Bot for this?
No. The check works for any AI agent. Our steps use Grok Bot because it can run jobs on a schedule and come back for your OK (x.ai). The free Starter Kit has four copy-paste prompts that work in Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude or n8n.