Set everything up at 8:50 pm last night. Client onboarding email scheduled. Invoice reminders queued. All while my work laptop stayed closed, untouched, exactly where I left it after logging off at 5:30.
Started with post-it notes everywhere and manual everything. Now it’s thirty minutes after dinner, set it and forget it. This business automation routine saves my sanity. I forget where I put my car keys at least twice a day. But running a business after hours means either building systems or burning out. And I’m too tired for the second option.
Why a Business Automation Routine Matters
I was tired of forgetting things so I built a system. IBM research shows business process automation helps reduce errors and keeps operations running when you’re not there. Which I need when my brain stops working after 8 PM.
Here’s the exact routine I follow, the tools that work, and the order that keeps everything running.
My 9 PM Checklist: How I Use Business Automation Tools Each Night
9:00 PM. The house is finally quiet. Tea cooling on the counter again. Laptop opened to three tabs I keep pinned. GoHighLevel. QuickBooks. Google Drive folder labeled “Business Stuff” because my brain stopped working creatively around June.
Step 1: Automated Email Campaigns: Less Work, Fewer Mistakes
First ten minutes are client emails. Not writing them. Scheduling what I wrote during my Saturday batch session. Welcome email for the new client starting Monday. Check-in email for the project wrapping up Friday. Follow-up for the proposal I sent Tuesday that still hasn’t gotten a response and probably won’t but I’m keeping hope alive.
Click schedule. Choose the time. Let the automated workflows handle the rest while I fold laundry.
Step 2: Business Process Automation for Admin Tasks
9:10 to 9:20 pm is dedicated to the admin tasks. The repetitive tasks that used to follow me around like a guilty shadow. Invoice reminders queue up for clients hitting their 30-day mark. Expense receipts from last week get sorted. Project updates get documented in the client portal because if I don’t do it now, I’ll forget by morning.
Step 3: Documentation Saves My Sanity
Last ten minutes go to documentation. I don’t love process automation documentation. But I learned the hard way that if I don’t write down what I set up, I’ll spend next Tuesday evening trying to remember which automation does what. And I can’t handle that kind of detective work.
Notes in the Google Doc that serves as my business brain. “Set up invoice reminder for Sarah’s project” gets bullet pointed under this week’s date. “Scheduled three onboarding emails for new client” gets logged too. Breadcrumbs for future me who will inevitably forget all of this by Thursday.
Admin tasks happen before documentation. Can’t document what doesn’t exist.
The Tools & Setup That Run My Business Overnight
GoHighLevel: My Core Business Process Automation Tool
GoHighLevel handles everything client-facing. $97 monthly investment that feels steep until you calculate how many hours it saves. Or how many times it prevents me from sending the wrong email to the wrong client because I was too tired to double-check.
Email sequences that onboard new clients without me writing the same information seventeen times. Automated follow-ups for proposals that I forget to send manually. The business automation routine runs whether I remember it exists or not.
QuickBooks: Automating Invoices and Payment Processing
QuickBooks runs the money side. Boring but essential for workflow automation that keeps me from missing invoices. Invoice automation means clients get billed on time even during weeks when I can barely remember to pay my own utilities. Expense tracking that categorizes my business purchases without me hunting through receipts.
The integration between QuickBooks and my bank account means I can see where the business stands financially.
Google Drive: Organizing Templates and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Google Drive holds the unsexy backbone. Templates for every email I send more than twice. Standard operating procedures for client work that I can reference when my brain feels like static. Project folders with identical structures so I never waste time hunting for files when a client asks for something.
Integration Capabilities: Connecting My Business Automation Tools
These existing systems talk to each other without me playing middleman. GoHighLevel sends client information to QuickBooks when someone pays an invoice. QuickBooks updates my tracking spreadsheet. Google Drive syncs project files to client portals.
From not spending entire weekends on administrative tasks that drain energy without moving anything forward.
What Changed: Before vs. After Building This System
Before Business Automation
Before this business automation routine existed, I stayed up until midnight answering emails manually. Every single one. Forgot to invoice clients for weeks because my tired brain couldn’t keep track of project completion dates. Spent Saturday mornings doing data entry instead of anything that resembled building a business.
After Automation: Cost, Time, and Sanity Saved
First month with automation saved twelve hours I used to spend on repetitive processes. Invoices went out on time. Clients received project updates without me manually writing the same status reports over and over. The workflow automation handled follow-ups while I focused on client work that moved things forward.
Improving Customer Experience With Automation
Six months later and the system is working. It sends reminders for unpaid invoices. Customer relationship management tracks each client’s status in their project timeline. Marketing automation nurtures prospects while I’m at my day job.
The robust automation capabilities handle 90% of business operations smoothly. The 10% that requires manual effort usually involves simple fixes. Fixes that take less time than the manual processes I used to run everything on. The advantage is having automated workflows that free up mental space for building instead of maintaining.
Why This Routine Works
This business automation routine took months to build. Started with one template. One automated email. One invoice reminder. Now it runs whether I touch it or not.
The automation still runs from last time I set it up. That’s the point. Building after hours means accepting that some weeks you’ll have three hours for your business, other weeks you’ll have ten. The automation runs regardless. Handles customer interactions while you’re in meetings. Processes invoice reminders while you’re helping with homework. Manages task assignment while you’re focused on client deliverables.
Set up what you can tonight. Even if it’s one email template. Even if it’s scheduling two invoices. Tomorrow night, add another piece. The routine builds, piece by piece. The automated system grows with minimal human intervention. And eventually, you get your evenings back. While the business keeps running.
