🚀 I Automated My Daily Tasks Using Just ChatGPT and Zapier — No Code, No Problem

CodeMeUpCodeMeUp
3 min read

\> 💬 “Can AI + automation really save you hours a week?”

✅ Short answer: Yes.

🧠 Better answer: Here’s exactly how I did it (and how you can too).

---

🤖 Why I Did This

I was tired of spending time on repetitive, boring tasks:

Replying to similar emails

Summarizing meeting notes

Scheduling social posts

Copy-pasting info between apps

It felt like I had a personal robot (ChatGPT) and a virtual assistant (Zapier) sitting around... but not working together. So I fixed that. 😏

---

🧩 The Stack: Simpler Than You Think

Tool Purpose

Zapier Triggers + automation logic

ChatGPT (via OpenAI API) Natural language processing (AI)

Google Sheets Input/output data (optional)

Gmail / Notion / Slack Final actions (email, message, log)

No servers. No backend. No code.

---

🔄 3 Real Automations I Built (That Actually Work)

---

⚙️ 1. Daily Email Summarizer

\> Problem: My inbox was a jungle.

Solution: Every morning, ChatGPT gives me a digest of top unread emails.

How:

1. Trigger: New unread emails in Gmail

2. Zapier Formatter: Extract subject lines + senders

3. OpenAI step: Prompt:

"Summarize the following emails in bullet points: [Email list]"

4. Action: Send me a single summary email

✅ Now I read one AI-written summary instead of 20 emails.

---

🧠 2. Auto-Reply Generator for Common Inquiries

\> Problem: Repetitive messages like "How do I join your course?"

Solution: Let AI draft replies for me.

How:

1. Trigger: New email with specific keywords

2. OpenAI step:

"Generate a polite, helpful reply to this question: [Incoming Message]"

3. Action: Save draft in Gmail (I just click "Send"!)

✅ Saves ~30 minutes/day. Never forget to reply again.

---

🧵 3. Twitter Thread Scheduler Using ChatGPT

\> Problem: I wanted to post useful content but didn’t have time to write every day.

How:

1. Trigger: Add a topic to a Google Sheet

2. OpenAI step:

"Write a short 3-tweet thread explaining [Topic] in a clear, fun tone."

3. Action: Schedule post with Typefully or Buffer

✅ Content pipeline, automated. Audience growth = passive.

---

💡 What Makes This Work So Well?

ChatGPT adds intelligence (summarizing, drafting, rewording)

Zapier adds automation (detecting, sending, scheduling)

You stay out of the loop unless something breaks 😄

---

💥 Bonus: 5 Prompt Ideas for Your Own Zaps

1. "Summarize this customer complaint in 3 bullet points."

2. "Convert this email into a task for Notion with due date."

3. "Write a polite LinkedIn reply to this message."

4. "Translate this message to Spanish without losing tone."

5. "Draft a follow-up email based on this cold outreach reply."

Copy-paste. Tweak. Automate. 🎯

---

🚫 But Is It Safe?

API Keys: Use environment variables or Zapier's built-in OpenAI support

Data privacy: Be careful not to send personal/sensitive data

Backup steps: Add fallbacks in Zapier for errors

No tool is perfect — but with basic precautions, this setup is surprisingly stable.

---

⏳ What I Gained

Before After

Inbox anxiety Daily digest summaries

Missed replies Auto-drafted responses

Content stress AI-generated threads

1–2 hours lost daily ~45 minutes saved daily

This isn’t a “someday” setup — it works right now with tools you already know.

---

💬 Final Thought

This combo (ChatGPT + Zapier) feels like magic — not because it’s flashy, but because it removes friction from your day.

If you’re a dev, creator, freelancer, or just a busy human:

\> Don’t just read about automation — start small and try one.

You don’t need code. You just need curiosity.

10
Subscribe to my newsletter

Read articles from CodeMeUp directly inside your inbox. Subscribe to the newsletter, and don't miss out.

Written by

CodeMeUp
CodeMeUp