If you have ever felt like there are not enough hours in the day to manage your life online, you are not alone. Between managing emails, updating spreadsheets, posting on socials, and trying to keep your files organized, the sheer volume of digital chores can be overwhelming. One reason this is the case is that the ten, thirty, or even fifty different apps and services you use every day operate independently of each other. But what if your apps and devices could talk to each other and do the heavy lifting for you?
Welcome to the new world of easy automation. You no longer need to be a software engineer or have a computer science degree to build powerful automated systems. Thanks to modern no-code platforms, anyone can create custom workflows that operate silently in the background, freeing up hours of valuable time.
If you are one of the many no-code automation beginners looking to improve your workflow, this guide is designed specifically for you. We will explore how to get started, why IFTTT is the perfect platform to get used to automation, and exactly what to build first to see immediate results.
Benefits of using automation in your daily life
Many people don't realize how much time they spend on tasks that follow the exact same pattern every day. You get an email, and you forward it to someone. You publish a blog post, and you share it on your social media. You leave the office, and you send a quick text to let someone know you are on your way. These tasks feel small on their own, but they add up quickly, and they all have one thing in common: they don't actually need you to do them by hand.
That's where automation comes in. When you set up an automation, you're essentially telling your apps to handle those tasks on their own by working with each other. Oftentimes, your apps have the features needed to connect to each other, but they just don't know the right steps to take. Sometimes, apps live inside different ecosystems, like Google and Microsoft, and need a third party to help transfer data between them.
With automation, you can completely change the way your digital world works. Instead of you forwarding that email, your apps do it. Instead of you logging into each social platform to share your post, it gets shared automatically the moment it goes live. The task still gets done; it just happens on its own!
Beyond saving time, automation also reduces the chance of things slipping through the cracks. When you rely on memory and habit to handle tasks, things occasionally get missed. For small business owners and content creators, automation allows you to be consistent and meet deadlines more effectively. Tasks can be organized, added to calendars, or forwarded to others to ensure that everyone stays on the same page.
How do no-code automation platforms like IFTTT work?
Basically, no-code technology is exactly what it sounds like: a way to build automations and connect digital tools without writing a single line of code. By replacing complex programming languages with step-by-step or drag-and-drop interfaces, these tools focus on integrating apps without needing programming knowledge.
IFTTT helped pioneer the trigger-action framework for automations, a system that is now standard in many tools. A trigger is simply an event that sets your automation into motion. When a trigger occurs, the system automatically performs a designated action. For example, if you receive an email with an attachment (the trigger), then the system saves that attachment to a specific folder in Google Drive (the action). You never have to manually download and upload files again.
These automations are then bundled up and packaged as Applets, which can be shared and set up in just a few clicks. You'll never see any code, and IFTTT takes care of all the technical stuff behind the scenes.
Our platform is built to be usable for absolute beginners, even if you have zero experience. We have integrations with over 1000 apps and services, so it's easy to connect all the tools you know and love. Getting started with IFTTT is straightforward:
- Create a free IFTTT account
- Connect the apps you already use
- Browse or build Applets that match your workflow
If you'd like to build and customize your own Applet, our intuitive Applet builder lets you do just that. Once you are used to it, you can include all sorts of work-ins, like time and date conditions, filter code, and much more to make complex workflows. For a full guide on getting started with IFTTT and building your first Applet, check out our full walkthrough here.
Where should beginners start?
No-code automation tools have made it possible for anyone, regardless of technical background, to build workflows that save time, cut down on repetitive tasks, and connect the apps they already use every day.
The tricky part for beginners is not usually getting used to the technology; it's knowing where to start. When you first look into automation, the possibilities can feel like a little too much to handle. There are thousands of combinations you can make, and figuring out how to turn your idea into reality takes a bit of trial and error. A better approach is to start small and focus on problems that need fixing the most desperately.
Good beginner automations are simple enough that you can picture exactly how they work, and easy enough to test that you know right away if something isn't right. Once you've built a few of these, more complex ideas become much more approachable because you understand how the pieces fit together.
Three beginner automations to build with IFTTT
The following examples use some of our most popular and user-friendly service pairs: a button on your phone's home screen, your device's location, and your email. Each one is practical, quick to set up, and gives you a clear sense of how automation works with IFTTT.
1. Control your smart home with your phone
Your phone is already with you everywhere, which makes it the perfect remote control for your home. IFTTT can connect your phone to smart lights, plugs, thermostats, and more, so that everyday actions like tapping a button, arriving home, or going to bed trigger your smart home.
A simple place to start is with the Button widget. Use IFTTT to add it to your home screen, connect your Philips Hue lights, and a single tap toggles them on or off without opening any app. This is a great starting point to learn the ins-and-outs of building Applets and is a very easy automation to test.
2. Automate tasks based on your location
Location-based automations take advantage of your smartphone's GPS to trigger actions the moment you arrive at or leave a specific place, without you having to do anything at all.
One of the most common uses for this location-based automation is letting people know you are on your way. When your phone detects that you have left a certain area, IFTTT can automatically send a text to whoever you choose. But location triggers go far beyond that. You can use them to log arrival times, trigger smart home routines, or send yourself a reminder when you enter a certain area.
3. Connect your phone calls and email
Phone calls and email are probably two things you use daily, but they rarely connect to each other. IFTTT can bridge that gap by creating automations between the two, so that important call activity shows up where you are most likely to see it.
A practical starting point is logging missed calls to your email. Every time a call goes unanswered on your Android device, IFTTT sends you an email with the caller's name and number. It creates a simple, searchable record of who tried to reach you and when. You can also flip it and use an email to trigger a phone call, which is useful for urgent alerts or reminders you want delivered as a voice message.
What to build after your first automation
Once you have a few simple automations running, you'll see how easy it is to start connecting more of your daily apps. The next step is to think about which tools you use most and if there are any annoying tasks that can be further automated. The beauty of IFTTT is that our userbase has created clever connections between all varieties of different apps, across all genres and categories. Whether you are a busy professional managing complex projects or just an everyday person looking to streamline your morning routine, IFTTT can work with you.
A few areas beginners often explore next include:
Productivity
Once you have the basics down, automating your productivity tools is one of the highest-value places to focus. These automations reduce the mental load of keeping everything organized manually and make sure the right information ends up in the right place without you having to move it there yourself.
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Post a daily scheduled message to Microsoft Teams
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Save upcoming Google Calendar events to Evernote
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Post new RSS Feed articles to Slack channel
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Log your work hours automatically in Google Calendar
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Smart home
Beyond controlling your lights with a button tap, smart home automation gets super useful when your home starts responding to events rather than commands. Routines that turn on your coffee maker at a set time each morning, adjust your thermostat when you leave for work, or switch your lights to a warmer tone in the evening are all easy to build in IFTTT.
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Close Garadget garage door automatically at night
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Blink Philips Hue lights when your Home Connect oven finishes
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Activate Wyze motion detection when you leave home
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Get IFTTT app notification when freezer door is left open
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Content and social media
If you create any kind of content, whether that is a blog, a podcast, a YouTube channel, or a newsletter, IFTTT can take the manual work off your plate. Connect your RSS feed or favorite blog platform to your social accounts, and every new piece of content you publish gets shared automatically across your channels.
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Automatically share your new videos to a Facebook Page
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Share new Blogger posts to LinkedIn
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Share your Instagram videos automatically on X (Twitter)
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Automatically post on Twitter when you start streaming on Twitch
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Finance and alerts
Keeping an eye on your money does not have to mean checking apps manually every day. IFTTT can notify you when a stock you are tracking crosses a price threshold, send you a daily reminder to save money, or log financial events to a spreadsheet automatically.
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Log daily Finance exchange rates to Google Docs
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Get IFTTT notification when a stock drops in price
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Transfer money to your Monzo pot on set days
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Save to Qapital each time you post a new Instagram photo
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Health and daily routine
Automation is not just for work. Some of our most popular Applets are built around personal routines, like logging your daily steps to a spreadsheet, setting a reminder to drink water at a certain time each day, or automatically putting your phone on silent when your calendar shows you are in a meeting.
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Log gym visits to Google Sheets automatically
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Log Fitbit step goal as workout in iOS Health
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Add new Strava club events to Google Calendar
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Save Oura Ring sleep sessions to Airtable
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Better workflows with IFTTT
We hope this guide has given you a glimpse into how simple it is to get familiar with automation when you are working with the right platform. IFTTT was built to give everyone the chance to start making their daily tasks a bit easier. Maybe you only create one Applet to solve a specific problem or build hundreds to become a productivity legend. Either way, IFTTT is here to help. Plus, getting started is free, so why wait? Click the button below to join millions of others already automating with IFTTT.