I mentioned a while back that a piece of software called Make quietly handles a handful of small, repeating jobs behind the scenes here. A few of you asked what it actually is, so here is a longer look.
Make lets you connect two things that do not normally talk to each other, so one triggers the other automatically. An email arrives, and a spreadsheet updates. A form gets filled out, and a text goes out. You set the connection up once, and it runs on its own after that.
What I actually use it for. Catching receipt emails and logging them to a spreadsheet. Watching for subscription renewal notices and texting me a few days early. A handful of small jobs around producing this newsletter that used to take a chunk of my week and now take none of it.
What it is not. It is not an app you download and start using in five minutes. Getting the first one built and working the way you want is the part that trips people up. It is also not going to teach you anything about AI, and it will not earn you money. It saves time. That is the whole pitch.
What it costs. Here is the part I think matters most: most light users only need a free account. Make’s free tier covers a small number of these automated jobs each month, which is plenty if you are handling one or two annoyances like the ones I described. You only need a paid plan if you are running many of these, or running them very often. I would encourage you to start free and see whether you actually reach that ceiling before paying anything.
Who should skip this. If typing a few things into a spreadsheet by hand once a week does not bother you, you do not need this. If the idea of connecting two apps together sounds like a headache rather than a relief, it probably will be. This is a tool for a specific kind of small, repeating annoyance, not a general fix for feeling behind on technology.
If you want to try it, here is the link I use myself: Make — start free.
If you would rather have someone walk you through your first one, I wrote about that here.
— Bob
This page contains an affiliate link. If you sign up through it, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use.
To leave a comment, you’ll need a free account (takes about 30 seconds):