Learning AI Over 50: Lesson 13 – Automation Intro (Zapier or Make) – Part 1

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10-15 Minute Lesson Script

Introduction (2 minutes)

Welcome to Lesson 13—the final lesson of Phase 3! Over the past three weeks, you’ve learned how to organize research with NotebookLM, manage workspaces with Notion, and visualize projects with Trello. Now we’re going to explore the ultimate productivity multiplier: automation.

Today we’re introducing Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat)—tools that connect your apps and make them work together automatically. Imagine this: every time you save a file to Google Drive, it automatically backs up to Dropbox. When someone fills out a form, it creates a task in Trello and sends you a Slack notification. When you star an email, it saves to a Google Sheet.

This isn’t science fiction—it’s automation. And you don’t need to know how to code.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll understand what automation is, how Zapier and Make work, when to use automation (and when not to), and how to create your first automated workflow. You’ll also complete Phase 3 with a complete organizational toolkit that actually works together.

Let’s automate the boring stuff!

What Is Automation? (3 minutes)

Automation means setting up tasks to happen automatically without you doing them manually every time.

The basic concept:

IF [trigger happens]
THEN [action occurs]

Examples:

Manual way:

  1. Client fills out contact form
  2. You get notification
  3. You open form
  4. You copy information
  5. You create new row in spreadsheet
  6. You create task in Trello
  7. You send confirmation email
  8. Total time: 10 minutes per inquiry

Automated way:

  1. Client fills out contact form
  2. Everything else happens automatically
  3. Total time: 0 minutes

The automation tool watches for the form submission (trigger), then automatically adds the spreadsheet row, creates the Trello card, and sends the email (actions).

What you can automate:

Data movement:

  • Copy information between apps
  • Back up files automatically
  • Sync calendars
  • Save email attachments to cloud storage

Notifications:

  • Get alerts when specific things happen
  • Send yourself reminders
  • Notify team members of updates

Content creation:

  • Auto-post to social media
  • Generate reports
  • Create documents from templates

Task management:

  • Auto-create tasks from emails
  • Update project status
  • Assign work to team members

Communication:

  • Send automatic emails or messages
  • Post updates to Slack or Discord
  • Text message alerts

What you shouldn’t automate (at least not yet):

Personal communication: Don’t automate responses that should be personal

Critical decisions: Automation can assist, but humans should decide important things

Complex judgment calls: Keep automation simple; complex logic often breaks

Things you rarely do: If it only happens once a month, manual might be faster than setting up automation

Zapier vs. Make: Which to Use? (3 minutes)

Both tools do the same basic thing—connect apps and automate workflows—but they have different approaches.

Zapier

Philosophy: Simple, linear automation

Best for: Beginners, straightforward workflows

Interface: Very user-friendly, wizard-based

Pricing:

  • Free: 5 Zaps (automations), 100 tasks/month
  • Paid: Starts around $20/month for more Zaps and tasks

Pros:

  • Easiest to learn
  • Huge app library (6,000+ apps)
  • Great tutorials and templates
  • Most popular (established 2011)

Cons:

  • Can get expensive as you scale
  • Less flexible for complex workflows
  • Limited free tier

Best first automation in Zapier: “When I get an email with a specific label, save the attachment to Google Drive”

Make (formerly Integromat)

Philosophy: Visual, powerful automation with branching logic

Best for: People who want more control, visual thinkers

Interface: Visual flowchart builder

Pricing:

  • Free: 1,000 operations/month
  • Paid: Starts around $9/month

Pros:

  • More generous free tier
  • Better for complex workflows
  • Visual interface (some people love this)
  • More affordable as you scale
  • More powerful features

Cons:

  • Steeper learning curve
  • Can be overwhelming for beginners
  • Fewer templates than Zapier

Best first automation in Make: “When a new row is added to Google Sheets, create a card in Trello and send me an email”

Which should you choose?

Start with Zapier if:

  • You’re brand new to automation
  • You want the simplest experience
  • You just need basic connections
  • You prefer step-by-step wizards

Start with Make if:

  • You’re comfortable with visual tools
  • You want the generous free tier
  • You’re okay with a learning curve
  • You think you’ll build complex automations eventually

Honest recommendation: Try Zapier first for learning. If you outgrow it or want more power, migrate to Make. But you can succeed with either!

How Automation Works: Triggers and Actions (3 minutes)

Every automation has the same basic structure:

TRIGGER → ACTION(S)

Let me break this down:

Triggers (the “when this happens” part)

A trigger is an event that starts the automation:

  • New email received
  • File added to folder
  • Form submitted
  • New row in spreadsheet
  • Calendar event created
  • Tweet posted
  • Task completed

Triggers watch for something to happen, then activate the automation.

Actions (the “do this” part)

Actions are what happens after the trigger:

  • Send email
  • Create document
  • Post to social media
  • Add row to spreadsheet
  • Create task
  • Send notification
  • Update database

You can have multiple actions in one automation.

Example automation breakdown:

Name: “Save Gmail attachments to Google Drive”

Trigger: New email in Gmail [with label “Important”]

Actions:

  1. Extract attachment from email
  2. Upload attachment to Google Drive folder “Email Attachments”
  3. Send me a Slack message: “New file saved: [filename]”

Every time the trigger happens (new email with that label), all three actions occur automatically.

Another example:

Name: “Blog post to social media”

Trigger: New post published on WordPress

Actions:

  1. Post link to Twitter with excerpt
  2. Post to Facebook page
  3. Add to LinkedIn
  4. Create task in Trello to engage with comments
  5. Add row to Google Sheet tracking all posts

One trigger, five actions—all automatic.

Filters and conditions:

You can add logic to make automations smarter:

Filter: Only run if [condition is met]

Example:

  • Trigger: New email
  • Filter: Only continue if subject contains “Invoice”
  • Action: Save to specific folder

This prevents automation from running on every single email—just the ones you care about.

Creating Your First Automation in Zapier (3 minutes)

Let me walk you through the actual process:

Step 1: Sign up

  • Go to zapier.com
  • Create free account
  • No credit card needed for free tier

Step 2: Create a new Zap

  • Click “Create Zap” button
  • You’ll see a blank workflow

Step 3: Set up your trigger

  • Click “Trigger”
  • Search for your trigger app (Gmail, Google Sheets, Trello, etc.)
  • Choose trigger event: “New Email,” “New Row,” “New Card,” etc.
  • Connect your account (authorize Zapier to access the app)
  • Configure trigger details (which folder? which label?)
  • Test trigger to make sure it works

Step 4: Set up your action

  • Click “+ Add action”
  • Search for action app
  • Choose action event: “Create File,” “Send Email,” “Add Row,” etc.
  • Connect account
  • Map fields (tell Zapier what data goes where)
  • Test action

Step 5: Turn it on

  • Review your Zap
  • Name it something clear
  • Toggle “On”
  • Your automation is now live!

Example walkthrough:

Goal: When I add a row to my “Blog Ideas” Google Sheet, create a card in my Trello “Content Calendar” board.

Setup:

  1. Trigger: Google Sheets → “New Spreadsheet Row”
  2. Connect Google account
  3. Choose spreadsheet: “Blog Ideas”
  4. Choose worksheet: “Sheet1”
  5. Test trigger ✓
  6. Action: Trello → “Create Card”
  7. Connect Trello account
  8. Choose board: “Content Calendar”
  9. Choose list: “Ideas”
  10. Map data:
    • Card name: [Column A from spreadsheet]
    • Description: [Column B from spreadsheet]
    • Due date: [Column C from spreadsheet]
  11. Test action ✓
  12. Name Zap: “Blog Ideas Sheet → Trello”
  13. Turn on

Now: Every time you add a row to your spreadsheet, a Trello card automatically appears. No more manual copying!

Creating Your First Automation in Make (2 minutes)

Make works differently—it’s visual. Here’s the overview:

Step 1: Sign up

  • Go to make.com
  • Create free account

Step 2: Create a new scenario

  • Click “Create a new scenario”
  • You’ll see a blank canvas

Step 3: Add trigger module

  • Click “+” to add module
  • Search for trigger app (Google Sheets, Gmail, etc.)
  • Choose trigger: “Watch Rows,” “Watch Emails,” etc.
  • Connect account
  • Configure settings
  • Test

Step 4: Add action modules

  • Click “+” after trigger
  • Add action module (Trello, Slack, etc.)
  • Configure and connect
  • Map data using visual fields
  • Test

Step 5: Activate

  • Click “ON” switch at bottom
  • Scenario runs automatically

Visual difference:

Zapier shows a vertical list: Trigger → Action 1 → Action 2

Make shows a flowchart with connections:

[Trigger] → [Action 1]
          → [Action 2]
          → [Action 3]

Some people find Make’s visual approach easier; others prefer Zapier’s linear simplicity.

Practical Automation Ideas for Beginners (2 minutes)

Here are simple, useful automations to start with:

For content creators:

  1. Blog post to social media
    • Trigger: New WordPress post
    • Action: Tweet link, post to Facebook
  2. Save Instagram posts
    • Trigger: New Instagram photo you post
    • Action: Save to Google Drive folder
  3. Content ideas from anywhere
    • Trigger: New note in Evernote with tag “blog idea”
    • Action: Add row to Google Sheet

For organization:

  1. Email attachments to cloud
    • Trigger: Gmail email with attachment
    • Action: Save to Google Drive or Dropbox
  2. Important emails to task list
    • Trigger: Gmail email starred
    • Action: Create Trello card or Notion task
  3. Calendar to spreadsheet
    • Trigger: New Google Calendar event
    • Action: Add row to tracking sheet

For small business:

  1. Contact form to CRM
    • Trigger: New form submission (Google Forms, Typeform)
    • Action: Add to Google Sheets, create Trello card, send notification
  2. New sale notification
    • Trigger: New Stripe payment
    • Action: Send Slack message, update spreadsheet
  3. Social media backup
    • Trigger: New Facebook post
    • Action: Save to Google Doc for records

For personal productivity:

  1. Weather-based reminders
    • Trigger: Weather forecast shows rain tomorrow
    • Action: Send text message: “Bring umbrella”
  2. Automatic journaling
    • Trigger: Every day at 8pm
    • Action: Send email asking “How was your day?”
  3. Fitness tracking
    • Trigger: New workout in fitness app
    • Action: Log to Google Sheet for tracking

Common Mistakes to Avoid (1 minute)

Mistake 1: Automating too much too soon

  • Start with ONE automation
  • Make sure it works reliably
  • Then add more
  • Don’t try to automate your entire life on day one

Mistake 2: Not testing thoroughly

  • Always test automations before relying on them
  • Check that data maps correctly
  • Make sure it handles edge cases
  • Monitor for the first week

Mistake 3: Set and forget

  • Automations break when apps update
  • Check them monthly
  • Update when needed
  • Turn off ones you’re not using

Mistake 4: Making them too complicated

  • Simple automations are reliable
  • Complex ones break easily
  • Start simple, add complexity slowly

Mistake 5: Forgetting about task limits

  • Free tiers have monthly limits
  • Each time automation runs = 1 task
  • Monitor usage
  • Prioritize your most valuable automations

Wrapping Up (1 minute)

Congratulations! You’ve completed Phase 3: Get Organized. You now know how to:

  • Research and synthesize information (NotebookLM)
  • Build comprehensive workspaces (Notion)
  • Manage projects visually (Trello)
  • Automate repetitive tasks (Zapier/Make)

And you understand how these tools can work together through automation.

This week, your mini challenge is to create ONE working automation. Just one. Pick something that genuinely annoys you or wastes time, and automate it. Feel the satisfaction of having technology work for you instead of you working for technology.

Next week, we start Phase 4: Get Strategic—where you’ll combine everything you’ve learned into systems that support your specific goals and projects.

But first, enjoy this moment. You’ve built serious organizational skills. That’s powerful!

Let’s automate!

3-5 Key Takeaways

  1. Automation connects apps to work together automatically – Using trigger-action logic (IF this happens, THEN do that), automation tools like Zapier and Make eliminate repetitive manual work by making your apps communicate and execute tasks without your involvement.
  2. Start with Zapier for simplicity, consider Make for power – Zapier offers the easiest learning curve with a step-by-step wizard interface, making it ideal for beginners. Make has a steeper learning curve but offers more generous free tier limits, visual workflow building, and better value as you scale.
  3. Every automation has triggers and actions – Triggers watch for events (new email, form submission, calendar event), and actions are what happens next (create task, send notification, save file). You can have one trigger with multiple actions for efficient workflows.
  4. Start simple with one useful automation – Don’t try to automate everything at once. Pick one genuinely annoying repetitive task, automate it successfully, ensure it works reliably, then add more. Simple automations are more reliable than complex ones.
  5. Automation has limits on free tiers – Both Zapier and Make count “tasks” (each time an automation runs), and free tiers have monthly limits. Monitor your usage and prioritize automations that save the most time or provide the most value within your available task allowance.

2-3 Practical Examples/Case Studies

Example 1: Sarah’s Newsletter Automation System

Background: Sarah, 58, publishes a weekly newsletter about gardening. Her manual process involved eight separate steps across four different apps, taking 45 minutes per week just for administrative tasks—not including the actual writing.

Her manual nightmare:

Every week:

  1. Write newsletter in Google Docs
  2. Copy to Mailchimp
  3. Format in Mailchimp editor
  4. Schedule send
  5. Log in WordPress dashboard
  6. Manually add subscriber count to tracking spreadsheet
  7. Create social media posts announcing newsletter
  8. Post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram manually
  9. Add “newsletter sent” task to Trello as complete
  10. Total time: 45 minutes of copying, pasting, clicking

Her challenge: She loved writing the newsletter but hated the tedious post-writing workflow. She knew there had to be a better way.

Her automation solution with Zapier:

Automation 1: “Newsletter Published to Social Auto-Post”

Trigger: New campaign sent in Mailchimp

Actions:

  1. Extract newsletter subject and link
  2. Post to Twitter: “New newsletter: [subject] [link] #gardening”
  3. Post to Facebook page with same message
  4. Create Instagram story reminder (using Buffer)
  5. Add row to Google Sheet with: Date, Subject, Link, Subscriber Count

Time saved: 15 minutes per week

Automation 2: “Newsletter Stats Tracking”

Trigger: 24 hours after Mailchimp campaign sent (scheduled)

Actions:

  1. Fetch campaign statistics from Mailchimp
  2. Update Google Sheet row with: Opens, Clicks, Unsubscribes
  3. Send Sarah an email summary: “This week’s stats: X opens, Y clicks”

Time saved: 10 minutes per week

Automation 3: “Trello Progress Update”

Trigger: Mailchimp campaign sent

Action:

  1. Move card “This Week’s Newsletter” in Trello from “Writing” to “Published”
  2. Create new card for next week
  3. Add comment with link to published newsletter

Time saved: 5 minutes per week

Results after 3 months:

Time savings:

  • Weekly tasks: 45 minutes → 15 minutes (writing only)
  • Monthly savings: 2 hours
  • Annual savings: 26 hours (more than a full day!)

Quality improvements:

  • Never forgot to post on social media
  • Consistent tracking (no more “oops, forgot to log that”)
  • Stats automatically collected and compared
  • Could see trends in open rates easily

Mental benefits:

  • Publishing felt less overwhelming
  • Could write on Sunday, automation handled Monday morning posting
  • Less context-switching between apps
  • Actually looked forward to newsletter day

Unexpected benefits:

  • Social media engagement increased (posting immediately after sending)
  • Spotted problematic trend in stats that needed attention
  • Used saved time to write bonus content

Cost:

  • Zapier paid plan: $20/month
  • Return on investment: 2+ hours saved monthly = worth it

Her reflection: “I resisted automation thinking it would be complicated, but once I set these up, they just work. I publish my newsletter and everything else happens automatically. The 45 minutes I save every week is now writing time instead of admin time. Plus, my newsletter stats have improved because I’m posting to social right away instead of ‘when I remember later.'”

Key lesson: Even modest automations compound over time. Sarah’s three simple automations save her a full day per year while improving consistency and tracking—all for the price of a couple of coffees per month.

Example 2: Michael’s Client Onboarding System

Background: Michael, 62, runs a small consulting business. Every new client required the same 15-step onboarding process, which he’d been doing manually. He was spending 2-3 hours per new client just on administrative setup, and occasionally forgot steps, leading to awkward “I don’t have that information yet” moments.

His manual process when client signed contract:

  1. Create folder in Google Drive with client name
  2. Create subfolders: Contracts, Deliverables, Communications, Invoices
  3. Move signed contract to Contracts folder
  4. Create client profile in spreadsheet
  5. Add client to Trello board
  6. Create cards for project milestones
  7. Send welcome email with next steps
  8. Send invoice for first payment
  9. Schedule kickoff call on calendar
  10. Add to email newsletter list
  11. Create project template doc
  12. Send questionnaire
  13. Set up recurring task reminders
  14. Update pipeline spreadsheet
  15. Log time spent on setup
  16. Total: 2-3 hours, often with forgotten steps

His challenge: As business grew, onboarding bottleneck created delays. Clients waited days for basic setup. Michael felt overwhelmed and unprofessional.

His Make automation solution:

Master Automation: “New Client Onboarding Sequence”

Trigger: New row added to Google Sheet “New Clients” (he adds client info here after contract signing)

The automation branches into multiple paths:

Branch 1: File Management

  • Create Google Drive folder structure
  • Copy contract from template folder
  • Share folder with client (view only)
  • Generate project template from master template

Branch 2: Communication

  • Send welcome email (pulls client name, project details from spreadsheet)
  • Send questionnaire via Google Forms
  • Add client to Mailchimp newsletter list
  • Schedule automated reminder emails: Day 3 (questionnaire), Day 7 (kickoff prep)

Branch 3: Project Setup

  • Create Trello board from template
  • Add project milestone cards with due dates
  • Assign cards to Michael
  • Add client as collaborator (view only)

Branch 4: Financial

  • Generate invoice in Wave (accounting software)
  • Send invoice automatically
  • Add payment tracking row to financial spreadsheet
  • Set reminder for payment due date

Branch 5: Calendar & Reminders

  • Create Google Calendar event for kickoff call
  • Send calendar invite to client
  • Create recurring monthly check-in meetings
  • Add to Michael’s weekly review task list

Branch 6: Tracking

  • Update client pipeline spreadsheet: Status = “Onboarding”
  • Log entry in time tracking system
  • Add note to CRM

All of this happens in 2-3 minutes automatically when Michael adds one row to the spreadsheet.

Results:

Time savings:

  • Per client: 2-3 hours → 15 minutes (just entering basic info)
  • With 2 new clients per month: 4-6 hours saved monthly
  • Annual savings: 48-72 hours

Quality improvements:

  • Zero forgotten steps
  • Clients receive welcome materials within minutes
  • Professional, consistent experience
  • Faster time to project start

Business impact:

  • Could take on more clients (not bottlenecked by admin)
  • Clients impressed by immediate responsiveness
  • Reduced stress (no more remembering checklist)
  • Scaled from 12 to 20 clients/year without hiring help

Client feedback: “I signed the contract at 4pm and by 5pm had my welcome email, project folder access, and invoice. Most professional onboarding I’ve experienced.”

Cost:

  • Make Pro plan: $9/month
  • Wave: Free
  • ROI: Saved 4-6 hours monthly at $150/hour consulting rate = $600-900 value for $9 cost

What surprised Michael: “I thought automation was for tech companies. I’m one guy with 15-20 clients. But these few hours saved per month have been life-changing. I used to dread new client admin. Now I actually look forward to it because I know the automation will handle everything perfectly. My business feels more professional, and I feel less overwhelmed.”

Key lesson: Complex, multi-step processes are often the best automation candidates. While Michael’s automation setup took an afternoon to build, it has run flawlessly for 18 months, saving him literal days of work while improving client experience and business scalability.

Example 3: Patricia’s Volunteer Coordination Safety Net

Background: Patricia, 59, coordinates volunteers for a community meal program (from Lesson 12’s Trello example). While Trello organized schedules beautifully, she had persistent problems:

  • Volunteers forgetting their shifts
  • Last-minute cancellations with no notification
  • No-shows leaving gaps in coverage
  • Patricia constantly checking Trello and manually sending reminders

Her challenge: Create automatic reminders and communication without manually messaging 40+ volunteers weekly.

Her hybrid Trello + Zapier solution:

Automation 1: “Shift Reminder 24 Hours Before”

Trigger: Trello card with label “Upcoming Shift” due in 24 hours

Actions:

  1. Extract volunteer name and shift details from card
  2. Send SMS to volunteer: “Reminder: You’re scheduled tomorrow at [time] for [shift]. Reply CONFIRM or CANCEL”
  3. Add comment to Trello card: “Reminder sent [date/time]”

Result: Volunteers get automatic text reminders. No-show rate dropped 60%.

Automation 2: “Emergency Coverage Request”

Trigger: Volunteer replies “CANCEL” to reminder text

Actions:

  1. Move Trello card to “Coverage Needed” list
  2. Send group text to backup volunteers: “Need coverage for [shift]. First to reply AVAILABLE gets it.”
  3. Send Patricia urgent notification
  4. Add comment to card: “Cancellation received, coverage requested”

Result: Gaps fill faster. Patricia doesn’t have to manually coordinate every emergency.

Automation 3: “Volunteer Appreciation Auto-Thank You”

Trigger: Trello card moved to “Completed” list

Actions:

  1. Extract volunteer names from card
  2. Send each volunteer a text: “Thank you for serving today! You made a difference for [number] people.”
  3. Update volunteer hours spreadsheet
  4. Add to volunteer’s total shifts count

Result: Volunteers feel appreciated immediately. Tracking happens automatically.

Automation 4: “Weekly Volunteer Digest”

Trigger: Every Sunday at 6pm

Actions:

  1. Pull all cards from “This Week” list in Trello
  2. Generate email with upcoming week’s full schedule
  3. Send to all active volunteers
  4. Post to volunteer Facebook group

Result: Everyone sees full week ahead. Questions reduced.

Results after implementing automation:

Volunteer reliability:

  • No-show rate: 15% → 6%
  • Last-minute cancellations handled faster
  • Coverage gaps filled in average 45 minutes (vs. 3-4 hours before)

Patricia’s time:

  • Weekly coordination time: 8 hours → 3 hours
  • Stress level: “Constantly anxious” → “Manageable”
  • Can actually eat dinner without checking phone

Volunteer satisfaction:

  • Love the automatic reminders
  • Appreciate immediate thank-you texts
  • Weekly digest helps them plan
  • Feel more connected to program

Program impact:

  • More reliable meal service
  • Can serve more people (reliable staffing)
  • Volunteers stay involved longer (better experience)
  • Easier to recruit new volunteers (professional system)

Cost:

  • Zapier: $20/month (needed more tasks for 40+ volunteers)
  • Twilio (for SMS): ~$15/month
  • Total: $35/month for peace of mind
  • Nonprofit budget approved because it prevents service disruptions

Her reflection: “I’m not technical, but these automations feel like having an assistant who never sleeps. Volunteers get reminded, thanked, and kept informed automatically. I thought automation was for businesses, not volunteer programs, but it’s made our little nonprofit run like a real organization. The reliability improvements alone are worth it—we’ve gone from scrambling every week to rarely having coverage problems.”

Key lesson: Automation isn’t just for efficiency—it’s for reliability and quality of experience. Patricia’s automations improved both volunteer satisfaction and program outcomes while reducing her stress. Sometimes the ROI is measured in sleep and sanity, not just hours saved.

1 Hands-On Activity

Activity: “Create Your First Automation”

Time needed: 60-75 minutes

Objective: Build one working automation that solves a real problem in your life, using either Zapier or Make.

What you’ll need:

  • Email account
  • Access to at least 2 apps you use (Gmail, Google Sheets, Trello, etc.)
  • A task that genuinely annoys you

Part 1: Choose Your Automation (15 minutes)

Step 1: Identify repetitive tasks (10 minutes)

Make a list of things you do repeatedly that involve:

  • Copying information between apps
  • Saving files from one place to another
  • Creating the same type of task/reminder
  • Posting the same content to multiple places
  • Tracking something manually

Examples from your life:

Step 2: Pick ONE to automate (5 minutes)

Choose based on:

  • How often it happens (daily/weekly = good candidates)
  • How annoying it is
  • How simple the steps are (start simple!)
  • Whether you use the apps involved

My automation will be:

Why this one:

Apps involved:

  • Trigger app: ___
  • Action app: ___

Part 3: Choose Your Tool (5 minutes)

Zapier or Make?

Choose Zapier if:

  • You want the simplest experience
  • You’re automating between popular apps (Gmail, Sheets, Trello)
  • You’re okay with 100 tasks/month free limit

Choose Make if:

  • You want more free tasks (1,000 operations/month)
  • You like visual workflow builders
  • You’re comfortable with a learning curve

I’m starting with: ___

Part 4: Build Your Automation in Zapier (30 minutes)

Skip to Part 5 if using Make

Step 1: Sign up (5 minutes)

  1. Go to zapier.com
  2. Sign up with email or Google
  3. Skip onboarding wizard (can explore later)
  4. Click “Create Zap”

Step 2: Set up trigger (10 minutes)

  1. Click “Trigger”
  2. Search for your trigger app
    • Type app name (Gmail, Google Sheets, etc.)
    • Click to select
  3. Choose trigger event
    • Examples:
      • Gmail: “New Email”
      • Google Sheets: “New Spreadsheet Row”
      • Trello: “New Card”
    • Select the one that matches your automation
  4. Connect your account
    • Click “Sign in to [App]”
    • Authorize Zapier
    • Account should show as connected
  5. Configure trigger details
    • Which folder/label/board?
    • Any filters?
    • Fill in required fields
  6. Test trigger
    • Click “Test trigger”
    • Zapier will find recent example
    • Review to make sure it’s correct
    • Click “Continue”

Step 3: Set up action (10 minutes)

  1. Click “+ Add Action”
  2. Search for action app
    • Type app name
    • Click to select
  3. Choose action event
    • Examples:
      • Google Drive: “Upload File”
      • Trello: “Create Card”
      • Gmail: “Send Email”
    • Select appropriate action

  • Sign in and authorize
  1. Map fields
    • This is where you tell Zapier what data goes where
    • Click in field
    • Select data from trigger (shown in dropdown)
    • Example: Card Name → [Email Subject from trigger]
  2. Test action
    • Click “Test action”
    • Check the destination app to confirm it worked
    • If something’s wrong, adjust and test again

Step 4: Activate (5 minutes)

  1. Review your Zap
    • Check trigger settings
    • Check action settings
    • Make sure everything looks right
  2. Name your Zap
    • Be descriptive
    • Good: “Gmail attachments → Google Drive”
    • Bad: “My Zap 1”
  3. Turn it ON
    • Toggle switch to “On”
    • Your automation is now live!
  4. Test in real life
    • Trigger the automation manually
    • Check that action occurs
    • Verify data is correct

[Continue to Part 2 for Make Automation, the rest of the Hands-On Activity and Quiz Questions]

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