What I learned from automating everything | Shauna Sprague | TEDxNashville

TLDR
Shauna Sprague shares her journey from resisting technology to automating nearly every aspect of her life, sparked by the time-saving benefits of early smartphones. She emphasizes that automation, especially when combining Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with Generative AI like ChatGPT, is accessible to everyone and frees up time for more meaningful pursuits. Sprague encourages embracing AI and change, viewing failure not as an endpoint but as a crucial step in the process of learning and growing, ultimately allowing us to be our best selves with less stress and more joy.

Summary
Shauna Sprague recounts her initial reluctance to adopt new technologies, from cell phones to smartphones, seeing them as unnecessary expenses or intrusions. However, her professional role as a traveling salesperson eventually necessitated their use for email and GPS, the latter proving to be a pivotal moment. Realizing she saved two hours daily by using a smartphone's GPS instead of printing MapQuest directions, Sprague was ignited with an obsession to automate everything possible, viewing time as a precious resource she was "frugal" with. She notes that her background in IT departments across Fortune 500 companies has focused on strategy and tools, not complex coding, making her success in automation relatable.

Sprague highlights that automation isn't just for business; it can transform personal lives, from planning events a year in advance and sending automated birthday emails via ChatGPT to converting school schedules from photos into calendar events using Robotic Process Automation (RPA). She details how RPA, like a team of "tiny little elf helpers," streamlines mundane tasks by combining tools and processes into "if this, then that" scenarios, illustrating this with the example of automating her daughter's school calendar in minutes. This comprehensive automation approach frees her from constant stress, allowing her to be present as a friend, mom, and leader.

Sprague acknowledges that automation isn't always perfect from the start, sharing an anecdote about a birthday email system that failed to account for leap years. She stresses that such failures are not roadblocks but essential learning opportunities, encouraging a "fail fast and keep going" mindset. Addressing common fears about AI, she positions it as a powerful tool designed to make our lives easier and more productive, cautioning that "AI might not take your job, but someone using AI might." She argues that embracing AI and automation unlocks new levels of creativity and productivity, creating a safety net for predictable tasks and granting us the courage to tackle the unpredictable.

Concluding her talk, Sprague emphasizes that becoming proficient in automation doesn't require being a "technology wizard"; anyone can start small and build from there. She reveals that her own fear of "dropping the ball" or not meeting expectations was a driving force behind her automation journey, teaching her that change is beneficial and failure is a vital step in growth. Her ultimate challenge to the audience is to embrace AI, automation, and change not merely as tools, but as a mindset. By freeing ourselves from routine tasks, we gain the freedom to learn, grow, try, and accept failure as a sign of progress, allowing us to focus on the extraordinary and become our best selves.