How Often do my Zaps Run?

Originally published

Timing is the unsung hero of automation.

A lot of people talk about triggers, actions, and conditions—but there’s a fourth component that gets overlooked: WHEN the automation runs.

That timing decision changes everything.

For example, if someone joins your mailing list and you promised them a PDF—they expect that delivery to be instant. Same thing if they just bought a membership and you’re giving them access to a members-only podcast. That needs to happen right away.

But if you’re scanning your inbox for a specific subject line? You don’t need that running in real time. That’s wasteful—and expensive.

When I used to scan for Help a Reporter Out (HARO) emails, I would look for certain words and add them to Notion. I only needed that automation a couple of times a day.

You can also run automations at very specific times. At 6PM, I set my office lights to red so I know it’s time to go upstairs and end my workday. You can even go deeper and combine timing with a condition—like turning on your Christmas lights at sunset between November 27 and January 10.

So when you build an automation, don’t just focus on what it’s doing. Think about when it should run… and whether it really needs to do that job instantly.

Hi, I’m Joe Casabona. I help busy solopreneur parents build systems so they’re not always checking their email at the playground. If you liked this, check out my newsletter!