Tasks vs Workflows vs Systems

Most automation projects fail before they start. The reason: scope confusion.

You say "I want to automate my email." But what does that actually mean?

• Reply to emails automatically?
• Sort emails into folders?
• Extract action items?
• Draft responses for review?
• All of the above?

Let's fix this with a simple framework.

The Three Levels

Level 1: Tasks

A task is a single action with a clear input and output.

Examples:

• Summarize this email
• Extract the sender's main question
• Categorize this into "urgent" or "can wait"

Tasks are small. They take seconds. You can test them instantly.

Automate tasks first. They're low-risk and high-learning.

Level 2: Workflows

A workflow is a sequence of tasks triggered by an event.

Example: New email arrives → Categorize → If urgent, draft reply → Send to review queue

Workflows have:

• A trigger (what starts it)
• Steps (what happens)
• An output (what you get)

Automate workflows second. They're where the real time savings happen.

Level 3: Systems

A system is multiple workflows working together with shared context.

Example: Your entire email management system:

• Workflow 1: Triage incoming mail
• Workflow 2: Follow up on unanswered threads
• Workflow 3: Weekly summary of important emails
• Workflow 4: Auto-archive after 30 days

Systems have:

• Shared data (a database of emails, categories, statuses)
• Interconnected workflows
• Self-maintenance (they clean up after themselves)

Automate systems last. They require the most thought upfront.

The Mistake Everyone Makes

Trying to build a system on day one.

"I want AI to completely handle my email."

That's a system. It requires:

• Understanding how you currently handle email
• Breaking that into workflows
• Breaking those into tasks
• Automating each task
• Connecting them together
• Testing edge cases
• Iterating