2025-05-14

What I'm Not Automating (Yet) — And Why That's Intentional

automationsystemsstrategyintentionality

Everyone loves showing off what they’ve automated.

CI/CD pipelines. Air-gapped backups. Coffee makers. You name it.

But I want to discuss something different: what I’m not automating.

Not because it’s hard. Not because I can’t. But because it’s not ready yet. Knowing when not to automate is just as important as knowing how.

Why I Hold Back Sometimes

Automation isn’t just about saving time, it’s about understanding a system deeply enough to make good decisions. That takes:

  • Friction
  • Repetition
  • Manual observation
  • And, sometimes, living with the mess for a bit

If you automate too soon, you risk encoding assumptions into scripts that outlive their usefulness, or worse, silently fail in ways no one sees coming.

Here’s What I’m Holding Off On

1. Early Product Features & User Flows

Could I automate every onboarding step, error handler, and notification? Sure. But I'm still learning how users actually interact with the product in real scenarios. Until I see those patterns clearly, I'd rather keep certain touchpoints manual.

And honestly? Sometimes clicking through a flow yourself is exactly the feedback you need.

2. Internal Development Pipelines

The urge to wire up full CI/CD automation is strong, but that doesn't mean it's wise—especially when requirements are still shifting. Instead of overengineering a brittle pipeline too early, I'm focusing on:

  • Modular, testable code
  • Manual deployments where needed
  • Clarity in every step

This keeps things nimble and reduces rework as constraints evolve.

3. Publishing Workflow

Yes, this blog could be fully automated, from Obsidian to GitHub to production.

But that friction? I choose it, on purpose.

It forces me to look at the post one more time. To push it with intention. To stay involved in the act of shipping. That pause lets me refine the subtle stuff, the tone, the timing, the intention.

Wrapping It Up

The goal of automation is not to remove every ounce of effort. It’s to reduce the right friction.

Occasionally you have to live with the pain before you know what’s worth relieving.

Automation isn’t the destination. It’s a privilege you earn by knowing what matters.

At Methodical Cloud, we don’t automate the pain away until we understand why it hurts.

Will I automate this someday? Probably. But right now, I’m paying attention.

Methodical beats mechanical, at least until the system is ready to carry the weight.

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