You’ve got a shiny MacBook, a clean VS Code setup, and maybe even some terminal wizardry going on. But somehow you’re still spending hours a week doing
- Repetitive build steps
- Copy-pasting between apps
- File renaming
- Local testing setup
- Screenshotting and documentation
Most developers don’t need more skills. They need fewer time-wasting habits.
So I stopped flexing about my plugins and started automating the things that were stealing my time in silence.
Here are 5 automations that gave me my hours back — and they’ll do the same for you.
Auto-Trigger Dev Environments with tmux + Shell Scripts
Saved: ~2 hours/week
Instead of manually opening terminals, jumping into directories, activating and launching servers, I now run:
$ dev-start my-project- Opens 3 pre-split panes in tmux
- One runs the server.
- One watches logs.
- One opens Git status.
Map this to a keyboard shortcut with Raycast or Alfred, and it’s instant.
How to set it up:
- Write a shell script with all your env startup commands.
- Trigger it via an alias or an automation tool.
- Never click around again.
Auto-Rename & Sort Downloaded Assets with Hazel
Saved: ~1 hour/week
As a dev working with image assets, logs, and JSON dumps, my Downloads folder used to be a war zone.
Now I use Hazel:
- Rename files based on type/date.
- Auto-move to project folders
- Trash anything older than 7 days.
Hazel watches folders and applies rules — like a background butler for your file system.
What I automate:
- *.png from screenshots → /Projects/assets/screenshots/
- *.log files → auto-archived weekly
- ZIPs → auto-unzipped & deleted
Use TextExpander (or Raycast Snippets) to Kill Repetitive Typing
Saved: ~1.5 hours/week
Typing the same commands, boilerplate comments, API keys, and commit messages? Let TextExpander or Raycast do it for you.
Examples I use daily:
- ;np → npm run dev
- ;404 → full HTML 404 boilerplate
- ;log → timestamped debug log line in JS
These save milliseconds per use — and I use them hundreds of times per week.
Automatically Screenshot + Annotate for Docs with CleanShot X
Saved: ~2 hours/week
- Screenshot hotkeys
- Manual markup
- File naming and uploads
CleanShot X automates all of it:
- Auto-names your screenshots
- Opens the markup tool instantly
- Uploads to the cloud with a shareable link
- Even supports scrolling screenshots
As a dev who writes tutorials and documents bugs, this is my secret weapon.
Alfred Workflows (or Raycast) for Dev Commands & File Navigation
Saved: ~3 hours/week
You don’t realize how much time you spend
- Finding files
- Launching apps
- Searching StackOverflow
- Opening GitHub repos
Until you replace it all with Alfred workflows (or Raycast custom scripts).
- Launch projects with a keyword.
- SSH into remote dev servers instantly
- Run JS snippets or curl commands
- Open PRs by typing pr 324
It’s like giving your keyboard muscle memory for everything you do.
Devs Talk About Code. The Smart Ones Talk About Time.
Your code quality is capped by your energy.
Reclaiming your time means reclaiming your creative power.
If you’re not automating the boring stuff, you’re not just wasting time — You’re wasting potential.
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