How I Built a No Code Assistant To Manage My Workday To Do List | Slack + Make.com

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants can vastly improve productivity by handling routine tasks in the background. In this article, I will guide you through how I built a no-code assistant to summarize discussions and manage to-do lists from my Slack messages using Make.com, ChatGPT’s API, and Airtable. This automation helps ensure that conversations and action items don't slip through the cracks.

Understanding the Need

In a fast-paced workplace whereby Slack is the primary communication tool, important conversations and actionable tasks often get lost or forgotten. To resolve this issue, I set out to create an assistant that would summarize daily Slack messages and create actionable to-do lists based on discussions.

The Tools

Here are the primary tools I used to create my assistant:

1. Make.com: A no-code automation platform that connects different applications and facilitates workflow automation.
2. ChatGPT API: OpenAI’s API for text generation and summarization tasks.
3. Airtable: A platform that combines the best of spreadsheets and databases for task management and data organization.

Building the Assistant

Step 1: Setting Up Airtable

1. Create Two Tables:

   • Summary Table: This table includes fields like:
     • Date of Conversation
     • Description of the conversation (long text)
     • A Reviewed Checkbox to monitor status
   • Tasks Table: This table will hold individual tasks linked to the summaries.

2. Linking Tables: Within Airtable, you will want to link tasks to the corresponding summary to maintain organization.

Step 2: Automation with Make.com

1. Connecting Slack: To start, use Make.com to pull messages from Slack, such as direct messages or public conversations.

2. Text Aggregation: Aggregate the pulled messages into a single conversation text to simplify the data sent to ChatGPT.

3. ChatGPT Module: Use ChatGPT to summarize the aggregated conversation. Set up the prompt so it knows to generate a summary and tasks based on the conversation context.

4. Adding to Airtable: Push the summary back into the Summary Table and configure the next ChatGPT call to extract tasks from that summary.

5. Task Creation: Parse the tasks from ChatGPT’s response and add them into the Tasks Table in Airtable, ensuring each task references the summary it is tied to.

Step 3: Testing and Finalization

Set the automation to run nightly at 11:59 PM to compile the day’s messages into summaries and tasks. Test the automation by running it on prior data to ensure that summaries and associated tasks populate correctly in Airtable.

Step 4: Interface Setup in Airtable

Leverage Airtable’s interface feature to create a user-friendly view of the summaries and tasks. This may include options for tracking completed tasks and managing ongoing projects.

Conclusion

With just a few tools, you can build a no-code assistant that manages your to-do list and keeps you organized based on your daily conversations in Slack. This approach not only saves you time but ensures that nothing falls through the cracks.

Keywords

• AI Assistant
• No Code Automation
• Slack
• Airtable
• Tasks
• ChatGPT API
• Make.com
• Productivity Tool

FAQ

Q1: What is Make.com?
A1: Make.com is a no-code automation platform that connects various apps and services to streamline workflows and automate tasks.

Q2: How does the ChatGPT API work in this setup?
A2: The ChatGPT API is integrated to summarize Slack messages and generate actionable tasks from those summaries.

Q3: Why should I use Airtable for task management?
A3: Airtable combines spreadsheet functionalities with database features, allowing for more organized and flexible data management.

Q4: Can I modify this automation to work with other tools?
A4: Yes, the fundamental framework can be adapted to other communication tools and task managers besides Slack and Airtable.

Q5: Is it possible to run this automation free of charge?
A5: Yes, both Slack and Airtable offer free tiers, and Make.com provides free automation capabilities, allowing this entire setup to be built at no cost.