A free hour on your calendar to focus sounds impossible. There's a never-ending list of business-critical tasks demanding attention, and the constant context-switching takes you away from the big-picture priorities you care about. 

Yes, you should probably send that email (sorry), but Zapier can help you automate those ad-hoc tasks without disrupting your focus. 

We're a no-code automation tool that lets you connect apps through automated workflows we call Zaps. And with Zapier's free Chrome extension, you can automate critical tasks with the push of a button—no tab-switching needed. Below are a few ways to use the Chrome extension to prevent distractions while taking care of business.

Table of contents

• Communicate without distractions

• Create your own web clipper

• Manage calendars and schedules

• Create to-dos as you go

• Manage your Zaps anywhere

• Create a custom solution

Communicate without distractions 

Timely communication is critical for business, which is why knowledge workers devote so much time to it. But with the Zapier Chrome extension, you can send important messages without opening your inbox, email app, or team chat. 

If you're a heavy email user, you can compose messages from the Chrome extension. Or, send templated messages and save your communication chops for when you really need them. 

The Zaps below will get you started:

If you get sidetracked too often by your team chat app, you can message your teammates without distractions. Start with these Zaps:

Prefer texting? You can also send a text from the Chrome extension.

Create your own web clipper

Whether you need to track URLs or log data in a spreadsheet, copying and pasting between tabs can take time away from higher priorities. 

You can use Zapier to create your own web clipper tool, so you can track whatever you need in your favorite apps. Give these Zaps a try:  

Manage calendars and schedules

Automation can manage many aspects of your calendar, but there will always be a last-minute meeting or a situation where you need to protect a block on your schedule for focused work. 

With the push of a button, the Zapier Chrome extension can create calendar events quickly and even update your Slack status for ad-hoc schedule changes. Get started with the Zaps below: 

Create to-dos as you go

There's no shortage of ways to automate your task and project management apps, but you can't always predict when inspiration will strike. These Zaps make it easy to capture critical tasks and ideas you want to act on before they slip your mind. 

Manage Zaps anywhere 

Once you start automating processes at work, you won't want to stop. But sometimes you need certain Zaps to take a break, like when you're going on vacation. 

You can quickly toggle Zaps on and off with the Chrome extension without needing to log into your Zapier account. 

Create a custom solution

If your business uses a tool that doesn't have a Zapier integration—or what you need to accomplish isn't available in an existing integration—you have other automation options available. 

As long as your app has a public API or webhook capabilities, you can connect your tools to the Zapier Chrome extension with our built-in Webhooks tool. 

These Zaps will get you started:

You don't need to be a developer to automate your work, but some situations may call for a little code. Code by Zapier lets you add JavaScript or Python to your Zap, so you don't need to code an automated workflow from scratch.

If you're comfortable with either programming language, you can jump right in with these Zaps:

Automate with the push of a button

Zapier's Chrome extension lets you take care of business-critical tasks without context-switching, so you can focus on your top priorities. Looking for more ways to automate on the fly? You can also run Zaps from your Mac keyboard or your Apple device.