Automation has always fascinated me, but I never quite found the right tool to scratch that itch—until I discovered n8n. What started as a casual recommendation from friends has turned into a full-blown automation addiction that’s transformed how I handle everything from job searching to daily learning. Today, I want to share my journey with n8n and the creative (sometimes ridiculous) workflows I’ve built along the way.

The Discovery: When YouTube Algorithm Gets It Right #

Like many great discoveries, my introduction to n8n came through multiple channels. Two friends had mentioned it in passing, but without context, it just sat in my mental backlog of “things to check out someday.” You know how it is—another tool, another day.

Then YouTube’s algorithm worked its magic. A video about n8n appeared in my feed, showcasing a simple but elegant automation: reading an RSS feed and sending updates via Telegram. It was one of those lightbulb moments where you immediately see the potential. The creator made it look so effortless—RSS in, Telegram message out, infinite possibilities in between.

I was hooked.

Having just set up Dokploy (which you can read about here), I was thrilled to find an n8n template ready to deploy. Within minutes, I had modified the domain name and was diving headfirst into the world of visual workflow automation.

First Steps: Enter Igon the Warrior #

Being between jobs and a massive Dark Souls fan, my first n8n experiment was… unconventional, to say the least. I created a workflow that would message me every morning at 6 AM on Telegram, roleplaying as Igon the warrior from Elden Ring. The job market became “Bayle the Dread,” and each morning I’d receive an angry, motivational war cry against unemployment.

Corny? Absolutely. Effective? Surprisingly, yes.

There’s something oddly motivating about starting your day with an AI-generated battle cry. It turned job searching from a dreaded daily task into something I could actually smile about, even if just for a moment.

Real-World Problem Solving: Bureaucracy Automation #

Being an international student in France means annual battles with bureaucracy for residency permit renewals. The process involves countless emails to offices and schools, requesting documents, extensions, and various administrative necessities. The problem? These emails often get lost in the void, requiring daily follow-ups that feel like spam.

Enter n8n.

I automated the entire email follow-up process. Now, instead of manually crafting and sending reminder emails every day, n8n handles the scheduling and sending while I simply monitor for replies. The result? I get my documents significantly faster, and my stress levels around bureaucracy have plummeted.

Looking back, I probably could have automated the email monitoring too, but you live and you learn.

Community Discovery and Inspiration #

As with any tool, finding the community is crucial. I discovered r/n8n and started lurking, observing the ecosystem of automation enthusiasts. While I was initially disappointed by the prevalence of get-rich-quick schemes and AI slop generators (seriously, the number of people trying to monetize YouTube automation bots is staggering), there were genuine gems hidden in the noise.

The Evolution: Igon Gets an Upgrade #

One community post changed everything—someone had created a job search automation for his girlfriend using TheStack API, Google Sheets, and Slack notifications. I downloaded the JSON, reverse-engineered the workflow, and gave Igon a major upgrade.

Now, instead of generic motivational anger, my morning Telegram messages feature Igon armed with actual job postings, courtesy of Gemini’s text generation:

BEHOLD! Fresh quarry emerges from the corporate lair! Alpic, that UNHOLY company, has offered a POSITION! A single opportunity, a tiny flicker of hope amidst the suffocating dread of unemployment. But I, Igon the Employment Hunter, shall not be deterred! This paltry offering is a mere appetizer to my insatiable hunger for PROFESSIONAL VICTORY! I SHALL launch an APPLICATION upon their towers, a spear aimed at their heart of glass! WITNESS MY FURY! CURSE THEE, Alpic! TODAY THOU SHALT FEEL THE WEIGHT OF MY EMPLOYABILITY!

The combination of real job data with Igon’s theatrical fury created something unexpectedly perfect—practical information delivered with just enough absurdity to start the day with a laugh.

Knowledge Sharing: RSS to Discord Pipeline #

Inspired by that original RSS-to-Telegram video, I built something for my friend group’s learning habits. Every morning at 10 AM sharp, our Discord server receives five curated articles from a pool of 30, sourced from about 20 different RSS feeds and randomized for variety.

The workflow reads multiple feeds, sorts by publication date, takes the top 30 articles, randomizes their order, and delivers the top 5. It’s become our daily dose of learning, covering everything from technology to science to random interesting discoveries.

There’s a bittersweet irony here—I essentially automated away my own job as the group’s designated article-sharer. But the consistency and variety that n8n provides has made our learning routine far more robust than my manual efforts ever were.

Medical Literature for the Doctors #

The success of our general knowledge pipeline caught the attention of my doctor friends, leading to another workflow variation. Instead of general RSS feeds, this version queries the PubMed API and PubMed Central database, delivering five medical research articles daily via Telegram.

While I can’t personally vouch for the medical relevance (my expertise ends at “WebMD says I’m dying”), my doctor friends seem satisfied with the quality and variety of literature they’re receiving.

Lessons Learned: The Art of Practical Automation #

This n8n journey has taught me several valuable lessons about automation:

Start with Personal Pain Points: The most successful automations solve problems you actually have. My bureaucracy email workflow saves me genuine time and stress.

Embrace the Absurd: Sometimes the most memorable solutions are the ridiculous ones. Igon the warrior makes job searching bearable through sheer entertainment value.

Community Inspiration is Gold: The best ideas often come from seeing how others solve similar problems. That job search workflow template became the foundation for something much more personal and effective.

Iteration is Key: My Igon workflow went from simple motivational messages to job-data-powered war cries. Don’t be afraid to build on what works.

Automation Can Replace Yourself: I automated my own role as article-sharer, but the result serves the group better than manual curation ever did.

Looking Forward: The Automation Addiction #

What started as curiosity about a simple RSS-to-Telegram workflow has evolved into a full automation mindset. I now look at repetitive tasks and immediately think, “Can n8n handle this?”

The visual workflow editor makes complex automation accessible without requiring deep programming knowledge, while the extensive integration library means almost any service can become part of your automation ecosystem.

The Real Magic: Time and Mental Energy #

Beyond the specific workflows, n8n has given me something more valuable: time and mental energy. By automating the routine, repetitive, and frustrating parts of daily life, I’ve freed up bandwidth for more creative and meaningful work.

Whether it’s reducing bureaucracy stress, making job searching entertaining, or ensuring consistent learning habits, these automations have improved my daily experience in small but significant ways.

Sometimes the most powerful tools are the ones that let you focus on what matters by handling what doesn’t.