jwall

practice, practice, practice

The more you automate routine tasks, the faster you'll become. Don't just do a calculation of:

# of times to do a menial task * amount of time to do menial task <> amount of time to automate

That oversimplifies and doesn't take into account how much faster you'll be at scripting etc. in 20 years if you take every opportunity to hone your skills. Think of it like touch typing; might slow you down at first, but you're going to more than make up for it by the end of your career.