Automation can free up time by taking over tasks. But turning that free time into time for innovation takes practice.

Most business leaders will tell you that creativity is critical to business success. In a study by Forrester, 82% of leaders surveyed believed in a strong connection between creativity and business results. And that’s not just perception. Companies with cultures that encourage creativity outperform their competitors by driving innovation, revenue growth, and market share.

Furthermore, over two-thirds of the companies that were ranked highly for fostering creativity have received awards and recognition for being a “best place to work.” Creativity — or the ability to be creative at work — is also important to employees, and may be lacking. Nearly a third of employed U.S. adults would take a pay cut for a job that allowed them to be more creative, according to a Creative Live survey.

Information workers spend a significant amount of time on manual, repetitive work. More than 40% of respondents to a recent survey said they spend at least a quarter of their work week on manual, repetitive tasks. And nearly 60% of information workers estimated they’d save at least six hours each week if these aspects of their jobs were automated.

Those same information workers also see the potential benefits of automation. Sixty-nine percent think automation will reduce time wasted on repetitive work, and 66% say automation will help eliminate human error. Over 75% of respondents say automation will free up time for more interesting, valuable assignments — work they are eager to tackle.