An automation system for providing activity-adapted automation in an environment, comprising at least one controllable appliance (1), and a sensor (3) arranged to collect sensor data associated with user activities in the environment. A controller includes a user behavior analyzer (6), arranged to recognize, based on the sensor data, user activities and to identify unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities, and a user interface (4), arranged to display the unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities and representations of the predefined automation settings, and to allow the user to associate each unique combination with a desired setting. The controller is further adapted to subsequently control the appliance according to the predefined automation setting associated with a currently recognized combination of user activities. This provides activity-based automation of the environment, in accordance with preprogrammed preferences of the user, without requiring any programming experience.