Productivity

Productivity

It's really good to press the reset button. So, in 2023, I brought it to the team and said, "Why don't we give everyone time to test this new Thinking Week? If it doesn't work, awesome. But if it does, we'll continue it." Obviously, we have to continue to serve our customers, but internal meetings were canceled, and all non-essential, outward-facing meetings were canceled, as well.

Taking time off should mean genuinely disconnecting. But without a clear plan in place, the stress of leaving work behind can feel overwhelming. That's where an out-of-office plan template comes in. It helps you set clear expectations, delegate responsibilities, and ensure a seamless workflow, allowing you to unplug and recharge fully. This guide will explore the best out-of-office plan templates to help you enjoy a stress-free break without work creeping into your downtime.

Every manager's been there: a team member leaves, and suddenly, so does the context behind half your projects. Why was this deadline set? What's the latest on that vendor call? Where are the files they swore they shared? If your team's work lives inside people instead of shared spaces, you need to try workspace software. In this blog post, we've shortlisted 11 of the best tools to restore calm after the storm hits. ⚒️

A Gantt chart is a project management tool that helps you visualize timelines for your project at a glance. It lists the project tasks that need to be completed down the left column and dates across the top row. A bar represents the duration of each task, so you can see at once when each task will begin and end. The visual makes it easy to plan a project and set realistic delivery dates because you can assign realistic start and finish dates for tasks that are contingent on the completion of other tasks.

Tardiness is a common issue and one that is often confused with ethics or character. "You'd be on time if you cared," or, "You're so unprofessional showing up late," may be phrases we tardy folks hear, reflecting the assumption that our arrival time reflects our personal values. I'm here to challenge that notion; showing up on time, or even early, does not necessarily reflect that you are a more virtuous person, just as being late does not indicate the opposite.

AI automation engineer sounds like a vague title, so here's the job, plainly: I embed with a team (HR, in my case), spot opportunities to enhance the team's work, and build AI-powered workflows that jump on those opportunities. The goal is to create measurable improvements that free my teammates up for creativity, strategy, and connection. I think we'll be seeing this title pop up more and more as time goes on.

Organizations that invest in continuous improvement processes are up to 80% more productive and often see noticeable efficiency gains within weeks, all from small, consistent changes that stick. The engine behind those gains? The PDCA cycle-Plan, Do, Check, Act. The concept is simple. The challenge? Applying it consistently across multiple teams and projects to meet specific needs. That's where PDCA templates come in handy. They remove the guesswork, turn big goals into repeatable workflows, and give you a roadmap to test, learn, and improve.

Not too long ago, appointment scheduling meant endless back-and-forth emails, busy phone lines, and scribbled notes on sticky pads. This system was both time-consuming and prone to a lot of confusion. Then came tools like TimeTap, which simplified the scheduling process with automation and easy online booking. For many small businesses and service providers, it replaced chaos with clarity. But as client expectations evolved, so did the need for more flexible, feature-rich solutions.

Fibery is a work management platform that integrates tasks, documents, databases, and whiteboards into a single workspace. It excels in process design and knowledge management and is designed for environments that demand adaptability. The tool works well for teams looking to streamline collaboration while maintaining workflow flexibility. Plus, the platform's flexible linking system allows users to sync tasks to notes or databases to documents, creating a more structured workspace.

Studies show that 92% of people fail to reach their long-term goals, not because they lack motivation, but because they lack a clear, actionable plan. Without the right system, goals get pushed aside, to-do lists grow out of control, and progress remains stagnant. And let's be honest: most "goal planning templates" you find online are either bland spreadsheets or overstuffed planners that create more stress than structure.

If Michael Scott's 'vision board' from 'The Office' taught us anything, it's that scribbling, 'You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott' on a whiteboard isn't exactly a strategy. It's iconic, sure, but not the kind of plan that keeps your goals moving forward. A GPT vision board tool is the answer. Imagine if, instead of hockey quotes and improv flyers, The Office's protagonist had a board that showed real milestones, next steps, and the bigger picture.

ChatGPT for writing marketing copy, Claude for code, Gumloop for automating workflows: what we have now is a sprawling bouquet of tools that operate in siloes, don't have the full context of your work, and steadily stack up subscription costs. But there's another, bigger problem: The bill doesn't just come in dollars; it comes in hours. ⏰ Hours toggling between chat and your writing tool for the latest feedback; hours making a decision with only half the facts; hours of momentum lost switching between platforms.

Clear daily structure with modular blocks: Uses consistent headings for Day 1 through Day 75, toggle sections for each checklist item, and ample whitespace for different logs Customizable habit tracking that's flexible: Includes checkboxes or progress bars for each task, like water intake, two workouts, reading, and picture, allowing you to adapt tracking on the fly Embedded progress visualization: Integrates visual elements such as calendars or progress streak counters (e.g., 10/75 days done) so you can quickly assess consistency

Airport lounges can be a haven for frequent travelers, offering a quiet break from chaotic airport terminals. For remote workers, they can turn travel downtime into productive work hours. Whether you're prepping for a meeting, catching up on email, or squeezing in some focused writing before a flight, you can use an airport lounge as a mobile office. Although airport lounges can be great for work, getting tasks done sometimes takes strategy.

When your priority becomes moving forward without using more energy, consider dropping one of your criteria for the task. Drop a characteristic you think the solution must have. For example, you might believe you need to give your niece a unique gift each year, when really she would prefer $20 cash and doesn't value uniqueness. Removing the single friction point blocking your progress can ease the emotional weight of the task, often with little or acceptable sacrifice in the outcome.

Unlike generic "brain games," memoryOS is built on scientifically proven methods, such as mnemonics and spaced repetition, the company says. It introduces a modern twist: the Virtual Mind Palace. This centuries-old technique (used by memory champions and scholars) has been digitized and gamified, making it fun and engaging to practice. The result? Users report an average 70% boost in memory recall, the company says.

Asana roadmap templates are pre-built planning tools that help you organize and visualize project timelines, goals, and key milestones. They show what needs to be done, when, and by whom. You can map out upcoming product feature launches, marketing plans, feature updates, and anything that needs a clear direction. 🎯 These templates usually include: Sections for high-level goals and deliverables Timelines or Gantt-style views for tracking deadlines Task lists assigned to team members Milestone markers to track progress along the way

You know the right Slack apps could seriously improve your team's performance, but who has time to test them one by one? We're here to make it easier. We've done the heavy lifting and handpicked popular Slack apps that actually make your workflows smoother, communication faster, and your team a lot more intentional at work. From Slack project management to polls, and automation, this list has it all.

You can send Agenda Hero an image or a PDF with info about events or even paste over entire paragraphs of text, and in the blink of an eye, it'll identify and extract all the relevant details and put 'em into proper calendar event format. From there, you can add any and all events it's identified into your calendar (Google Calendar as well as Outlook, Apple, or practically any other platform) with a single click.

Meetings seem like the necessary evil of every team, remote or hybrid. But what if they didn't have to be energy-draining calendar black holes? Enter Asana's meeting agenda templates. Whether you're hosting a weekly team sync, a project kickoff, or a one-on-one check-in, these templates help you plan ahead, assign owners, and track action items. No more awkward silences, forgotten follow-ups, or " What was this meeting about again?" moments.

From something as simple as choosing what to wear for work to as complex as what business strategy to implement to achieve a competitive advantage, making decisions is an integral part of our everyday lives. The human brain is wired in such a way that we make many of these choices subconsciously, without even being aware of it! 🧠 However, not all decisions are (or should be) made subconsciously-sometimes, they result from proper thought, analysis, and planning.

PopClip for MacOS is for MacOS, and it's fantastic -- but it's not free. You can install it and enjoy a free trial, but after that trial expires, you'll have to pony up for a license. The good news is that a lifetime license costs only $25 . PopClip is like a clipboard manager on steroids. Thanks to a robust extension library, you can integrate PopClip with the likes of Notes, Craft, Evernote, Logseq, Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, and many more.