November 2019 Summaries

At a 15-person seed-stage startup, the marketing team implemented several rules and best practices to reduce ineffective meetings, resulting in hundreds of person-hours saved. They started by requiring an agenda for every meeting, which forced meeting organizers to consider the purpose, attendees, and necessity of the meeting. This led to fewer meetings and more productive ones, with everyone being better aligned. The team also brought others into the room when they were mentioned during a meeting, reducing wasted time and allowing everyone to share their point of view. Additionally, they had daily huddles and weekly all-hands meetings, which added structure and alignment to the organization. Setting quiet hours from 9:35 a.m. to noon allowed team members to focus on deep work and prioritize high-leverage projects without interruptions. The strategies were refined after trying some that didn't work, such as shortening daily huddles or eliminating all-hands meetings, which led to a disconnect among the team and more meetings.

With the end of the year approaching, it's essential to plan professional development goals, which can be achieved with the help of automation tools like Zapier. By setting up automated workflows (Zaps) that support your plans, you can minimize user errors, free up time for more critical tasks, and increase productivity. Five resolutions to consider are: using a scheduling tool for client appointments, keeping client files organized using cloud storage services, no longer manually adding customers and clients to email lists, using an email list as CRM software, and reducing distractions by setting boundaries around inbox management. Zapier provides pre-built workflows that can help you achieve these goals, such as automating the addition of new Calendly invitees to ActiveCampaign contacts or creating Google Drive folders from new Google Forms responses. By implementing these ideas, you can gain more time in your day and focus on serving customers and clients.

The holiday shopping season is expected to see a significant impact on knowledge workers' productivity as 70% of them plan to spend time online shopping during work hours this year. On average, they plan to dedicate 8.5 work hours to holiday shopping, with some individuals planning to spend up to 15+ hours in this regard. Younger adults and men are more likely to be caught off guard by their desire to shop during work hours, while people managers are also more inclined to indulge in online shopping during work hours. The survey highlights the importance of setting boundaries between personal and professional life during the holiday season.

When starting a new job, it's normal to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and tasks to complete. Prioritizing and pacing oneself is crucial to avoid burnout and anxiety. Setting aside time with HR and manager to discuss expectations can help clarify goals and prevent exhaustion. Creating a filing system that works for you can also save time in the long run. Finding a method to organize tasks and minimizing notification noise can improve productivity, while taking time to understand the reporting structure and proactively asking for support can lead to a smoother transition into the new role. By being kind to oneself and adjusting expectations, individuals can set themselves up for success in their new job.

Retailers are preparing for Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. To maximize their sales, they should consider encouraging gift cards as a flexible product that can be used across different markets and industries. Retailers should also promote their promotions through various channels such as website banners, social media posts, email notifications, and in-store displays to reach customers. Additionally, they should ensure their mobile commerce sites work smoothly on mobile devices, customize branded materials for the holidays, offer gift-wrapping services, and consider automating tasks using tools like Zapier to free up time for more important decisions. By implementing these strategies, retailers can increase sales and stay organized during the holiday season.

Journalists are facing increasing workload due to staff size reductions, leaving them with less time to focus on high-priority tasks. To help alleviate this burden, journalists can automate mundane tasks such as curating article ideas, tracking social media mentions, and keeping track of published articles using various tools and integrations. By leveraging these automations, journalists can free up more time for research, writing, and collaboration, ultimately improving their productivity and ability to provide valuable coverage to their communities.

Remote work has become increasingly common, with companies of all sizes adopting policies that allow employees to work from home or remotely. A recent survey conducted by Zapier found that 95% of U.S. knowledge workers want to work remotely, and 74% would be willing to quit a job for the opportunity. The top reasons cited for desiring remote work include saving money, spending time with family, and being more productive at home. Knowledge workers believe they are most productive when working from home, with women more likely than men to say so. Furthermore, the survey found that 66% of knowledge workers think the traditional office setting will be obsolete by 2030, with full-time remote workers more likely to share this sentiment. The survey also highlighted the importance of flexible and remote work as a desirable perk, particularly for parents and individuals with disabilities.

You can have all your daily activities, tasks, and schedules in one place - Google Calendar. You can see your tasks alongside your calendar by enabling Google Tasks, add other to-do list apps like Todoist or TickTick, share your calendar with others, view world clocks, weather forecasts, holidays from different cultures, sports schedules, TV show air dates, and local community calendars. Additionally, you can use Zapier to automate workflows and connect other applications to Google Calendar. This allows for a more streamlined and organized daily routine, making it easier to manage your time effectively.

You've survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday, now it's time to capitalize on your Thanksgiving weekend business by analyzing sales data to improve products, marketing campaigns, customer relationships, and follow up with customers to increase future sales. Consider segmenting customers based on similarities to tailor content and marketing campaigns, and leverage campaign data to optimize marketing efforts and identify the most effective channels and methods for reaching target customers. You can also keep holiday deals going until New Year's by analyzing data to reveal the most effective marketing ventures and reinvest profits in fresh ad campaigns. Automation software like Zapier can help with tedious tasks, freeing up time for more important hands-on tasks.

Dark mode has become increasingly popular, but research suggests that it may not have the productivity benefits that its advocates claim. In fact, studies have shown that dark mode can actually lower reading comprehension and make people slower and less productive. Additionally, for people with astigmatism, dark mode can be objectively worse than light mode due to the way the eye adjusts to different light levels. However, dark mode can still have some benefits, such as improving battery life on premium devices with OLED displays. Ultimately, whether or not to use dark mode is a matter of personal preference, and users who enjoy its aesthetic appeal should feel free to use it, even if it may lead to excessive screen time at night.