May 2020 Summaries

Google Meet integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar and Gmail, allowing users to easily organize video calls. Automated workflows called Zaps can automate tasks such as sending Google Meet links, recording calls, and sharing recordings. These Zaps can be customized to fit specific needs, such as scheduling meetings for leads or project reviews. By automating these tasks, users can save time and focus on more important aspects of their work.

The text discusses the ambiguity and variability of emoji meanings, particularly in a work context. It highlights examples such as the Italian hand gesture emoji, which was initially used to represent "perfection" but is actually meant to convey a different meaning, and the wink emoji, which can be interpreted as friendly or flirty depending on the audience. The author argues that understanding the nuances of emoji meanings is crucial for effective communication, especially in remote work settings. They provide advice on how to use emojis responsibly and encourage readers to learn about the context-specific meanings of various emojis.

In mid-2017, Josh Gross of Planetary, a digital product agency with a distributed team, organized virtual pizza parties for his team by figuring out how to place orders in six different countries. The idea led to the launch of Pizzatime, a service that would organize virtual pizza parties for distributed teams, but it was eventually shut down due to low demand. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, Pizzatime saw a resurgence as employers turned to the service to help build team culture remotely. Planetary's experience with Pizzatime is a reminder that even though remote work has become more common, people still have core desires like camaraderie and good food. The service was initially built using automation tools like Zapier without writing any code, allowing it to be non-technical. Despite not being lucrative, Josh plans to keep Pizzatime going as long as people continue ordering.

Several tech giants in the Bay Area have announced that employees can opt to work from home after the pandemic ends, with many residents already working from home part-time due to the global health crisis. A survey of over 1,100 Bay Area residents found that about half plan to leave San Francisco if they can work remotely, citing high costs of living, housing, and population density as top reasons for wanting to move. The majority of respondents are happy with the local government's response to the pandemic, but some want to relocate due to financial constraints or a desire for a better quality of life in other cities such as LA, Seattle, or Portland.

The majority of my social interaction happens on Slack now, feeling like I'm back in high school with instant messaging as the primary tool for connecting with others. To lean into this feeling, companies can add vintage status icons and encourage employees to create retro profiles with era-appropriate away messages, profile pictures, and even AIM-inspired color schemes.

At Zapier, they have a trick for leaning toward "no" when faced with work requests, using text expander apps and pre-written snippets to help prioritize tasks and avoid burnout. The goal is to consider priorities and opportunity costs before agreeing to something, rather than defaulting to yes due to empathy or a desire to please others. By automating the process of saying no through pre-written snippets, team members can more easily manage their workload and maintain focus on important projects.

It's become commonplace to digitally ignore each other, but responding to emails is a matter of basic decency and courtesy. Ignoring an email that requires a response can be seen as rude, and there are no valid excuses for not doing so. Responding to emails in a timely manner helps build trust and strengthens relationships, making it easier to manage workload and prioritize tasks. By turning emails into actionable tasks, individuals can automate their responses and ensure they don't miss important messages. This approach also helps filter out spam and non-essential emails, allowing for more focused attention on legitimate communications.

Microsoft Teams has introduced a free version, which is more generous than Slack's free version in many ways. However, getting started with the free version can be confusing due to its complexity and assumption that users are part of an existing Microsoft 365 organization. The app requires users to create a new organization from scratch, invite people, and manage their roles within it. The free version has limitations such as limited storage, no collaboration using desktop Office apps, and no scheduling or recording capabilities for meetings. In contrast, Slack's free version is more straightforward to set up, but Microsoft Teams offers more features in its free version, including unlimited archive access, guest access, and group calls. Additionally, Zapier can be used to automate tasks with Microsoft Teams by connecting it to other apps and creating custom automations called Zaps.

You can free up space on your Mac by adjusting display settings, hiding the dock and menu bar, and setting up multiple desktops with Mission Control. Shrinking windows allows you to fit more content on your screen, while shrinking the dock or hiding it altogether frees up vertical space. Hiding the menu bar also contributes to a clutter-free workspace. By using these tweaks, you can accommodate all of your business without needing additional monitors.

Working from home is not the same as being part of a traditional office environment, and those who are remote may miss out on social interactions with coworkers. However, many companies are adjusting their work-from-home policies, and some individuals are successfully asking to continue working remotely even when others return to the office. To make a successful request, it's essential to be clear about personal reasons for wanting to remain remote, gather evidence of productivity benefits, demonstrate an understanding of remote culture fit, anticipate manager questions, and be prepared to address potential concerns or rejection. It's also crucial to consider timing and have a solid plan in place before making the request.

"Find a job you love, and you'll work constantly, neglect your relationships, and also probably have poor hygiene." This quote highlights the potential misconception that loving one's job automatically leads to a healthy work-life balance. In reality, loving one's job can often lead to overwork and burnout due to the blurred boundaries between work and personal life when working from home. Remote workers need to be mindful of their time management and establish clear boundaries to avoid burnout. This includes not replacing commute time with more work, taking advantage of flexibility to balance work and personal life, stopping measuring productivity using time, wrapping up work sessions, and giving oneself closure. By adopting these strategies, remote workers can maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid burnout.

Google Meet has become available for free, offering a tight integration with Google Calendar and real-time captions with a profanity filter. The app provides several key features not found in Google Hangouts, including support for up to 250 participants, real-time captions, better screen sharing options, more layout choices, and built-in recording capabilities. However, the free version of Google Meet has limitations, such as meeting time limits, restricted call-in by phone, and a lower participant cap compared to paid Google Workspace users. Despite these limitations, Google Meet offers an attractive alternative to Zoom for those looking for a reliable video conferencing solution.

Automating tasks with Zapier allows for the creation of complex workflows by adding multiple steps to a single trigger, enabling users to streamline their work processes and save time. By building multi-step Zaps, users can connect various apps and services to automate tasks such as sending emails, notifications, and data updates, making it easier to manage their workflow. The ability to add filters or search actions also provides more flexibility in creating customized workflows. To make these complex workflows more manageable, users can include descriptions or rename steps to provide context and clarity, helping them navigate through the process with ease.

I've read the guides of the products I use, mostly because working efficiently means spending less time working, but also because it's worth investing a little time to learn how to use them properly. Guides come in various shapes and sizes, including PDFs online and web app help centers, which can provide valuable information on using tools to their full potential. Reading the guides can be a learning experience similar to tying one's shoes or memorizing the multiplication table, as it helps build a foundation for future knowledge. Even digital natives may not know all the features and capabilities of complex tools, and there is no shame in seeking help from guides. By reading the guides, individuals can discover new ways to use the tools that suit their specific needs, which may not be immediately apparent to marketers or even the tool creators themselves. Investing time in learning how to use tools properly can save a significant amount of time over time, and it's an essential skill for efficiency and productivity.

You can use Google News to find out if you've been mentioned in news articles, and get real-time notifications when this happens. To see these notifications, head to the Google Alerts homepage, click the gear icon, then uncheck the Digest feature. You can follow your mentions using an RSS feed, or customize it to send notifications to other applications using automated workflows called Zaps.

During times of crisis, customer support teams must navigate heightened emotional demands while maintaining empathetic communication with customers. To cope, teams can create pre-written "emotional snippets" that provide a foundation for responses when emotions run high, helping to maintain tone and authenticity. By focusing on what they can offer rather than what they can't, teams can shift the conversation from limitations to solutions, and by sharing positive feedback and celebrating wins, they can boost morale and confidence during challenging periods. Effective communication among team members is also crucial, utilizing distributed snippets and dedicated channels for crisis response to ensure consistency and minimize mixed messages. Ultimately, taking care of oneself and seeking support from colleagues is essential when managing the emotional toll of supporting customers through crises.

The text discusses strategies for intentionally burning out while accomplishing very little. It recommends multitasking constantly, which research shows wastes time and leads to higher levels of stress and frustration. The author suggests designing systems that pull the user away from focus, such as constant notifications, to maximize how little can be accomplished. Never making a plan or having a vague sense of priorities also helps in achieving this goal. Taking breaks without stopping what's being done, engaging in mentally taxing but non-productive tasks, and avoiding exercise are also recommended as effective ways to achieve burnout. Finally, the author advises against reviewing one's accomplishments at the end of the day, as it can lead to self-awareness and a realization that they're not as burnt out as they thought.