Done!

When you work at the office, you might have agreed with your colleagues that you use the chat app's status indicator to show each other whether you are available or not. But, how do you signal to your family members while working from home that you need to work uninterrupted at the moment?  There is now an app for that - and I will tell you about it in this 536th episode. Did you try the app and how did it suit you? If you came up with a different signal, what was it? Write to me and tell me, because I collect clever tricks, as you know. However, I don't just keep them for myself, but love sharing them freely with those who are interested since the more of us who work in a structured way, the easier and better all our lives will be. Here are five ways to sort your digital folders: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/video-five-ways-to-sort-things These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Sometimes and some days, you do not find the time for completing all the tasks on today's list. Then, some tasks have to go.  In this episode, the 535th, let us talk about what tasks you can skip on stressful days.  Have you done something else to prioritize fairly quickly in stressful situations? Write to me and let me know. Anything that makes our working lives easier is of great interest to me. That's why I'm curious to hear what you'd like to share.  I mentioned the word "Spuddle" in the beginning of the episode. Do you have a productivity related favorite word? Tell me! These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

How quickly do you have to respond to emails, chat messages and other communication? Well, it depends. In this episode, the 534th, I share what you can do to make your workdays less fragmented.  What "channel frequencies" did you agree on? Write to me and let me know. This question interests me right now, so I'm curious to hear what you and your colleagues came up with.  Here is how to escape regretting a "yes!": https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/video-escape-regretting-a-yes These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

We cannot be available everywhere all the time. Sometimes, we all need to work focused without interruptions. This will paradoxically be more easily done if you make yourself reachable - not through all channels, but one specific.  In this episode, the 533rd, I share what you gain by choosing what channel you use for emergencies. Do you have any other way to resolve the conflict between being unavailable and needing to be semi-reachable? Write to me and let me know. As the influx and inflow of messages increase in number, more of us are feeling the challenge of maintaining calm in our increasingly stressful work lives. That's why I'm curious to hear about your best trick.  Sometimes at work, you need to say no. It can be hard - at least in the moment. But, it will be easier if you create templates for doing so. These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.  

When your workday consists of meetings back to back, the tasks you manage to get done in between might only be the quick things that not necessarily have the highest priority. Then, the really important tasks will have to wait until later. In this episode, the 532th, though, I help you make better use of the brief moments you have between meetings. Do you have other tricks for making the most of the short time between meetings? Write to me and let me know. I am certainly one of those who want to make the most of my working time, so I am curious to see what you would like to share. And, as I mentioned in the beginning of the episode, I wrote about thirteen ways to clean up when you are short of time. These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Have you ever put up a sticky note where you see it in order to not miss something, but end up seeing it so much that you after a while do not see it (and still miss the thing that was written on the note)? This is similar to what happens when you work continously on a task without taking breaks. In this episode, the 531st, I share why you should refrain from that and what you can do instead. How often does it suit you to take a short break if you do not get one automatically? Write to me and let me know. I am one of those who find it easy to get lost in a task for a long time, so I am curious to hear what works for you. And, here's how to search better in Outlook: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/how-to-search-better-in-outlook These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Some people tend to mark an email as unread after they have read it a first time, since they want to remember to get back to it and do something later. The 530th episode of Done! is about why that is something to avoid. How have you managed to keep your to-do list complete - despite new things coming in through many different channels? Write to me and tell me. I am curious to hear what you will share. Here is how I view structure in relation to creativity: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/structure-and-creativity-are-they-friends-or-foes These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

When you finally have time to do that thing that you have postponed a while longer than you wish, it is understandable that you want to get started immediately. But, today's Done! No. 529, is about a situation when it is actually wise to slow down and not act so quickly. Do you usually do something special before having a go at a task that has been on the to-do list for a long time? Do you check it against something or check in with someone? Tell me what and how! I am very curious to know how you make sure you are only doing what is actually relevant, important, and valuable. As mentioned, these episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), try it out!

Here is Done! No. 528. Today, I share a way for you to make sure that you spend your time at work wisely. If you log your time, what have you found or realized that you have not seen before? Write to me and let me know. Maybe you will give me an idea of something I should also look for that might help me. In the beginning of the episode, I mention this blogpost about how to update your to-do list: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/sift-out-wash-out And, here is Toggl Track: https://toggl.com/track/ These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Sometimes, we regret having accepted to do something a long time ago that we now, when the time is here, definitely would not prioritize. In Done! No. 527, I share a simple trick for saying "Yes!" only to the right tasks. What are your tricks for not saying yes to too much and sometimes the wrong things? Write to me and let me know. I love to hear about simple tricks like this, so I am curious to hear how you do it. Here is how to send tasks from OneNote to To-Do in two different ways: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/how-to-send-tasks-from-onenote-to-microsoft-to-do These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

We all need to declutter our workspace from time to time. But, did you know that good structure can actually ease your cleaning burden?  In this episode, the 526th, I show you how. What are your tricks for avoiding clutter? Maybe you have a method or a rule of thumb you would like to share with me? If so, write to me and let me know. I'm curious to hear from you! In the beginning of the episode, I mention a trick I learned from a lean consultant. Here, you will find that: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/one-two-three-then-no-more-excuses These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Even the best to-do list app might not support exactly the "thought model" you use for your structure. For instance, what if the app only lets you create groups containing projects consisting of tasks, but you want to divide the projects in sub projects before defining the tasks? In this episode, the 525th, I share an easy workaround that lets you work how you wish, even if the app actually doesn't support it.  What emergency solution or MacGyver-like trick have you come up with that you would like to share with me? Tell me! Also, as I mentioned in the beginning of the episode: please share with me how you handle travel time to meetings in your calendar. Here is a post on the Structure Blog where I elaborate: https://www.stiernholm.com/en/blog/how-do-you-book-travel-time-to-meetings These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Knowing that you should get enough sleep is one thing. Actually going to bed when you ought to is something else. What if you struggle getting the hours of good sleep you need?  In this episode, the 524th, I share how to use the built-in functions of your smartphone to sleep better. How have you used apps to help you get the sleep you need? Write to me at david@stiernholm.com and tell me about your best trick. I'm all ears. These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

Welcome to the autumn season and a new edition of Done! - the 523:rd counting from the start! I hope you have had a beautiful summer (in the northern hemisphere, that is), as I have. Apart from emptying my sold parental home, I got quite a few hot days lying flat on an islet in the sea close to home and even a nice trip to and around New England (we loved it!).  This week's edition is actually about mistakes and why it might be wise to collect them. What was the most recent structure mistake you made? I told you about mine. If you’d be willing to share yours, I am all ears. Done! is also available as a newsletter to your email. If you prefer to read rather than listen (or both!), subscribe to the weekly email for free.  

Sometimes there are just too many meetings. And, one have to ask: do you really need to attend them all? In this last episode for this season, the 522nd, I share a question that will help you decide.  How do you make sure you only participate in meaningful meetings? Write to me and let me know. Having many meetings and having meetings often seems to be something many have to deal with nowadays, so I am very curious to hear your ideas. These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

About six months ago or so (in Done! No. 500, to be specific), I addressed the issue of remembering to read, respond to, or in some other way acknowledge messages you and I receive in an increasing number of channels. I am referring to chat messages, direct messages, Linkedin messages, messages on other social media platforms, SMS, and of course also emails. The trick I described then that works very well for me is to do a metaphorical “doctor’s round” which you take every morning and during which you browse through all the different channels and deal with any new messages you have received. But what if you have a few channels that need to be attended to more often than once a day? In this episode, the 521:st, I share how to set up recurring tasks in your to-do list to remember to check these channels at the right interval effortlessly.  Have you solved this nuisance in some other way? If so, tell me how. As you might have guessed by now, I am always curious to hear about new solutions and tricks. Towards th

Microsoft Lists is a fairly new addition to the Microsoft 365 family, but for what can you use it? In this episode, the 520, I share four suitable uses for Microsoft Lists. Are you already using Lists? If so, tell me what you use it for. I am very curious to hear what use you have put it to, so write me a few lines, please. Here is how to search better in Outlook (and my three favorite search terms!). These episodes are also available as a weekly newsletter to your email. If you rather read than listen (or both!), sign up for a free subscription.

The less you get distracted, the better the virtual meeting is. But, in a digital setting, the possible distractions are plentiful.  In this episode, the 519th, I cover a common distraction in digital meetings that you might not have thought but that is really easy to get rid of. What else distracts you in digital meetings and what have you done to prevent yourself from getting distracted? If you have nifty solutions or tips, feel free to share them with me. In these digital times all ideas and solutions could be useful to others with the same problem. As promised in beginning of this episode, here is the video about how I cured my time optimism.

When you are overwhelmed with work and things to do outside of work, a useful trick to feel less stressed (and thereby more productive) is to hide all things that might distract you.  But what things? In this episode, the 518th, I walk through a rather extensive handful of things to hide in these stressful situations.  How do you handle having too much to do and/or feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that needs to be done? What is your trick to getting things done and remaining focused? Write to me and share your tip. I am all ears.  Done! is also available as a newsletter to your email. If you prefer to read rather than listen (or both!), subscribe to the weekly email for free.

Naming files and documents in a good way is quite an art. A common mistake many people make is to name files and documents in a far too impractical way when they want to save different versions of the same document. In this episode, the 517th, I share how do it clearly and efficiently instead. How have you decided to name versions of files at your company? Write to me and share your method or syntax. As always, you'll reach me by emailing david@stiernholm.com and I'm very curious to hear how you've solved this seemingly small but very annoying problem.  Done! is also available as a newsletter to your email. If you prefer to read rather than listen (or both!), subscribe to the weekly email for free.