Done!

If you feel overwhelmed from time to time by the sheer amount of emails received in your inbox, this week's edition is for you. In this 542nd episode of  Done! , I share a trick that helps you get through your inbox quicker. What are your tricks for dealing more quickly with all the emails you receive? Drop me an email and let me know. Although more and more communication is moving to chat, many p...

The purpose of time management, is it to just get more things done in shorter time and get increasingly efficient? No, of course not. In this episode, the 541:st, I share findings from an interesting study that points to other, even more valuable, benefits from managing your time well.  What will you choose to refine in the near future? Please tell me, because I may want to make an effort in that...

To recover and get the well deserved rest when you are free, you need to mentally disconnect from work, according to a study by Bennett and Field. In this last episode for 2022, the 540th, I share four practical ways to do just that. What are your tricks for disconnecting from work easily when you are off? Let me know. Write to me , because I want more tips on just that (as well as on many other t...

When questions, problems, ideas, suggestions, errors, and the like arise, they need to be dealt with by the right person. But who to ask?   In this episode, the 539th, I share a tool that helps you more easily delegate an issue to the right colleague. How have you made it easy to know who to pass the ball to when you receive things or issues that don't concern your area of responsibility? Write to...

Microsoft OneNote is an excellent tool for writing and keeping notes, if you ask me. But, I do not think you should use it for your to-do list.  In this episode, the 538th, I share why - and I give you two suggestions for tools you could try out instead. Don't agree with me that OneNote is not a good place for to-do lists? Have you found features that solve the hassle that I haven't? Let me know !...

When setting up a folder structure for your digital documents you need to find an order that suits you and your organization. In this episode, the 537th, I share what to consider when choosing what order to implement. How have you achieved a folder structure that works well? Write to me and tell me . This aspect of structure is something many people struggle with and I am curious about what you ha...

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 h...

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....

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 reg...

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 unav...

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 t...

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...

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 s...

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 i...

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...

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...

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...

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'...

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 you...

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 abo...

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, s...

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 v...

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 ter...

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...

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...