Sergey Koshevoy

Running a team has shown me firsthand how the right tools can make all the difference in collaboration and productivity. While Jira with the Planyway plugin that we re developing is obviously close to my heart (and we use it every day!), I'm genuinely curious about what productivity tools you and your team can't live without. I've created a quick poll to gather your insights:) Beyond just the tools, I'm really interested in the productivity challenges you're facing with your teams. Whether it's coordinating across different time zones, keeping everyone aligned on project goals, or managing the balance between meetings and deep work let's talk about it!

Whether you re leading a remote team or organizing in-office projects, these tips will help you manage tasks more effectively, reduce stress, and keep everyone focused. 1. Structure Tasks by Goals and Phases Breaking down projects into phases with clear goals can dramatically improve productivity and morale. By mapping tasks to specific project phases, everyone can see how their work fits into the big picture, creating a sense of ownership and progress. Hack Tip: Kanban-style boards can make it easier for team members to visualize the stages of tasks, helping them understand where each item stands and what needs to happen next. 2. Indicate Priorities Not all tasks are created equal, and prioritizing them is crucial to avoid bottlenecks. Labeling tasks by priority level (e.g., "Urgent," "Important," "Low Priority") helps team members know where to focus first, preventing overwhelm and encouraging steady progress on essential items. 3. Prioritize Transparency with a Shared Project Roadmap A shared roadmap gives everyone a bird s-eye view of the project, helping to manage expectations and track key milestones. When each team member has visibility into what s happening and what s ahead, they re better equipped to coordinate with one another and avoid overlaps. Hack Tip: Planyway is designed with visual transparency in mind, offering an intuitive roadmap that s perfect for keeping your team aligned and informed. 4. Optimize Your Calendar and Schedule Views Integrated scheduling can be transformative for organizing personal and team tasks alike. Choose a tool that lets you view tasks within calendar formats, so that you can anticipate busy days and align your availability with project demands. Hack Tip: set up calendar blocks for high-focus times. Encourage team members to do the same and respect each other s time blocks to maintain productivity. 5. Keep Tabs on Progress with Regular Check-Ins Frequent check-ins keep projects on track and help identify potential blockers early. However, they don t have to be time-consuming. Quick weekly sync-ups or async updates can be just as effective and less disruptive to the team s workflow. Hack Tip: use a combination of short stand-ups and async status updates in tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. This helps you maintain momentum and gives your team the flexibility to check in on their own time. 6. Get Comfortable with Performance Metrics Performance metrics provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your team s workflow. Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your project goals, whether it s task completion time, client satisfaction, or budget adherence. Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to make data-driven improvements. Hack Tip: set up dashboards for visualizing your KPIs. Many project management tools integrate directly with analytics platforms, making it easy to see where things are going well and where there s room for improvement. 7. Conduct Retrospectives to Continuously Improve A regular retrospective session (often at the end of a project phase or sprint) allows your team to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Retrospectives encourage open communication and give everyone a voice in refining processes and workflows. Hack Tip: keep retrospectives concise by focusing on three main questions: What went well? , What didn t go well? , and What can we improve? Documenting these insights allows you to track progress over time. Got any other hacks to share with fellow makers? Drop them in the comments below!

Ever feel like your to-do list has turned into a chaotic mountain of tasks? You re not alone! Prioritizing can be challenging, especially when every task feels equally important. I've listed three of my favorite below. Plus, stick around for a quiz at the end to help you pick the method that suits you best! 1. The Eisenhower Matrix A favorite for many, the Eisenhower Matrix helps you categorize tasks into four quadrants: Urgent and Important: Do these now. Important, but Not Urgent: Schedule these. Urgent, but Not Important: Delegate if possible. Neither Urgent nor Important: Consider dropping these. 2. MoSCoW Prioritization The MoSCoW method focuses on categorizing tasks by priority: Must-haves: Absolutely essential tasks. Should-haves: Important but not critical. Could-haves: Nice to include if time allows. Won't-haves: Skip for now. 3. ABC Analysis This method is great for productivity junkies! Sort tasks into: A: High-priority tasks with the highest impact. B: Medium-priority tasks that need attention but aren t game-changers. C: Low-priority tasks that can wait. Quiz Time! Which Prioritization Method is Right for You? Answer these quick questions: Do you prefer having a visual approach to your tasks? Yes -> Eisenhower Matrix No -> Try MoSCoW Do you have a lot of strict deadlines? Yes -> ABC Analysis No -> MoSCoW Are you juggling between urgent and non-urgent tasks daily? Yes -> Eisenhower Matrix No -> ABC Analysis