Do you really need to spend time typing up what you've scribbled on a phone note during a conversation? No! In this week's episode of Done! - No. 614 - we let an AI read your scribbles, so you don't have to. Here's the note I let the AI interpret. And, here's the result from the AI: Course Schedule: • 09:00 - Start • 10:15 - 10:35 - Break/Coffee • …

It was a good meeting, but did you really discuss everything? In this week’s episode of Done! you will learn about a way to use AI to make your meetings even better. Have you done like me and asked the AI what you missed? How did it go? Did you get ideas for what you can improve? Write to me and tell me about your experiences. Together, we will fin…

Should you really anticipate losses in advance? Isn't it better to do your job and hope for the best? This week’s episode of Done! - No. 612 - is about a method for improving your situation through pessimism. Have you done a premortem exercise like this in any context? How did it go and what was the effect for you? Please write to me and tell me. I…

Have you ever wondered which file is the right one among all in a folder? You won’t have to do that much longer—as long as you’re working in Microsoft 365. In this week's episode of Done! - No. 611 - I share a brand-new feature in OneDrive that I think you should try. Here is where you will find Copilot's "Compare files" function in OneDrive: Have …

Do you ever procrastinate? It may depend on how you value rewards that are far in the future. This week’s episode of Done! - No. 610 - is about a new study whose results can help you stress less close to a deadline. Read the article in Nature about the study mentioned. Give me an example of a good first step to take on a task you have been postponi…

Do you respond to work emails when you are actually off? It certainly can take a toll. In this week's episode of Done! - No. 609 - you will learn what you might face if you communicate about work while you are off - according to an interesting American study. In the episode, I also mention a study by Patrick and Hagtvedt. And, I recommend you to fo…

Do you work more on weekends and evenings than you want to? If so, you need to make your free time more robust. In this week's episode of Done! - No. 608 - you will learn a trick to improve your balance between work and leisure. How do you make sure work doesn't take up too much space? Please write to me and tell me. I'm curious to hear what smart …

You are invited to a meeting but would rather not attend. How can you smoothly escape it? In episode No. 607 of Done!, you will learn three ideas on how to avoid the worst meetings. Here's what Naval Ravikant has to say about meetings, emails and texts. What tricks do you have for declining meetings that you believe would be a waste of time? Write …

Being interrupted at work happens to everyone, but what kind of distractions harm you most? In this week’s episode of Done!, you will learn about a recent study whose results help you suffer less from interruptions. Here, you'll find the study I mention in the episode. How do you prefer to receive help questions from your colleagues? I would love t…

So, you want this autumn to be less stressful than last year’s? But how do you accomplish that? In episode No. 605 of Done!, I share ten possible steps toward a better structure to choose from. Did you take up my challenge and picked one step from the list and did it? What did you decide on? Please tell me! Hearing about what others are improving i…

You are back at work after a well-deserved vacation, feeling relaxed. But how do you get back into the swing of things? In this autumn's first episode of "Done!", I'll share four steps you can take to get the best possible start to the new season! How do you get going when you've been on vacation and feel sluggish? Please write and let me know; all…

An AI that listens to everything you talk about in the meeting. Do you want that? The final episode of this season's Done! is about a way to both get help from an AI with meeting notes and have control over what data you share with it. Have you used Copilot in OneNote for something other than this? Tell me about it in an email. Few things excite me…

OneNote is a great tool for meeting notes, but how do you write them in the best way structure-wise? In this Done! episode No. 602, you will learn how to write the notes quicker and more efficiently. Have you done something different to make taking meeting notes in OneNote easier? Tell me! I am a diligent collector of simplifying structural tips, a…

Getting to another location to attend a meeting takes time, but is that reflected in your calendar? In this week’s episode of Done! - No. 601 - you will learn why you should book travel time in your calendar and how to do it. Do you book travel time in your calendar? If so, how? Please write to me and tell me. Since a reader asked me about this las…

When your colleagues work remotely irregularly, how could you possibly find a time when all of you can meet physically at the office? In the 600th (!) episode of Done!, you will learn two ways to indicate where you and your colleagues plan to work in the future. I assume, however, that there are more clever solutions to this problem, so email me an…

Have you ever tried an idea about how to work smarter, but then you fell off the wagon? Episode No. 599 of Done! is about a trick to get better workways to stick. What tricks do you have for turning new ideas into natural parts of your daily work? Do you do it differently than what I have suggested here? Please write to me and tell me. I am curious…

Have you ever forgotten something you promised in a meeting to do until next meeting? In today’s 598th episode of Done!, you will learn about a habit that will protect you from things you promise during meetings falling through the cracks. What does your post-meeting fork look like? Write to me and let me know. I always welcome tips and examples of…

You want to improve the structure in your work, but where to begin? In this week’s Done! No. 597, I’ll share three things you can start with today. What structure idea do you want to try out when you’ve created some space? Write to me and tell me. Not only is it interesting for me to hear, but I might also be able to give you an extra tip that will…

How should you best use OneNote, Planner, and To-Do? In this week's episode of Done!, I explain what you should use these three popular tools for - and not. Of the mentioned apps, Planner is used the least by the people I help. Therefore, if you do, I’m curious to hear how you use it. Please write to me and tell me. I'm happy to listen. Do you have…

How will you find time to read all the interesting newsletters you receive? In this week's episode of Done!, you'll learn how to use AI to create a podcast from content you don't have time to read. Have you created another text-to-speech solution that helps you in your daily life? Write to me and tell me about it, because I want to get even more id…

How can you avoid getting overwhelmed by all the various communication channels you use? This episode of Done! is about a way to manage communications effectively without burning out. If you have a similar round as mine, how do you concretely work your way through it? Please write to me and describe how you do it. I am interested in hearing what wo…

Why print out something you need to read when you can read it on the screen? Well, there’s a good reason to do that. Today’s episode of Done! - No. 593 - is about a study about the benefits of printing reading material even in this digital day and age. The two studies I mention are: Reading on a smartphone affects sigh generation, brain activity, a…

What can you do structure-wise when some major, life-changing disruption happens? This week’s episode of Done! - No. 592 - is about four rules to hold on to that help you get through tough times more easily. Do you have any other guidelines that you find helpful when faced with a major Event? Please write to me and tell me. I may not see everything…

What if you need to use similar but not the same sets of folders again and again? This week’s episode of Done! - No. 591 - is about an easy trick to create a folder structure quickly. What templates have you created that you have found particularly useful? Please write to me and tell me. Right now, I'm especially interested in simplifying through r…

When you document all the decisions you make while collaborating through email, chat and meetings, how do you make sure every colleague notices what you agreed on in a random quick phone call? Today's episode of Done! - No. 590 - is about what you can do to avoid a certain kind of misunderstanding that might result in conflict. Have you solved this…

How can you quickly get into "focus mode" when you have important tasks to get done? Done! episode No. 589 is about a Windows app that recently got a new feature for easier concentration. Have you tried the Clock app? If so, what do you think about it? Have you found a way to use it that works particularly well for you? Please write to me and let m…

You want to find emails you look for immediately. But how? This week's episode of Done! is about an email app feature that far too few use. Do you use the "saved search" feature for your emails? What type of emails do you use it for? Please let me know, as I want to get inspiration for refining my own structure even more! Here's how to set reasonab…

Have you missed something important in a fast-paced chat flow? This week’s episode of Done! - No. 587 - is about the three kinds of chat messages that you need to look out for when the chat is hectic. How do you balance having free, lively chats and more formalized channels with the same people? How do you keep them separate? And how do you handle …

Do you have tasks that you tend to postpone more than others? This week’s episode of Done! - No. 586 - is about a trick that will help you get going on those tasks by turning a weakness into a beneficial strength. Do you have a completely different way of getting slow tasks done? Please let me know! Your email is warmly welcomed. As you know, I am …

Do you really have to use a timer to keep track of time when you do your ”Pomodoros”? Today’s episode of Done! - No. 585 - is about an unconventional way to remind yourself to take breaks regularly. What Pomodoro playlist do you use? Do you even have one on Spotify? Email me a link, and I'll try it out, too. Maybe I'll discover new concentration mu…

Do you think of work when you are free - even if you don’t want to? This week, episode No. 584 of Done! is about how to feel more free when you actually are free. What tricks do you have for delivering just enough? Please write to me and tell me. We ambitious people often fall into this trap, and every trick that helps us avoid it is very welcome. …

If you have promised to meet someone at a particular hour and then mistakenly book another meeting at the very same hour, you know how uncomfortable that is. In today's episode of Done! - No. 583 - you will learn a trick that helps you avoid having to experience that again. How do you make sure you find everything you talked to someone about on a p…

How can you copy a paragraph from paper and turn it into editable text on your computer without typing it manually? In episode No. 582 of Done!, I share two easily accessible apps that are both excellent at OCR. Do you use any other OCR app that works fantastically well? Please write to me and let me know! Check out my guide on how to handle an ove…

Welcome to a new year and the first episode of Done! for the season (and the 581:st since the start)! Today, Done! is about a new feature in Outlook that I think everyone should try. In the episode, I mention that you can create your own meeting time poll in Google Forms and Doodle. And, of course, the scheduling poll feature in Outlook that the ep…

How do you make the most of your meetings? This year’s last episode of Done! is about a way to make your meetings more productive. Where do you usually place the most critical points of the meeting in the agenda and why? Tell me. I’m all ears! Want to know how to get rid of small tasks you tend to put off? These episodes are also available as a wee…

When you lack motivation and you feel somewhat slow - what can you do? This week’s episode of Done! - No. 579 - is about something seemingly trivial but valuable that will do the trick. How do you keep (or raise) your mood when you feel so unmotivated that the job is slow? Please write to me at david@stiernholm.com and tell me. Hearing about your e…

A strict structure - doesn't that stop you from being creative? On the contrary. This week's episode of Done! is about how structure can actually free up your creativity. What in your structure helps you be creative the most? Please write to me and let me know. I'm interested in these aspects too of how we work as smoothly as possible, so I look fo…

Should you read emails in batches now and then or instead individually, as you receive them? In this week's episode of Done! - No. 577 - you will learn exciting findings from a recent study that will guide you. What approach have you found to email handling that fits you? Please write to me and let me know. When it's time to read emails next time, …

Now, more than in a long time, you can avoid the time-consuming trivialities of work. This week's episode of Done! - No. 576 - is about a question you can ask yourself often to make the most of the current AI development. What do you use AI for most right now? Tell me! I want to find more things I can use this fascinating technology for, so I welco…

Are you sure that your home office setup is optimal? Today’s episode of Done! - No. 575 - is about a Japanese study that gives us ideas about how to work more efficiently from home. What home work solution are you particularly satisfied with? Tell me about it! I'm curious! As I mention in the beginning of the episode, by formulating the deadline in…

Have you ever wasted time looking for a file you thought you had? This episode of Done! - No. 574 - is about an often forgotten function that will prevent that from happening again. Have you used these shortcuts in a creative way that you are delighted with? Then write to me and tell me. As you know, I'm always looking for new, intelligent tricks, …

Have you sent an email, expecting a response and then been met by silence? I definitely have. This week’s episode of Done! is about how to make sure you get the responses you need. Do you have any other way of tracking if you get replies to emails you have sent? Write to me and let me know. You don't have to flag the email you sent to me, put it in…

Have you regretted that you a long time ago said yes to attend something you realize is tomorrow? In this week’s episode of Done! - No. 572 - you will learn how to avoid the ”Free time” trap. How do you say yes to the right meetings far in advance? Do you have any tricks or mindsets that work well for you? Write to me and tell me. I meet many peopl…

Do you spend too much time looking for documents and files? You want to find them right away - of course! This week’s episode of Done! - the 571:st - is about how you can better organize your documents. What are your tricks to save digital documents in the simplest way? Write to me and tell me. This is a problem that I too need to have good structu…

If you listen to music - does that influence the outcome of your work? Episode No. 570 of Done! is about the benefit of listening to music while working. Here's the study I mention. What works best for you when it comes to listening to music while working? Is there something that helps you or do you prefer complete silence? Write to me and let me k…

When your responsibilities are vast and you have many areas where you are pushing the work forward, something may fall through the cracks. This 169th episode of Done! is about looking back so as not to miss anything important. How do you look back at regular intervals to make sure you don't miss anything? Please write to me and let me know. Having …

If you get ”too much” or ”too many” of something, that is a sign that your structure at work is beginning to fail. In Done! episode No. 568, you will learn how to put a stop to the negative trend early. What have you taken hold of and slowed down when it comes to your structure before it became too much? How did you dam? Please tell me. All ideas o…

Don’t have time for improving your workways? Think again. Episode No. 567 of Done! is about why you would miss out on valuable recovery if you put off refining your work. What changes do you make as a job crafting today? Write to me and tell me. I always want to get new ideas on things I can refine in my work, so I welcome your tip warmly. Do you k…

What if you work in Microsoft Teams and the constant notifications distract you - all the time? Then, you are in good company of many I meet. In this the 566th edition of Done!, I share my recommended settings for the notifications in Teams. Have I forgotten any setting in Teams that you think I should have included? Write to me and let me know. I'…

How can you figure out what goals to set for your work, so you can prioritize more deliberately? In this episode of Done!, No. 565, I share three clues to the right goals for you. Do you have any other clues to finding your goals? Please write to me and tell me. I always want to get tips on how I and many others can refine the way we work so that o…