The hottest Productivity Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Life is sales…and (nearly) no one teaches it

Grant & Co • 0 implied HN points • 22 Nov 22
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Sales is an essential skill in various aspects of life and isn't taught widely, including in areas like fundraising, hiring, and even dating.
  2. Asking questions is crucial in sales as it helps understand the client's needs, control the conversation, and show genuine interest in solving their problems.
  3. Managing one's own psychology is key in sales to deal with fluctuating success levels, maintain motivation, and implement self-care activities to stay productive.

Boosting Data Visualization Productivity With ChatGPT, Python & Streamlit

Data at Depth • 0 implied HN points • 03 May 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Using ChatGPT and Python with Streamlit can help beginners create data visualization applications easily.
  2. Even without experience, individuals can leverage ChatGPT to generate Python code for creating maps and charts.
  3. Consider trying the 7-day free trial to access more content on boosting data visualization productivity with ChatGPT, Python, and Streamlit.

RDEL #36: What are the most common conversations developers have with ChatGPT?

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. The most common conversations developers have with ChatGPT include code generation, conceptual questions, how-to guides, issue resolution, and code review.
  2. Developers often engage in multi-turn conversations with ChatGPT to refine or expand upon its responses.
  3. Sharing ChatGPT conversations with teammates can aid in knowledge transfer, clarification in code reviews, and issue discussions.
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RDEL #32: Do return-to-office (RTO) mandates lead to better performance?

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Reducing flexibility by mandating a return to the office decreases employee satisfaction, work-life balance, and culture.
  2. Just being in the office every day does not necessarily lead to improved firm performance.
  3. Enforcing return-to-office mandates should consider factors beyond just performance, as decisions involve balancing WFH flexibility with in-office collaboration and culture.

RDEL #23: The most popular posts of 2023.

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 18 Dec 23
💼 Business Productivity
  1. The best managers create a positive work environment, foster autonomy, and help their team grow in the eyes of engineers.
  2. While better documentation improves team performance, it can contribute to burnout for underrepresented team members.
  3. There is a gender disparity in the code review process, particularly when reviews are manually assigned. Gender biases can also be present in review suggestion tools.

RDEL #11: What is the relationship between self-reported productivity and system-measured productivity?

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Combining self-reported data with system-measured data provides a more complete picture of productivity in software engineering.
  2. Long coding stretches can positively impact a developer's perception of productivity.
  3. Sharing productivity data with the team can empower engineers and improve overall productivity.

RDEL #6: Software Engineering Productivity: How do you measure it? (Part II)

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. There is no single measure of productivity in software engineering; a combination of different metrics across satisfaction, performance, activity, communication/collaboration, and efficiency/flow are crucial.
  2. The SPACE framework, introduced by researchers at Microsoft in 2021, is a popular and effective way to measure developer productivity, focusing on dimensions like satisfaction, performance, activity, communication/collaboration, and efficiency/flow.
  3. When implementing the SPACE framework, start with a clear goal, choose metrics that cover diverse categories, include both system and perception metrics, conduct regular developer surveys, and engage the team to make productivity measurement a collective effort.

RDEL #5: Software Engineering Productivity: How do you define it? (Part I)

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 14 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Software engineering productivity is challenging to define due to the complexity of human input in the software development process.
  2. Productivity in software engineering involves a balance of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality.
  3. Measuring a team's productivity requires evaluating both the efficiency of input and the effectiveness (including quality) of output.

RDEL #4: What’s harder about remotely onboarding engineers?

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Remote onboarding of engineers faces challenges in communication, collaboration, team connections, finding documentation, technical issues, and equipment permissions.
  2. New hires benefit from short remote communication sessions of less than 30 minutes, with 43.4% preferring sessions under 15 minutes for effectiveness.
  3. Efforts to improve remote onboarding should focus on assigning onboarding buddies, building team connections, and streamlining the process to enhance new engineer productivity.

What to expect from this newsletter

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
💼 Business Productivity
  1. The newsletter focuses on a single topic in engineering leadership every Monday, covering a range of areas like engineer effectiveness, onboarding, leadership, communication, and collaboration.
  2. The content is research-backed, summarizing recent research studies that are applied to engineering teams to provide actionable tips for improvement.
  3. Readers can expect direct application of the research discussed in the newsletter to help make their engineering teams better.

Cool Power Platform Weekly Links #1

Power Platform News • 0 implied HN points • 23 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. New and interesting resources related to Power Platform are shared weekly in this newsletter.
  2. The newsletter highlights topics like Power Platform deployment, licensing, SharePoint Lists new features, Power Platform demos, and the Modern Collaboration Framework.
  3. Readers can look forward to a new issue of this newsletter every week.

Tối ưu

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 24 Nov 13
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity
  1. Be selective in what you read and think about, avoid being passive in accepting information.
  2. Limit distractions like constant email checking to improve focus and quality of life.
  3. Prioritize important and interesting activities over constantly consuming the latest news or engaging in endless online debates.

Top 5 Kanban Tools to Streamline Your Workflow

Weekend Developer • 0 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Using a physical wall with sticky notes can be a simple and effective way to create a Kanban board for task management.
  2. Draw.io is a versatile tool that includes a Kanban template and can help in creating flowcharts and diagrams.
  3. Trello and Jira are among the top Kanban tools, with Trello being simple and suitable for personal projects, while Jira is commonly used in organizations and offers a free version for small teams.

Time, Society & Artificial Intelligence

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. AI impacts how we perceive time and society, influencing economics, politics, and self-perception.
  2. Historically, technology accelerates our lives and work, creating a time deficit and longer to-do lists.
  3. AI could compound our opportunities but also create tension, with potential benefits in managing time and stress levels if used thoughtfully.

We suck at meetings

realkinetic • 0 implied HN points • 10 Nov 20
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Meetings are often poorly run and not very productive, even though they are important for collaboration and decision-making.
  2. There is a lack of structured approach to meetings and they can be a significant expense for businesses, despite not being taught formally in schools.
  3. Assigning different roles in meetings can help improve their effectiveness, but many struggle to extract and deliver value in meetings due to their scattered nature.

Psychological Safety Provides Transparency and Productivity

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 0 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Transparency and openness are important values, but they alone may not encourage team members to communicate openly during tough situations.
  2. Hesitation and playing it safe can lead to a psychologically unsafe environment, impacting team dynamics negatively.
  3. The overall environment is crucial, as it consistently influences team behavior more than individual willpower.

The Feeling of Wasting Time 🤬

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 0 implied HN points • 03 Jun 23
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Observing a team can lead to temptation to micromanage, especially when tasks become more complex than anticipated.
  2. Sometimes what seems like a simple task on Monday can turn into a major unexpected challenge by the end of the week.
  3. Maintaining productivity and team well-being can be a balancing act, requiring careful management to avoid wasted time and energy.

Novelty wanes. Then what?

Trying In Public • 0 implied HN points • 23 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity
  1. Tasks become engaging when they're interesting, challenging, or urgent.
  2. Intrinsic motivation, driven by enjoyment of the activity itself, is crucial for sustaining engagement with tasks.
  3. Plan for the inevitable decrease in novelty by embracing new interests and curiosities regularly.

Growth is a cycle

Trying In Public • 0 implied HN points • 02 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity
  1. Growth is a cycle, leading many to feel like they're back where they started, but each cycle brings lessons from the journey taken before.
  2. Spring is a time for reflection and new beginnings, where we plant seeds for what we want to grow, and each creative cycle brings clearer focus and self-awareness.
  3. Every experience, like participating in Big Paper Planning Day, offers opportunities to learn more about ourselves, gather data, and make more confident decisions in the grand experiment of our lives.

Exercising my puny process muscle

Tribal Knowledge • 0 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Process management is crucial, even though it might feel burdensome at times.
  2. Understanding that process is about people and clear communication is essential for successful collaboration.
  3. Improving involves getting organized, documenting important information, and embracing the necessary maintenance tasks, even if they seem tedious.

Black Box Programming

Tribal Knowledge • 0 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. When programming, focus on zooming in rather than zooming out to improve productivity and solve problems efficiently.
  2. Treat certain parts of your work as 'black boxes' where you focus solely on inputs and outputs, allowing you to tackle complex tasks one step at a time.
  3. Address unknowns in your project by compartmentalizing them as black boxes, enabling you to focus on what you do know and make progress without feeling overwhelmed.

Your Estimates Are Wrong

Tribal Knowledge • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Estimation is a significant part of a software engineer's job, even though it might not always be explicitly stated in job descriptions.
  2. Uninformed estimates can lead to significant issues, such as underestimating the time needed due to lack of understanding or unforeseen challenges.
  3. Setting deadlines through estimates can promote productivity but may sometimes result in rushed work and a compromise on quality.

Friday Thread #03: Running Meetings People Love

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jun 24
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Use Decision Agendas to make sure your meetings stay on track and get everything done. This helps keep everyone focused.
  2. Parking Lots are great for managing people who tend to ramble. You can set aside their topics for later, so meetings stay efficient.
  3. Try using Offline Context instead of endless PowerPoint slides to keep people engaged. This can save time and make the meeting more productive.

Friday Thread #02: AI Use Cases

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. AI can make real improvements in our work and daily lives. It's not just about the hype, but about using it practically.
  2. Most people find ChatGPT to be very useful for their tasks, but there are other AI tools out there that are gaining popularity.
  3. It's helpful to share and discuss our best AI use cases, as this can lead to discovering new and effective ways to use this technology.

How to find time to move your strategy forward

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 0 implied HN points • 14 May 24
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Strategic thinking is often hard to achieve because many workplaces are busy with constant meetings and emails. This chaotic environment makes it tough for leaders to focus on big-picture ideas.
  2. Switching between tasks is fine for small work, but it hurts strategic thinking. Leaders should find ways to limit distractions when tackling important strategies.
  3. To regain control over their time, leaders can try setting office hours, blocking specific times for appointments, reducing their priorities, and changing where they do their strategic work.

Deciding What to Work On

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
💼 Business Productivity
  1. The Eisenhower Matrix helps prioritize tasks by looking at both urgency and importance. This way, you'll focus on what really matters instead of just what's urgent right now.
  2. Tasks fall into four categories: do it now if it's both urgent and important, schedule it later if it's important but not urgent, delegate if it's urgent but not important, and delete it if it's neither.
  3. Using this system can help you manage your time better and make sure that you work on tasks that have the most impact. Consistent practice will make it easier to decide what to work on.

Spoons

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity
  1. We often think we don't have time, but it's really about not having enough energy or motivation to do things. It's easy to binge-watch shows instead of tackling things we care about.
  2. Keeping track of how we spend our time can help us realize where we might make changes. By logging our activities, we can identify where we're losing time and adjust our priorities.
  3. Establishing routines and saying no to unnecessary commitments can free up our time and energy. Setting specific goals also helps us stay focused on what we truly want to accomplish.

4 GOLDEN RULES for Effective Meeting

Better Engineers • 0 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
💼 Business Productivity
  1. For effective meetings, keep the group small enough that two pizzas can feed everyone. This helps everyone communicate better.
  2. Always have an empty chair in meetings to represent the customer. It reminds everyone that the focus should be on improving the customer experience.
  3. Use detailed memos instead of PowerPoint presentations to share information. This ensures everyone has all the necessary context upfront.

8 Essential Time Management Skills

Better Engineers • 0 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🚌 Education Productivity
  1. Knowing how to manage your time helps you meet deadlines and reduce stress. You can also balance your work and personal life better.
  2. Using techniques like the Pomodoro method or the 2-Minute Rule can boost productivity. These methods help you stay focused and finish small tasks quickly.
  3. Organizing tasks with methods like the Eisenhower Matrix or Task Batching lets you prioritize what's important. This helps in managing your workload more effectively.

7 Signs of Demotivated Team Members

Better Engineers • 0 implied HN points • 31 Jul 23
💼 Business Productivity
  1. Demotivated team members often show a lack of enthusiasm, making them seem uninterested in their work.
  2. When team members are disengaged, their productivity drops and they might miss deadlines.
  3. Signs like negative attitudes and absenteeism can indicate that team morale is low and needs to be addressed.

10 Habits - That Can Change Your Life

Better Engineers • 0 implied HN points • 04 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity
  1. Set clear goals to help you stay focused and achieve what you want. Breaking big goals into smaller steps makes them easier to tackle.
  2. Manage your time wisely by prioritizing important tasks. This helps you get more done and makes the best use of your available time.
  3. Stay curious and keep learning new things. Personal growth is important, and it helps you adapt to changes and challenges in life.

Morning / Routine

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 06 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity
  1. A morning routine can start off helpful but may become overwhelming if you add too many activities. It's important to keep it simple so it remains effective.
  2. The main goal of a morning routine is to help you start your day quickly and focus on what's most important to you. For some, that could be meditating or writing.
  3. Having a structured schedule, like B.F. Skinner’s strict routine, can actually give you more freedom and productivity. Finding the right balance between structure and flexibility is key.

Deadline and Redline

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 23 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. Friendship and support can really help during stressful times. When you lose something important like your laptop, it's great to have friends who can lend a hand.
  2. Working relationships matter, and they can help boost productivity. Sometimes informal chats during meetings can lead to faster approvals and better understanding.
  3. It's okay to have tough days, but focusing on the positives can shift your mindset. Embracing nature and good company after a weary week can really uplift your spirits.

Complete AI Productivity Suite

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 0 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Productivity
  1. A complete AI productivity suite includes various components that help manage large language models and their application, but it won't focus deeply on just one area.
  2. There are different frameworks like Ops Centric, Hub Centric, and Data Centric, each focusing on different aspects of AI operations and workflows.
  3. Data centric solutions help in discovering and organizing data effectively to improve AI performance, which is an important part of the overall suite.