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We have all attended meetings that go off topic or over the established meeting time. Worse, we’ve all been in meetings that weren’t needed. 

Sitting through those can be a painful reminder of how meetings often develop a reputation for being a waste of time

Meetings can be a great way to collaborate, brainstorm and get together with team members, clients or external partners. However, when they waste time or don’t accomplish their goals, they can be a drain on your team’s valuable resources.

Why do we need meeting agendas?

Meeting agendas provide structure to your conversation and ensure you stick to the allotted time and don’t go off-topic. An agenda helps think critically about what will be discussed and focus on the problems and conversations that need to be tackled. 

If you find yourself without much to include in a meeting’s agenda, it’s typically best to cancel. Sharing an agenda with team members in advance helps keep everyone on the same page and enables participants to prepare for the chat in their own time. 

In addition to other useful things to include, like check-in questions for meetings, agendas help you make the most of the time you’ve set aside. Whether your meeting is virtual, hybrid, or in person, agendas provide a framework that helps keep your meetings on track.Let’s take a closer look at three meeting agenda examples.

One-on-one meeting templates

Depending on the goal of your meeting, the structure of your meeting agenda will change. For one-on-one meetings—such as an employee review, for example—your agenda doesn’t have to be exhaustive. 

Outline a few simple points that you want to cover and share it with the other participant. For a review, a meeting agenda sample template might include topics like performance, key metrics, and future career goals.

Team meeting agenda template

For team meeting agendas, be thoughtful about the document format and the use of your team’s time. For example, if multiple stakeholders are involved, reach out to them in advance to determine if there is anything they need your support on or want discussed at the meeting. 

While your team is likely familiar with projects’ progress, your external partners won’t be as up-to-date. Include project details in these meeting agendas so everyone can prepare in advance. 

Don’t overshare, but adding as much information as possible ahead of time is helpful. That way, meeting attendees can be ready for the discussion and come prepared to answer your questions, or ask questions of their own.

Town Halls and all-hands meeting agenda format

Meeting agendas can also be incredibly valuable as a resource for large all-hands style meetings.

For example, quarterly town hall meetings are a good opportunity to level-set with your company, department, or team. You will have the chance to share important information about events, changes, and answer questions. 

A structured meeting agenda for a town hall ensures that essential topics are discussed and let everyone know what you plan on talking about during the meeting. 

Agendas also give insight on how time will be used, workers may look forward to a Q&A section at the end of these types of meetings.

To optimize meeting time, your agenda can include a link where workers can submit questions ahead of time. That way, managers can ensure that relevant questions are selected and answered with supporting documentation, research or insights.

Know what you need

Figuring out how to write a meeting agenda can be tricky. Be clear about your objectives and goals and communicate them effectively. Ask yourself: What do I need to get out of the meeting?

Once you keep your goals in mind, you’ll be able to structure the meeting around achieving them. You can also review meeting agenda samples online or check out meeting agenda examples from colleagues and mentors to get an understanding of what a good meeting agenda template looks like.

When you are building out your agenda, consider the best meeting agenda format. Some helpful things to include are:

• Action items. These represent outstanding tasks that need to be completed or issues that need to be resolved. They may be addressed in the meeting but you can also assign action items to a team member. That team member will complete the action item before the next meeting or a separate deadline. Larger action items may take longer, so the team member can provide updates at future meetings. 
• Informational updates. This component of agendas is intended to share information with the team. Alternatively, you may ask an attendee to give an update or offer information about something they are responsible for, providing an opportunity to level set with the team. 
• Discussion topics are topics that need to be talked about at the meeting. This can be to get a better understanding or to work through a complex problem.
• ‍Relevant files: Attach documents to a note or use a cloud storage provider to directly link information relevant to the meeting.

If you don’t have many items that need resolution or if you’re still waiting on more information, cancel the meeting and reschedule it when you are prepared. 

The format of meeting agendas forces you to think critically about how time is used during meetings. As a result you’ll know when a meeting isn’t needed. 

This will free up time for everyone involved, so they don’t need to sit through a pointless meeting. The saying, “This could have been an email” is so popular for a reason. You can often share information through other communication channels if it doesn’t merit a meeting.

Updating the agenda after your meeting

Bring your documentation to the next level by updating your agenda after the meeting. A summary of the conversation helps you highlight what was discussed and any action items or new ideas that resulted from the conversation. 

Discussion summaries with action items attached to a meeting are widely known as “meeting minutes”. 

Meeting minutes serve as an official record of what was discussed, the decisions made, and the actions to be taken. Effective minutes ensure everyone is on the same page and can serve as a reference point for future discussions.

There are different ways of writing meeting minutes, from excel to word and PDF templates that can be manually filled out. We’ve found that AI meeting minute generators are arguably the most effective way to quickly write up in-depth minutes of a meeting. 

How should you write and attach meeting minutes to your agenda? We’ll share a quick process you can implement today to start getting more out of your meetings. 

Writing effective meeting minutes with the help of AI

Writing meeting minutes can nowadays be done within a few minutes with dedicated apps. AI tool Bash has a dedicated meeting minute writer that enables you to record, transcribe and summarize meetings, all in one place. Try out the dedicated workflow.

1. Record your meeting: You can record directly from within the Bash app or upload the meeting audio or MP4 file to Bash. You can also take Bash on the go with iOS or Google Play apps and record in-person meetings and discussions. 
2. Turn the audio into a transcript: We automatically transcribe your conversation
3. Apply the simple meeting minutes template: Select “Meeting Minutes” from the template gallery
4. Adjust the output: Select the tone, audience, persona and even the output language for your simple minutes. 
5. Manually finetune: Once Bash generates your minutes you can make changes with the in-app editor. There is also a Q&A chat that has access to your meeting transcript in case you want to ask more in-depth questions. 
6. Share with others: Directly share the topic with others so they can ask AI questions, access the transcript or turn your meeting discussion into something new with 80+ templates. 

Benefits of using Bash for meeting minutes

Many teams have transitioned from Word or Excel templates to Bash for creating concise summaries, action plans and meeting minutes.

Users of the simple meeting minutes template highlight several benefits:

• Time efficiency: Bash transforms conversations into structured minutes, allowing you to focus more on participating in meetings and less on documentation.
• Accuracy: The tool’s automated transcription captures every detail, providing an accurate record of discussions, decisions, and action items, minimizing human error.
• Customization: You can adjust the tone, style, and format to meet your organization’s standards, ensuring consistent and audience-aligned output every time.
• Enhanced focus: With Bash, team members can engage more fully in discussions without the distraction of manual note-taking, leading to more productive meetings.
• ‍Easy sharing: Bash enables seamless sharing of minutes and transcripts, ensuring all team members, including absentees, have access to meeting outcomes and action items. AI support within Bash allows users to easily navigate the transcript without scrolling through the entire conversation.

Use a tool that can do it all

When you create a meeting agenda, you will need a tool that enables you to draft, store, and share your agenda. Rock offers a variety of tools that you can use for every step of meeting agendas, including storing them where you can find them in the future.

When you need a meeting agenda

With Rock, you can draft your meeting agendas in the Notes mini-app and save versions of a sample meeting agenda for future use. In addition to including it on meeting invites, you can store the agenda in a shared space with meeting attendees so everyone has the opportunity to review it.

Anyone in the space can contribute to the content of the agenda. This provides helpful context while still providing you with enough authority to decide on what is included on the agenda. Notes on Rock also integrate with Cloud storage providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Figma.

This means that relevant folders are easily accessible from each respective meeting agenda. Your team won’t have to shuffle through different or outdated versions of your agenda. Everyone will be on the same page, with the same agenda.

A dedicated comment section under every note also enables people to easily record new questions, updates or add questions, as needed. Agenda management is made easy with your meeting agendas (and meeting notes) in one centralized place.

You can quickly search for and find agendas from past meetings. If you have a question or want to follow up on something from last month’s meeting, you can easily pull up that agenda to reference and add comments.

When you don’t need a meeting

Assign tasks to the appropriate team member to complete work without a meeting beforehand. This ensures accountability for action items. Continue the conversation on the task level instead of scheduling a dedicated meeting for them. Using task management is a great way to get asynchronous work done.

This is especially true for remote teams who have to navigate the time differences and various work schedules that can make scheduling a meeting difficult. Rock offers a task board feature in every space so your action items are easy to share and complete.

Replace unnecessary meetings with tasks. This makes your team more effective and productive.

In Rock, you and your team members can collaborate via built-in messaging. People can catch up on the latest information, details or updates by just checking the chat or overall space. With mini-apps like topics and files, your team will have 24/7 access to information.

Work on new projects, tasks or priorities without waiting for anyone. Save meetings for brainstorming and value-adding discussions. For everything else, communicate with tasks, notes and messages on Rock.

Product management is a complex and evolving field that requires the right tools to stay ahead of the curve. As we move into 2024, having effective software can make or break a product team's success.

We dive into the 10 best product management tools you should consider in 2024. From AI-powered platforms to visual collaboration tools, we share options to suit different needs. 

Whether you’re looking to streamline communication, enhance project timelines, or gain actionable insights, these tools will provide you the edge you need. Ready to elevate your product management game?

Let’s explore the top contenders for 2024!

1. Bash

Bash is a productivity tool that solves the blank page problem by turning your meetings, documents, and information into actionable insights and shareable topics. 

You can access a variety of tools that very useful if you’re looking to write reports and strategies through features like summarization, meeting minute writing, and a robust template library.

Bash should be at the top of your list if you’re looking into tools for product managers because: 

• Update tracking: Follow blogs, news articles, Reddit posts, email newsletters and Google Alerts in one view and quickly turn the information into something new with AI-powered workflows. 
• Actionable insights: Turn meetings, documents, podcasts and other forms of data into actionable insights and shareable content to keep the product team informed on the latest updates and insights.
• 10+ AI tools: Bash offers a suite of AI tools specifically designed for product management work. Free generators available include a PRD generator, user story generator, and buyer persona generator.
• Expansive template library: Write product descriptions and sales materials inspired by product information used in internal workflows. Over 80 templates enable you to create and customize documents across departments. Write information and workflow docs for sales, customer success, marketing and operations teams. 
• Collaboration and sharing: Shareable topics enable any team members or external stakeholder to use AI to ask more in-depth questions or brainstorm on the findings from your product team. 
• AI-Powered efficiency: You’ll never stare at a blank page again when AI writes the first draft of your meeting minutes, action plans, and summaries. 

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2. Linear

Linear is a project management tool designed to streamline the software development process with a focus on speed and a keyboard-first user interface. Work with customizable workflows, issue tracking, and integrate with other tools. 

Linear stands out as an exceptional product lifecycle management tool for several reasons:

• Efficiency and speed: Linear is designed with performance in mind, offering interactions as quick as 50 milliseconds and real-time synchronization. 
• Keyboard-first approach: Users can manage tasks quickly without relying on a mouse through a keyboard-first interface with extensive shortcuts for virtually all actions. 
• Structured workflow customization: Set up automated features like backlog management, where issues are auto-closed and archived to keep a clean and efficient workspace.

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3. Rock

Rock is a platform designed to streamline product management by combining project management, communication, and integration with other tools. Here's how it can help product teams:

• Unified workspace: Rock integrates messaging, tasks, notes, files, and meetings, reducing the need to switch between multiple apps.
• Collaboration: Easily add team members, clients, and freelancers to collaborate effectively in one space.
• Task Management: Track all tasks and priorities with built-in time tracking and project dashboards.
• App Integration: Seamless integration with popular apps like Google Drive, Miro, Notion, Zapier, and more, ensuring smooth workflows.
• Cost Efficiency: Rock offers unlimited members, projects, and tasks in one simple plan, saving money and improving productivity.

With these features, Rock helps product teams manage projects, communicate, and collaborate efficiently.

4. Amplitude

Amplitude is a product analytics platform that helps companies track and analyze user behavior across digital products. It aims to drive engagement and growth by providing deep data analysis, user journey mapping, real-time analytics, and A/B testing. This enables organizations to understand customer interactions and optimize product features effectively.

Here’s why Amplitude is highly regarded for product management:

• Experimentation & optimization: Test, analyze, and scale optimizations effectively to improve product performance with robust A/B testing and experimentation capabilities.
• Integrated customer data platform: Work with a single source of truth for user behavior by unifying data across different teams and systems.
• User journey analysis: Teams can understand the full user journey through detailed analytics, helping to identify critical touchpoints and optimize user flows.

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5. Figma/Figjam

Figma is a design tool that enables users to create, prototype, and collaborate on digital projects in real-time. Product teams can streamline the design process with vector networks, auto layout, and dynamic overlays. Design everything from simple icons to complex interactive applications. 

Product teams can work together seamlessly from different locations, making it a popular choice among designers, developers, and product managers.

Figma/FigJam are excellent tools for product management for several key reasons:

• Unified design & prototyping: Figma integrates design and prototyping in a single tool, allowing product managers and designers to swiftly move from ideation to interactive prototypes without switching software.
• Real-time collaboration: Teams can co-create and iterate on designs and strategies simultaneously since both Figma and Figjam offer real-time collaboration features. .
• Versatile use cases: From UX/UI design to wireframing, product marketing and strategic planning, Figma and FigJam cover a broad spectrum of product management workflows.

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6. Cron 

Cron is a modern calendar application designed for professionals and teams. After its integration with Notion, it is now known as Notion Calendar. 

Cron combines advanced scheduling features with Notion's collaborative workspace, making it an effective tool for organizing meetings, deadlines, and projects. 

Users also get real-time synchronization, a user-friendly interface, and customization options to suit specific project needs. Here are some standout features that further highlight why Cron is one of the best product manager tools:

• Advanced scheduling features: Cron provides sophisticated scheduling capabilities that help product management teams organize meetings, deadlines, and product launches efficiently.
• User-friendly interface: Cron is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, making it simple for product teams to plan their workflows, visualize project timelines, and track important milestones.
• Customization and flexibility: Teams can customize calendar views and notifications to suit their specific project needs.

7. Arc

Arc is a modern web browser focused on customization, organization, and privacy. It offers unique features such as Spaces and Profiles, which allow users to organize activities efficiently within one window. 

Privacy and security are core principles since Arc does not track users' site visits or searches, ensuring a clean and personalized browsing experience.

8. Notion

Notion is a well-known productivity tool that helps product teams with note-taking, task management, databases, and a calendar in one place. 

Notion supports real-time editing, sharing, and integration with other popular tools such as Slack. Monday or ClickUp, making it a go-to solution for teams and individuals who need an all-in-one productivity boost.

Notion has versatile features that make it a standout when it comes to product information management tools: 

• Versatile documentation: Product managers can create, store, and manage all documents—from product requirements documents and roadmaps to meeting notes and project timelines—in one accessible, organized place.
• Collaborative features: Everyone from developers to stakeholders can stay in sync with real-time editing, comments, and notifications. Updates, feedback, and changes are communicated instantly through a collaborative environment, improving team efficiency.

9. Miro

Miro helps product teams with functionality such as diagramming, process mapping, whiteboarding, and real-time data visualization. Product managers use Miro for strategic planning, product development workflows, and synchronous or asynchronous teamwork.

Miro is highly effective if you’re looking for product management tools for several reasons:

• Visualization tools: Use a suite of visualization options like whiteboarding, mind mapping, and customer journey mapping that help in planning and strategizing complex product roadmaps.
• Real-time data visualization: Visualize data and content in real-time to always make informed decisions and ensure all team members have access to the latest information.

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10. Coda

Coda is an all-in-one collaborative workspace that combines documents, spreadsheets, and custom applications into one platform, helping teams streamline work. 

Coda supports real-time collaboration, integrates with many tools, and offers customizable templates, making it a highly recommended tool for product management and team productivity.

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Navigating through a sea of urgency and identifying what truly deserves our focus can be challenging. Multiple tasks and responsibilities demand our immediate attention making it hard to just keep up.

This is where the Eisenhower Matrix comes in. Developed by President Dwight Eisenhower, this matrix is a simple yet effective tool for prioritizing tasks based on their urgency and importance.

Throughout this article we’ll explain:

• The history and rise in popularity of the Eisenhower decision matrix
• Concise description of how the matrix classifies tasks
• A practical example of the matrix in action
• How to apply the Eisenhower matrix for time management into your task management

Let’s get started. 👇

History of the Eisenhower Matrix

What is the Eisenhower Matrix? The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix, is a time-management and prioritization framework developed by President Dwight Eisenhower.

President Eisenhower used the matrix to manage his time and make important decisions during his presidency term. The Eisenhower prioritization Matrix has garnered popularity for its simplicity and effectiveness in distinguishing between task urgency and importance.  

We often find ourselves caught up in a never-ending loop of urgent tasks, neglecting the ones that are truly important. This leads to a lack of progress on our long-term goals and a feeling of constant busyness without true accomplishment.

By using the matrix, individuals can avoid getting overwhelmed by urgent but unimportant tasks. Instead, the framework focuses on the tasks that will have the greatest impact in achieving company goals and objectives.

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How One Self-help Book Popularized The Priority Matrix From Eisenhower

Stephen R. Covey popularized the Eisenhower Matrix in his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Covey recognized the value of the matrix as a tool for prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively.

His endorsement of the matrix made it widely popular among organizations seeking better productivity and decision-making.

The book emphasized the importance of distinguishing between urgent and important tasks. Covey believed that people often focus on urgent tasks that may not necessarily contribute to long-term goals. Meanwhile, tasks that are important but not urgent were neglected.

He encouraged individuals to allocate meaningful time to important tasks, even if they are not urgent, in order to achieve long-term success.

Covey also discussed eliminating or delegating tasks that are not important, regardless of their urgency. As a result, people can set aside more time and energy to what truly matters.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix Explained

The Eisenhower prioritization matrix consists of four quadrants that categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance.

1. Urgent & Important (Quadrant I): Included in this quadrant are activities that require immediate attention and have a significant impact on long-term goals. Tasks in this block demand your immediate action and have a big impact on your goals.
2. Not Urgent & Important(Quadrant II): Think of activities that are crucial for your long-term success but do not require immediate action. Activities are often associated with personal development, strategic planning, and goal setting.
3. Urgent & Unimportant (Quadrant III): Work that is urgent but does not contribute significantly to your long-term goals. Quadrant III activities are often distractions, interruptions, or tasks that can be delegated to others.
4. Not Urgent & Unimportant (Quadrant IV): These tasks are neither urgent nor important and should be minimized to maximize your effectiveness. Not urgent and unimportant tasks often include unnecessary meetings, or trivial tasks.

The different quadrants emphasize the importance of distinguishing between the urgent and the important. This way we can avoid getting caught up in tasks that are merely urgent but not truly important.

The Importance of Distinguishing Between the Urgent and the Important

Distinguishing between the urgent and the important is crucial for making progress on your goals and achieving long-term success.

When you focus on tasks that are important, even if they are not urgent, you can proactively work towards your long-term goals. Applying this strategy can help you avoid the constant firefighting mode of addressing only urgent tasks.

Let’s see what actually implementing this framework would look like with real life Eisenhower Matrix examples.

Eisenhower Matrix Examples: The Case of The Project Manager

For this Eisenhower Matrix example, let's say you are a project manager working on multiple projects with strict deadlines. You have a long to-do list that includes tasks such as meeting with stakeholders, reviewing project documents, and updating project status reports.

You are also responsible for managing your team and ensuring they are staying on track. Using the Eisenhower decision matrix, you categorize your tasks as follows:

1. Urgent & Important (Quadrant I):

• Meeting with stakeholders to address any issues or concerns that may impact project progress.
• Resolving any critical project errors
• Related problems that need immediate attention.

2. Not Urgent & Important (Quadrant II):

• Reviewing project documents to identify any potential risks or areas for improvement.
• Setting long-term goals for your projects and creating a plan to achieve them.
• Allocating time to mentor and support your team members to enhance their skills and productivity.

3. Urgent & Unimportant (Quadrant III):

• Responding to non-essential emails or phone calls that require immediate attention but do not contribute directly to project success.
• Attending meetings or conferences that are not directly related to your project but deemed as urgent by others.

4. Not Urgent & Unimportant (Quadrant IV):

• Checking social media or browsing the internet for personal or non-work-related purposes.
• Participating in non-work-related activities during office hours.

By using the Eisenhower Matrix, you can prioritize your tasks in a better way:

• Your primary focus would be on Quadrant I tasks to ensure project success and address any urgent issues.
• You would also allocate sufficient time for Quadrant II activities to prevent urgent issues from arising and work towards long-term project goals.
• Delegate or minimize Quadrant III tasks as much as possible to ensure they do not take away valuable time from important activities.
• Avoid spending significant time on Quadrant IV tasks that do not contribute to your work or project success. (For example, cancel a meeting if you are not contributing to it)

Applying the Eisenhower Matrix in your project management role allows you to work more effectively and efficiently. The framework allows you to manage your time, prioritize tasks, and achieve long-term success in your projects.

Implementing the Eisenhower Matrix in task management apps like Rock can further enhance productivity and make progress towards achieving success. Let’s go over that.

Putting The Eisenhower Decision Matrix Into Action With Task Management

Implementing the Eisenhower Matrix in a task management app provides users with a visual representation of their tasks' urgency and importance. By using this matrix, users can prioritize effectively, focus on important tasks, delegate when necessary, and eliminate unnecessary activities.

The best Eisenhower Matrix app can makes easier for you to prioritize tasks effectively. Rock allows you to do so by incorporating the matrix into lists based on their urgency and importance.

The key benefits of implementing the Eisenhower Matrix in a task management app is that it helps users distinguish between tasks that are urgent and those that are important.

Here’s what Rock would look like when used as an online Eisenhower Matrix app:

• Urgent and important (Quadrant I): Do
• Urgent but not important(Quadrant II): Delegate
• Not urgent but important (Quadrant III): Schedule
• Not urgent and not important (Quadrant IV): Delete

By delegating or eliminating unimportant tasks, users can free up valuable time and focus on more meaningful and impactful activities.

We’ve created a dedicated template where you can easily convert Rock into an Eisenhower Matrix app. Try it out for free yourself!

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Every project has a number of stakeholders involved, both internal and external. And for the project to be a success, everyone has to work seamlessly together, no matter what their roles are. This may seem tricky especially with projects involving a large team, but that’s where project managers come in.

Project managers help ensure that everything is going according to plan, and that every stakeholder involved is on the same page. That’s why one of the most important things to master as a project manager is stakeholder communication. 

Stakeholder communication refers to talking and collaborating with stakeholders of a project or business. Stakeholder communication involves all the groups of people who are affected by the project, or have a say in making decisions in relation to it.

That being said, it becomes clear that project management and stakeholder engagement go hand in hand. Effective communication with stakeholders is one of the keys to having a smooth-sailing project. And even if challenges come up along the way, having open and constant communication can help the team better solve any issue. 

To help you better understand what stakeholder communication is, this article will first define who stakeholders are, why communicating with stakeholders is important, and what you need in order to effectively communicate with any type of stakeholder. 

Who are your stakeholders?

Before knowing how to engage with stakeholders, you have to identify who they are first. By definition, stakeholders are groups or individuals who are invested in your project or business. More often than not, these stakeholders have different needs or expectations in relation to the project’s outcome. 

Some examples of stakeholders include, but are not limited to: 

• Founders/CEOs
• Management Committee
• Stockholders
• Investors
• Company employees
• Colleagues and team members
• Suppliers
• Partners
• Creditors
• Contractors
• Subcontractors 
• The government

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For each project, you usually have a set of key stakeholders, meaning the people who are  involved in the planning and decision-making process for it. This varies per project, but no matter who your stakeholders are, it can get tricky to make each one of them happy. And if your stakeholders aren’t satisfied, chances are the project may have a lot of back and forth. 

This highlights one reason for knowing who your stakeholders are – you can’t engage stakeholders unless you know what they’re looking for with the project. 

You can go about this by first mapping out your stakeholder groups and planning how to best engage each of them. By prioritizing which stakeholders need the most communication, engagement, and consideration, you’ll be more efficient in keeping up with all of them. 

Why is stakeholder communication so important?

If you’re wondering why engaging with stakeholders is important in the first place, let’s look at a few reasons. 

1. Builds trust

Having constant, open communication with stakeholders is an example of an easy way to form a solid business relationship. That’s because communication is key if you want to know more about their perspectives and needs.

Furthermore, it shows stakeholders that you also care about them, and not just the interests of your company. When you’re open and transparent, it will be easier for stakeholders to trust you.

2. Promotes better decision-making

Prioritizing effective stakeholder communication means that you get to gather insights and ideas that can help your project move forward. By consistently communicating and aligning with your stakeholders, you will have an easier time making informed and universally beneficial decisions for the project. This is one of the keys in helping you and your team succeed.

3. Breeds innovation

Without communication, ideas won’t have a channel to flow. But by learning how to go about stakeholder communications, you create an environment where stakeholders are happy to contribute to the conversations regarding the project. This leads to collaboration, and ultimately, innovation for the company. 

4. Prevents miscommunications 

Miscommunications happen when members of a project aren’t on the same page. This further highlights the importance of learning how to communicate with stakeholders. Through effective stakeholder communication, you’ll be able to lessen mishaps or challenges as you complete your project. 

This is especially important considering that some mistakes or moments of miscommunication may result in expenses that could have been avoided.

5. Encourages accountability 

Constant stakeholder communication is one way to ensure that everyone is accountable for their work. When you have open lines of communication and regular channels for updates, keeping track of who has to do what becomes more hassle-free. 

It’s also a good way to show each stakeholder and team member that their contributions are necessary for the project to succeed. 

What are some stakeholder communication needs?

Now that you know some of the reasons why stakeholder communication is important, you can look into what you need to have to reach out and collaborate with stakeholders effectively. 

For one, it’s important to know the right communication strategies when dealing with different stakeholders. That’s because one approach won’t necessarily work for everyone. For example, some stakeholders prefer having one-on-one alignments, while others are okay with receiving updates in a community or group space.

It’s also important to discern the right channels in which you can best communicate with your stakeholders. 

How do you effectively communicate with stakeholders?

If you’re now wondering how you can go about communicating with your stakeholder, it’s helpful to recognize the importance of different channels. Whether you’re dealing with a client, a supplier or a contractor, you should consider leveraging different ways to reach them. 

Being present in as many seamlessly integrated channels as possible will help your stakeholders better communicate with you. Here are some of the ways you can use different communication channels:

1. Leverage asynchronous video

There’s no denying that asynchronous work has gained popularity and acceptance in recent years. One way you can get in touch with different stakeholder groups is through asynchronous videos. 

For example, during onboarding it would make a lot of sense to record walk-through videos to explain the various processes. You can use a platform like Loom to record your screen while explaining what’s being shown. Just make sure there’s opportunity and space for asking questions and clarification afterwards. 

Asynchronous video can also be a more personal way of reaching out, because stakeholders see not just the brand you represent, but you yourself. 

2. Create communities

One easy way to connect with numerous stakeholders at once is to create a community for them. A community gives you the opportunity to engage with your stakeholders, just like for example in a Reddit community or a Rock space. 

Creating communities for your stakeholders is a convenient way to share salient information, updates, and discussion points with a group. Your stakeholders can also quickly raise any questions or concerns they may have. Furthermore, it encourages stakeholders to interact not only with you, but also with each other.

3. White-glove stakeholder communication‍

Certain stakeholders require a more personal and private form of communication. These are mostly stakeholders with very crucial roles in the project, or someone who is a driving force for the business. To address the needs of these stakeholders, you can set up a space on Rock where you can talk one on one. 

The beauty of Rock, a holistic project management and communication tool, is that you can create as many spaces as you need, for free. They can be created for a group of stakeholders or for individual one-on-one interactions. By creating these spaces, you get to have a more personalized and structured communication.

4. Newsletters

Another great way to engage with stakeholders is to create a company newsletter. This gives you the opportunity to gather pieces of content that are relevant to your company and industry. 

A newsletter can prove to be an engaging way of sending out company updates, project news, or any other information that’s relevant to your stakeholders. Depending on your preference, you can send out newsletters every week, bi-monthly, or once a month. 

5. Social media

Communicating with stakeholders doesn’t have to be limited to work tools. You can also engage with them through social media. With over four billion social media users in the world, this is a channel you shouldn’t ignore.

Leveraging platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help you put out much more engaging content. This can result in a new way of getting closer to your stakeholders. Social media platforms also have in-app messaging, which helps stakeholders easily connect with you, so it pays to be responsive.

Just remember that while social media can be a source of fun content and interactions, it shouldn’t be your priority channel for stakeholder communication.

6. Webinars

If you want to engage stakeholders while also providing added value, you may want to do webinars. This is effective if you want to get closer to certain stakeholder groups. Webinars are a great way to share knowledge, hear from relevant thought leaders, and learn from your stakeholders.

Organizing dedicated webinars will also help you better understand and interact with your stakeholders, which can prove to be advantageous while working on projects together.

These are just some of the channels that you can tap into when it comes to stakeholder communication. Aside from exploring these channels, you can also look for tools that can make communication with stakeholders more seamless and engaging, such as Rock. 

How Rock helps you manage your stakeholder communication

As a holistic communication and project management tool, Rock provides everything you need to engage with stakeholders on one platform. To give you an idea, here are some ways Rock can help stakeholder communication, and project management in general, simple and easy.

1. Create community spaces

With Rock’s spaces, you won’t have to switch from channel to channel when it comes to creating communities. You can already do so on the platform itself. This also makes it easier for you to be more responsive to various stakeholders. 

Additionally, if you’re already using Rock for your day-to-day tasks, you won’t have to learn a new tool for creating communities. It’s already on the same platform you’re using!

2. Create 1:1 spaces with key stakeholders

If you have certain stakeholders that need more in-depth collaboration, you can create a one on one space with them on Rock. This is great if you have to communicate with these stakeholders often, and if they’re heavily involved in your project.

Just like the spaces for communities, you won’t have to use another tool or platform for these one on one spaces – you can manage it on Rock.

3. Manage newsletter, social media and webinar projects 

Rock isn’t just solely for communicating with stakeholders. It’s also a great way to manage all your tasks. With the Chat, Tasks, Topics, Notes, and Files mini-apps, you get a full-fledged communication and management tool. Whether you’re looking to create a newsletter or host a webinar, you can coordinate and manage all the work on one  platform. 

This way, Rock becomes both the channel for engaging with stakeholders and the channel for your team to collaborate on project’s deliverables and next steps.

Ultimately, Rock helps ensure that nothing falls through the cracks as you go about your project. Through this one platform, you’ll get to stay engaged with your stakeholders, communicate with them consistently, and make collaborating on a project easier and more seamless for everyone involved. 

What if we told you that multitasking is actually an illusion? Constantly juggling different tasks actually decreases your productivity and increases mental fatigue.

Multitasking is often viewed as the ultimate productivity booster, a method for those looking to squeeze every drop out of the 24-hour day. However, evidence suggests that what we perceive as multitasking is actually our brain rapidly switching between tasks, not performing them simultaneously. 

Let’s uncover the multitasking myth and how, by embracing a single task approach, you’re actually more efficient. 

Hustle culture and the rise of the multitasker

Hustle culture, a trend characterized by the glorification of busyness, has boosted the image of the multitasker to near-celebrity status. People draw a direct line between juggling multiple tasks and ambition or success. 

In recent years, engaging in a daily "hustle" has garnered an almost cultish following. It's the gold rush of the 21st century, where success can only be reached through superhuman willpower and relentless labor. 

The hustle culture convinces people with a simple proposition: Do more, and you shall be more. 

Hustling is further glamorized by social influencers – creating a (typically not truthful) perfect image of productivity, busyness and success. In business settings, this translates to the badge of honor worn by those with calendars looking like a mosaic with back-to-back meetings.

But don’t be fooled: the hustle is hollow. Studies and expert opinions show us the truth: the human brain is not optimized for the simultaneous processing of tasks. What we see as multitasking is often just context switching, each switch eating away at our productivity, creativity and mental bandwidth.

And yet, the hustle culture persists, because it offers a compelling illusion in the multitasking myth: being busy = being productive.

The myth of multitasking is both a symptom and a symbol of hustle culture. Advocating for more effective and efficient strategies requires us to embrace a new narrative – one where productivity is not measured by the number of tasks you’re working on, but by the quality of completed work.

🎁 Free resource: Don't let your voice be drowned out in the noise of the world—take control of your life through the Assertiveness Training Template.

The myth of multitasking: 5 Perceived benefits debunked

Multitasking is often seen as a valuable skill, especially in a world where people are bombarded attention requests. 

Most reasons you might hear regarding the benefits of multitasking actually portray an incomplete story. You’re almost always losing when doing two things at once. 

Let’s walk through 5 productivity myths of multitasking and how they actually harm your productivity and quality of work:

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⛔ Myth: Increased productivity: Many believe that handling several tasks at once can leads to more outcomes in less time.

✅ Truth: While multitasking might feel productive, studies show that shifting focus across tasks can reduce efficiency. It takes time for the brain to reorient to a new task, which cumulatively results in significant time lost.

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⛔ Myth: Efficient time use: There's a common perception that multitasking allows for the simultaneous completion of tasks, making every moment count.

✅ Truth: The illusion of doing more in less time is just that—an illusion. In reality, multitasking leads to half-finished tasks and increased errors, requiring more time to correct mistakes and actually complete tasks.

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⛔ Myth: Flexibility: Multitasking is thought to demonstrate adaptability, as individuals respond to different stimuli and switch between tasks.

✅ Truth: While switching between tasks might seem to reflect adaptability, this kind of flexibility can actually fragment attention and degrade the ability to perform tasks well. True flexibility is better demonstrated by completing tasks efficiently and effectively one at a time.

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⛔ Myth: Responsiveness: Quick reactions to emails, messages, and other communications are seen as a benefit of multitasking, contributing to better connectivity.

✅ Truth: Immediate responses to messages or emails compromise the quality of work on primary tasks. The truth is, constant connectivity can be counterproductive, as it disrupts deep work and thought processes required for complex tasks. Responses are also often less thought out.

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⛔ Myth: Competence: Those who can handle multiple tasks are often viewed as more capable and skilled in managing complex work environments.

✅ Truth: The appearance of handling many tasks simultaneously may seem to indicate competence, but the quality of work often tells a different story. Competence is more accurately reflected in the ability to prioritize tasks and give each the undivided attention it deserves.

Single-tasking as a new wave for productivity

Beneath the surface lies a counterintuitive truth: multitasking is less effective than single-tasking. 

Research indicates that our brains are not wired to handle multiple attention-demanding tasks simultaneously. When we attempt to multitask, we're actually engaging in rapid task-switching, which can lead to increased cognitive load, more mistakes, and ultimately, less productivity. 

By contrast, single-tasking—focusing on one task at a time—enables deeper concentration, facilitates higher quality outcomes, and can be surprisingly more efficient in the long run.

Now that we have established that multitasking is a myth, it’s time to talk about how you can encourage single-tasking.

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Leveraging technology for single-tasking

The ability to focus is more than a skill—it's a competitive edge. 

Leveraging technology for single-tasking requires a mental shift: seeing our devices not as distraction but a source of concentration. When implemented correctly, they become extensions of ourselves, amplifying focus, productivity and time-management.

Here are 4 tools you can check out to leave the myth of multitasking behind and leverage single-tasking more effectively.

Bash

Bash assists with single-tasking by creating an actionable feed for product and marketing work, which is powered by AI. 

Here's how Bash supports focused work:

1. Centralized information: Bash allows users to add news feeds, files, or conversations into one platform. This centralization helps to minimize the need to switch between different applications or information sources, enabling single-tasking.
2. Template-driven output: Bash offers over 80 built-in templates that help users quickly create content like meeting minutes, action plans, and go-to-market strategies. These templates reduce the cognitive load of structuring documents from scratch, freeing up mental space for single-tasking.
3. Organization and insights: By analyzing trends and updates, and combining sources in a topic to keep them organized, Bash helps maintain focus on the task at hand without the need to juggle multiple sources of information.

Rock

Rock is a comprehensive tool designed to consolidate tasks, messaging, and integration with other apps in one space. Rock reduces the need to switch between different apps and thereby minimizing distractions.

Here are some ways Rock might help with single-tasking:

1. All-in-one platform: Rock combines tasks, messaging, notes, files, and meetings in one place, which can help users focus on one task without the need to switch contexts or platforms.
2. Task management: Rock offers task management functionality that allows users to organize and prioritize their work, which can be crucial for single-tasking as it helps users focus on the most important task at hand.
3. Integration with favorite apps: By integrating with a variety of other tools and services, users can bring their workflow into one place, which supports single-tasking by reducing the need to switch between different applications.

StayFocusd

A browser extension for the discerning leader, StayFocusd allows for meticulous control over one's web usage. It empowers users to allot specific time frames to websites, after which access is restricted, ensuring that online research doesn’t devolve into aimless browsing.

Pomofocus

Employing the Pomodoro Technique, Pomofocus helps break work into intervals traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. This tool is especially useful for those who thrive on regular short sprints of work, followed by a pause to refresh and reset.

Implementing a single-tasking culture in the workplace: 14 tips

Leaving the myth of multitasking behind is no easy feat, but definitely possible. Implementing a single-tasking culture in the workplace can lead to more productivity, reduced stress, and a greater quality of work. Encourage employees to focus on one task at a time to minimize multitasking.

Here is a list of tips to help businesses foster a single-tasking environment:

• Establish clear priorities: Define clear, actionable priorities for teams and individuals so they know what to focus on without the temptation to juggle multiple tasks.
• Time management techniques: Offer training sessions on time management techniques, such as the Pomodoro Technique, which encourages focused work sessions followed by short breaks.
• Encourage deep work: Allocate specific times during the day that are reserved for uninterrupted work, encouraging employees to delve into complex tasks without distractions.
• Limit meetings: Reduce the frequency and duration of meetings to free up blocks of time where employees can engage in single-tasking. Encourage employees to cancel a meeting when it’s not adding value.
• Set expectations on communication: Create communication strategies and guidelines on communication practices, such as expected response times, to reduce the constant checking of emails and messages.
• Leverage project management tools: Utilize project management and task management tools that help employees organize their workloads into manageable, single tasks.
• Monitor workloads: Keep an eye on employee workloads to ensure they are balanced and do not encourage multitasking out of necessity.
• Model behavior: To prevent a toxic work culture, leaders should model single-tasking behavior by being present during interactions and not dividing their attention between tasks during meetings or one-on-ones.
• Designate quiet zones: Create quiet areas in the workplace where employees can go to work without interruptions.
• Encourage breaks: Promote regular breaks to prevent burnout and maintain high levels of concentration when employees are working on a task.
• Provide feedback: Regularly give feedback on work practices, praising effective single-tasking and offering constructive advice on how to improve focus.
• Personalize workflows: Recognize that different people work best in different ways and allow for personalized workflows where employees can single-task in a way that suits them best.
• Discourage disruptive technology: Limit the use of disruptive technology (i.e. social media) by encouraging the silencing of non-essential notifications during work hours.
• Cultivate an organizational mindset: Embed the value of single-tasking into the company culture, ensuring it's understood and valued across the organization.

Leave the myth of multitasking in the past. Implement these strategies, businesses can create a work environment that supports single-tasking, leading to more engaged employees and a more productive organization.

Frequently asked questions on multitasking & single-tasking

Embark on a journey to streamline your productivity by embracing the art of single-tasking. Discover tips, tricks, and tools designed to enhance your focus and efficiency in the modern workplace. This guide encapsulates the essence of single-tasking, debunking the multitasking myth, and directing you towards a more effective approach to work.

Education and Basics

• What exactly is multitasking, and does it really work? Multitasking is when you attempt to do multiple tasks at once. It may seem efficient, but it can actually slow you down, make you prone to errors, and drain your energy.
• Could you explain what people mean by "hustle culture"? "Hustle culture" is a societal trend that glorifies being busy; it equates constant work with success but often leads to stress and burnout.
• Why do some say multitasking is a myth? Many experts call multitasking a myth because science shows our brains aren't really doing tasks in tandem but quickly switching between them, which isn't very efficient.
• Can trying to multitask cause more mistakes? Definitely. When you split your attention, you're more likely to mess up because neither task gets your full focus.

Deep Dive into Single-Tasking

• What is single-tasking and its benefits? Single-tasking means doing one task at a time. It's great because it lets you focus deeply, often leading to better and faster results.
• How can technology assist me in single-tasking? Tech tools can organize your tasks and information in one place, cutting down on distractions and helping you stay on track with just one task at a time.
• What's the StayFocusd browser extension? StayFocusd is an add-on for your web browser that limits the time you can spend on websites that distract you, keeping you focused on the job.
• How does Pomofocus use the Pomodoro Technique to aid focus? Pomofocus uses timed work sessions with breaks in between, known as the Pomodoro Technique, to help you maintain focus and give you time to recharge throughout the day.

Creating a Single-Tasking Workplace

• Does adopting single-tasking at work make things less stressful? Absolutely, focusing on one thing at a time at work can make life much less stressful and help avoid burnout.
• Is it necessary to manage when we should reply to communications at work? Yes, it's important. Having rules for when to reply to messages helps everyone focus better without worrying about answering every call or email right away.
• How do quiet zones at work help with single-tasking? Quiet zones are dedicated spaces where interruptions are minimized, making it easier for you to focus on just one task without disruptions.
• Why should we personalize how we manage our workflow? Personalizing your workflow is key because everyone works a bit differently, and the best system is the one that helps you focus on one task best.

Leadership and Culture

• What can leaders do to encourage single-tasking? Leaders should set an example by single-tasking themselves and promoting its benefits to foster a focus-friendly workplace.
• Are project management tools beneficial for focusing on one task at a time? Yes, such tools can break down projects into smaller steps, making it easier to concentrate on one task at a time.
• How does feedback help with improving single-tasking at work? Feedback helps by pointing out what’s working and what isn’t, so you can refine your approach and get even better at single-tasking.

Struggling with single-tasking?

• What if I struggle to stop multitasking? Start small by allotting short periods of time to single-task and gradually build up. Use tools like timers or apps to keep you in check.
• I find it hard to resist checking communications. What can I do? Try setting specific times to check emails and messages, and silence notifications when focusing on a task.
• Our office has no quiet zones. How can I single-task effectively? Consider noise-cancelling headphones or suggest implementing quiet hours where everyone agrees to minimize disruptions.
• What if the tools I'm using aren't helping with single-tasking? Sometimes it’s a matter of finding the right tool. Don't be afraid to try different apps or systems until you find one that fits.

Prioritize single-tasking and use the tools and strategies shared in this article. Conquer the productivity puzzle and achieve more with focused attention with single-tasking. Dive in, focus up, and unlock your true potential!

The strength of a team can often be the deciding factor between success and failure. A cohesive team that's aligned in purpose isn't just desirable, it's essential to achieve goals and objectives. 

That's why we've curated a collection of 100 teamwork quotes that capture the wisdom of centuries. 

From historical leaders to the practical proverbs that have stood the test of time, each quote has been selected to inspire, motivate, and remind us that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

Reinforce the bonds within your team, or simply find a daily dose of inspiration to share with coworkers. These 100+ teamwork quotes reflect the legacy of great leaders and businesses throughout time. Let’s get into it!

United we thrive: timeless quotes on teamwork and unity

Let’s delve into quotes about unity and teamwork that visualize the wisdom of leaders, visionaries, and trailblazers.

A quote for teamwork and unity is more than mere words; they are the echoes of success stories, and a gentle reminder that the journey towards greatness is best traveled together.

Let these quotes on teamwork and unity inspire you to forge stronger bonds within your teams. Build bridges across skill sets, and create a culture where unity is the bedrock of success.

When we unite in purpose and action, we don't just grow—we thrive.

1. "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." – Michael Jordan
2. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller
3. "Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." – Mattie Stepanek
4. "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." – Andrew Carnegie
5. "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." – Henry Ford
6. "None of us is as smart as all of us." – Ken Blanchard
7. "The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." – Phil Jackson
8. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." – African Proverb
9. "It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." – Napoleon Hill
10. "The whole is other than the sum of the parts." – Kurt Koffka
11. "Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there." – Virginia Burden
12. "The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison." – James Cash Penney
13. "No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." – H.E. Luccock
14. "Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." – Vince Lombardi
15. "Many hands make light work." – John Heywood
16. "Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success." – Stephen Covey
17. "Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." – Patrick Lencioni
18. "A single leaf working alone provides no shade." – Chuck Page
19. "Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." – Amy Poehler
20. "A successful team is a group of many hands but of one mind." – Bill Bethel

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Cooperative spirit: Uplifting quotes about collaboration and teamwork

If there's one thing that can make or break a project, it's how well we work together. 

These quotes about collaboration and teamwork aren't just fluff—they're battle-tested truths from folks who've been in the trenches of teamwork and come out the other side with something to show for it. 

When we pool our skills and knuckle down as a unit, we're stronger, smarter, and way more effective.

21. "Great things in business are never done by one person; they're done by a team of people." – Steve Jobs
22. "It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." – Charles Darwin
23. "Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation, and consensus." – Simon Mainwaring
24. "The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison." – J.C. Penney
25. "Politeness is the poison of collaboration." – Edwin Land
26. "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." – Henry Ford
27. "The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team." – Lewis B. Ergen
28. "Collaboration allows teachers to capture each other's fund of collective intelligence." – Mike Schmoker
29. "The secret is to gang up on the problem, rather than each other." – Thomas Stallkamp
30. "Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much." – Helen Keller
31. "Collaboration has no hierarchy. The Sun collaborates with soil to bring flowers on the earth." – Amit Ray
32. "To me, teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless." – Mike Krzyzewski
33. "The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side." – Margaret Carty
34. "Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up." – Oliver Wendell Holmes
35. "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts." – Kurt Koffka
36. "Contrary to popular belief, there most certainly is an 'I' in 'team.' It is the same 'I' that appears three times in 'responsibility.'" – Amber Harding
37. "A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of others." – Norman Shidle
38. "No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team." – Reid Hoffman
39. "Collaboration begins with mutual understanding and respect." – Mori Taheripour
40. "Collaboration is much like a birth. The painful process of delivery pales against the joy of seeing your baby take the first breath." – Jim Tamm

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Quotes about teamwork from famous business leaders

From the visionary minds of CEOs to the tactical know-how of industry pioneers, these teamwork quotes distill decades of leadership experience into bite-sized pieces of advice.

Whether you're leading a team of two or two hundred, these quotes about teamwork will remind you that the engine of any successful business isn't just a groundbreaking idea or a standout product—it's the people who come together to make it happen. 

Let's dive into the collective wisdom of those who've mastered the art of teamwork at the highest levels of business.

41. "Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well-motivated individual." – Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation.
42. "My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of the parts." – Steve Jobs, Co-founder, and former CEO of Apple Inc.
43. "I am a big believer in the power of a team. A good team can win a championship if they have the fundamentals and work together as one." – Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks.
44. "To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace." – Doug Conant, former President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company.
45. "The team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion." – A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble.
46. "We’ve got to find ways of confronting the issues that divide – and at the heart of cultural issues, you often find religions." – Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo.
47. "A group of people get together and exist as an institution we call a company so they are able to accomplish something collectively that they could not accomplish separately – they make a contribution to society." – David Packard, Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard.
48. "The five separate fingers are five independent units. Close them and the fist multiplies strength. This is organization." – James Cash Penney, founder of J.C. Penney.
49. "The best team is not the team with the best players, but the team that plays best together." – Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
50. "I’ve always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team." – Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler.
51. "Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference." – Alison Pincus, Co-founder of One Kings Lane.
52. "In the end, a great leader is only known by the impact he or she has on others." – Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble.
53. "No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team." – Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn.
54. "The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison." – James Cash Penney, founder of J.C. Penney.
55. "You need a high degree of synchronization and the ability to orchestrate a big team. That’s an important part of leadership." – Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.
56. "I invite everyone to choose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition." – Jean-Francois Cope, CEO of Atos.
57. "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." – Andrew Carnegie, founder of Carnegie Steel Company.
58. "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." – Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.
59. "None of us is as good as all of us." – Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's
60. "I’ve learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success." – Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric

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Together we speak: Teamwork and communication quotes

Ever wonder how some teams just 'get it'? They finish each other's sentences, they back one another up, they move as one. Well, a lot of that magic comes down to crystal-clear communication.

Let's dive into teamwork and communication quotes and get your team talking the talk and walking the walk, together.

61. "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." – George Bernard Shaw
62. "The art of communication is the language of leadership." – James Humes
63. "Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after." – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
64. "To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." – Tony Robbins
65. "Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know." – Jim Rohn
66. "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said." – Peter Drucker
67. "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak." – Epictetus
68. "Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall." – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
69. "Communication works for those who work at it." – John Powell
70. "Communication is the solvent of all problems and is the foundation for personal development." – Peter Shepherd
71. "Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing." – Rollo May
72. "You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere." – Lee Iacocca
73. "Communication is your ticket to success, if you pay attention and learn to do it effectively." – Theo Gold
74. "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives." – Tony Robbins
75. "Communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity." – Nat Turner
76. "Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow's reality." – Malala Yousafzai, emphasizing the power of communicating one's vision for the future.
77. "Words are often seen hunting for an idea, but ideas are never seen hunting for words." – Josh Billings
78. "The most important things are the hardest to say because words diminish them." – Stephen King
79. "Great communication begins with connection." – Oprah Winfrey
80. "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." – Rudyard Kipling

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Gratitude in action: Thank you teamwork quotes

In the world of teamwork, saying 'thank you' goes beyond mere politeness. To avoid a toxic work culture, you want to recognize the collective effort, celebrate milestones and reinforce the bonds that make a team not just functional, but exceptional.

Whether you're a team leader looking to inspire or a team member wanting to show gratitude, these quotes serve as a testament to the incredible achievements that come from working together.

🎁 Free resource: 100+ powerful career affirmations for the workplace

Let's dive into these thank you teamwork quotes and give thanks where it's due. Every act of appreciation can become the driver of continued teamwork and greater achievements.

81. "Gratitude is the glue that binds together the strength of teamwork."
82. "Every successful team has a foundation of gratitude for its shared efforts and victories."
83. "In the harmony of a team, gratitude is the melody that resonates with progress."
84. "Thankfulness within a team is a multiplier of motivation and morale."
85. "Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our teamwork blossom." – Inspired by Marcel Proust
86. "Being part of a team means being part of something bigger than oneself, and for that, we are perpetually grateful."
87. "A grateful team is an empowered team, each 'thank you' lifting us to new heights."
88. "The magic of teamwork begins with a simple 'thank you' and grows into endless possibilities."
89. "Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more – it turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and a group of individuals into a team."
90. "Acknowledgement and gratitude are the twin souls of a thriving team."
91. "A team's spirit is nurtured by the gratitude of its members, for it is thankfulness that makes success bloom."
92. "In the spirit of teamwork, every act of gratitude is a catalyst for more success and unity."
93. "Gratitude is the invisible thread that weaves together the strength of a team."
94. "When gratitude becomes an essential part of our teamwork, our collaboration is natural and our successes are amplified."
95. "Thankfulness in a team is like a sunrise; it brightens up the day and points us to a new beginning."
96. "Being grateful for our team means recognizing every individual's effort as a vital piece of the puzzle."
97. "Gratitude within a team is infectious; it spreads and cultivates an environment where everyone thrives."
98. "A team that cherishes gratitude as a core value is a team that stands strong in the face of adversity."
99. "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others, and in teamwork, it breeds success." – Adapted from Cicero
100. "In the ecosystem of teamwork, gratitude is the nourishment that fuels growth and harmony."

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The Power of Us: Trust and Teamwork Quotes

Trust is the silent affirmation that each member will hold their weight, honor their commitments, and stand by one another through challenges and victories alike. 

These trust and teamwork quotes will help you share this sentiment effectively.

101. "When a team trusts each other, success is a natural byproduct." – Anonymous
102. "Trust is the adhesive that binds a team together; without it, even the simplest tasks become difficult." – Anonymous
103. "The best teamwork comes from those who are working independently toward one goal in unison." – James Cash Penney
104. "Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." – Patrick Lencioni
105. "Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team." – Patrick Lencioni
106. "It's about trust. Trusting your team, knowing that they will do everything in their power to not let you down, and vice versa." – Mike Krzyzewski
107. "None of us is as smart as all of us. Trust in collective intelligence leads to triumph." – Ken Blanchard
108. "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." – Michael Jordan
109. "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved." – George MacDonald
110. "Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work." – Warren Bennis
111. "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else – and trust they will do the same." – Booker T. Washington
112. "Good teams incorporate teamwork into their culture, creating the building blocks for success." – Ted Sundquist
113. "Creating a better world requires teamwork, partnerships, and collaboration, as we need an entire army of companies to work together to build a better world within the next few decades." – Simon Mainwaring
114. "The speed of the team is the speed of the boss. The team's trust in their leader can accelerate the pace of work." – Barbara Corcoran
115. "A single leaf working alone provides no shade. Trust your fellow teammates to create the canopy." – Chuck Page

Ending on a light note: Funny teamwork quotes for work

They say that teamwork makes the dream work, but let's face it, sometimes it also makes for some hilarious situations.

Whether it's the never-ending coffee runs, the printer that jams only when you're on a tight deadline, or that one team meeting that could have definitely been an email, there's plenty to chuckle about when we come together to get the job done.

Take a moment to share a laugh with your colleagues. These funny teamwork quotes for work are here to remind us that while the work we do is important, it's also perfectly okay to approach it with a smile, a light heart, and a sense of humor. 

After all, laughter can be the best kind of team-building exercise. Let's dive into one-liners that celebrate the quirks of working as a team.

116. "Teamwork is essential—it allows you to blame someone else." 
117. "Remember, teamwork is about sharing glory and blame alike. So if we fail, it's definitely everyone's fault but mine."
118. "The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side to share the workload, the blame, and the office snacks."
119. "I love teamwork. It means I always have someone else to do the stuff I don't want to." 
120. "A team is like a pack of wolves—always hungry for success and occasionally for pizza." 
121. "On this team, we're all united in a common goal: taking credit for each other's work."
122. "Teamwork: because sometimes your best just isn't good enough." 
123. "Our team works like a well-oiled machine; it needs constant maintenance, and it occasionally leaks." 
124. "Our teamwork strategy is the '404 Error: Teamwork Not Found' approach." 
125. "I've found that teamwork is much more effective if you have the right team. If not, solo work suddenly seems remarkably appealing."
126. "On our team, we stick together. Mainly because we're always out of office supplies like paper clips and glue." 
127. "My team really knows how to work together... to avoid doing work together." 
128. "Teamwork is important; it helps to put the blame on someone else when your project goes sideways." 

Don’t forget that humor in the workplace should always be inclusive and never at the expense of others. Have fun, but keep it kind!

Frequently asked questions on teamwork quotes

1. Why are teamwork quotes valuable for team building?

Teamwork quotes instill inspiration and unity, serving as reminders of the importance of working together toward common goals.

2. How can we integrate teamwork quotes into our work culture?

Introduce quotes during meetings, through office displays, and in internal communications to reinforce your team's collaborative spirit.

3. Can famous quotes from leaders really impact our team's performance?

Absolutely, they encapsulate wisdom that can boost morale and guide teams towards achieving their objectives efficiently.

4. How often should teamwork quotes be shared within the team?

Share them regularly, especially during moments that require extra motivation or to celebrate team achievements.

5. Are there any quotes that help in managing team conflicts?

Yes, quotes on trust and collaboration can provide perspective and assist in resolving misunderstandings.

6. What's the best way to present these quotes to a diverse team?

Choose universally relatable quotes and present them in a way that respects and celebrates the diversity within your team.

7. How can teamwork quotes help in welcoming new team members?

They can foster a sense of belonging and highlight your team's commitment to collaboration right from the start.

8. Can we use these quotes for team retrospectives?

Yes, they're great for highlighting lessons learned and reinforcing the positive aspects of teamwork.

9. What if a team member finds these quotes cheesy or unhelpful?

Respect their viewpoint and encourage them to contribute quotes or thoughts that resonate with them more.

10. Should we only use quotes from famous individuals?

No, consider sourcing quotes from within your own team to personalize the message and increase relevance.

11. How do we ensure that these quotes lead to actual teamwork improvements?

Follow up quotes with actionable goals, discussions on their application, and acknowledge when they're embodied in work.

12. What kind of quotes should be used to overcome a failure?

Use quotes that focus on perseverance, learning from mistakes, and the collective power of the team to rise again.

13. How can we measure the impact of these quotes on team dynamics?

Look for improvements in team communication, feedback during meetings, and overall team morale.

14. Is it effective to create visual reminders of these quotes?

Yes, visual representations can be very effective as they serve as constant, subtle reminders of your team values.

Implementing teamwork quotes in the workplace: Things to consider

1. What should I do if teamwork quotes have no effect on my team?

Assess team dynamics to uncover deeper issues. Offer various motivational strategies and customize your approach.

2. One team member is offended by a quote, how should I handle it?

Apologize for any unintended offense, discuss the context of the quote, and ensure future quotes are sensitive to all team members.

3. Quotes are liked but not impacting teamwork, why?

Quotes must be paired with concrete team-building activities and clear expectations to translate inspiration into action.

4. How should I react to sarcasm towards these quotes?

Engage with the individual to understand their skepticism, and consider creating a space where critical views can be shared constructively.

5. Teams enjoy quotes but don't retain the message, what to do?

Implement periodic discussions about the quotes' meanings and encourage team members to share how they can apply these learnings.

6. What if a quote contradicts our team's values?

Clarify your team's values, explain the misalignment, and use it as a learning opportunity to reinforce your actual values.

7. How can we prevent teamwork quotes from becoming repetitive?

Vary the source of the quotes, introduce interactive activities related to them, and rotate the responsibility for choosing them among team members.

Staying organized and managing tasks efficiently is more crucial than ever. Having the right tools makes all the difference when juggling multiple projects at work, coordinating team efforts, or simply trying to keep your personal to-do list in check. 

Task management apps continue to evolve, offering innovative features designed to streamline your work and boost productivity.

We’ll explore 10 of the best task management apps available in 2024. Different options cater to a variety of needs and preferences, ensuring that you can find the perfect solution to organize your projects, meet deadlines, and achieve your goals. 

From intuitive user interfaces to advanced collaboration capabilities, these task management tools are equipped to help you stay on top of your tasks and manage your time effectively. Let's dive in and discover the top task management apps that can transform the way you work.

1. Rock

Rock is the best task manager app with an all-in-one collaboration platform designed to simplify teamwork by combining messaging, task management, notes, files, and meetings in a single space. Seamlessly integrate with popular apps like Google Drive, Slack, Trello, GitHub, and more

The task management suite is tailored for a diverse range of users, including startups, freelancers, educators, agencies and engineering teams, offering a versatile solution for managing projects and communication efficiently.

What sets Rock apart from other tools in the market is a flat rate pricing model. Unlike many collaboration tools that charge per user, Rock offers a single, all-inclusive plan with unlimited members, projects, tasks, and advanced functionalities.

Pros and cons of using Rock as your task management app

Here are some of the main pros and cons users have encountered when using Rock as their solution to manage tasks:

✅Pro: All-in-one functionality: Rock is the best task management app because every project space combines messaging with tasks, notes, files and meetings. As a result, teams can reduce their tool stack and focus on collaborating and getting work done instead. 

✅Pro: No per-user pricing: Unlike many other tools that charge per user, Rock offers a single, all-inclusive Unlimited Plan at a flat rate with unlimited members, projects, tasks, and advanced functionality. This can significantly reduce costs and simplify budgeting for teams of all sizes.

✅Pro: Quick Connect for instant collaboration: Rock’s Quick Connect feature allows teams to instantly start collaborating with anyone, whether they are internal team members, external companies, agencies, or freelancers. This makes collaboration and starting new projects seamless and efficient.

✅Pro: Comprehensive integrations and custom workflows: Rock integrates with a wide range of popular apps (e.g., Google Drive, Zoom, Google Meet, OneDrive, Dropbox) and supports custom workflows through its API and Zapier integration. This flexibility allows teams to tailor the platform to their specific needs and maintain their existing workflows.

✅Pro: Available on web, desktop and mobile: Quickly access your workspace with a dedicated desktop app. Rock is also the task manager for android and Apple with dedicated mobile apps for Google Play and iOS

⛔Con: Limited offline availability: While Rock is accessible in offline mode, changes can’t be made to different project spaces without a stable internet connections.

Rock pricing

Free Plan: Free task manager with limitations on functionality.

• Cost: Free
• Features:some text
  • Group spaces: 3
  • Messaging: Unlimited
  • Tasks: 50 per space
  • Notes: 50 per space
  • Members: 5 per space
  • Storage: 250 MB per space

Unlimited Plan

• Cost: $89/month (monthly) or $74.92/month (yearly) - Flat pricing (unlimited team members, clients, freelancers and other external partners at one flat rate).
• Features:some text
  • Unlimited group spaces, 50 workspaces
  • Unlimited Messaging, tasks, notes, members, and storage
  • Advanced features like PRO spaces, time tracker, custom integrations, and more!

2. Todoist

Todoist is a powerful task manager and to-do list app designed to help teams organize work in a seamless way. 

What sets Todoist apart from other task management tools is its unique approach to simplicity combined with powerful features. Todoist is one of the few task management apps that offers a natural language recognition capability to speed up the process of task entry. 

Pros & cons of using Todoist when managing your tasks

✅Pro: User-friendly interface: Todoists’ simplicity helps users focus on their tasks without getting bogged down by a complicated setup process, which is ideal for both personal use and small teams.

✅Pro: Cross-platform availability: Todoist is available on multiple platforms, including web, desktop (Windows and macOS), and mobile (iOS and Android). This ensures that users can access their task lists from virtually any device, providing great flexibility and convenience for managing tasks on the go.

⛔Con: Per-user pricing: Todoist has per-user pricing which can quickly make it a costly tool when introducing more team members, freelancers, clients or other external parties to the online task manager. 

⛔Con: Basic project management: Todoist is primarily designed for task management and may not be suitable for complex project management needs such an instant messaging app, note taking and advanced file management capabilities.

⛔Con: Customization limitations: Users enjoy some degree of customization but it is limited compared to other task management apps. Todoist’s capabilities might be too restrictive for users looking for highly customizable workflows or advanced automation options.

Todoist pricing

• Beginner: Free forever with 5 personal projects, smart quick add, flexible list & board layouts, 3 filter views, 1-week activity history, and basic integrations with email and calendar.
• Pro: $4 per month billed yearly ($5 when billed monthly) (20 users = $100/month), includes everything in Beginner plus 300 personal projects, calendar layout, task reminders & duration, 150 filter views, unlimited activity history, and an AI Assistant.
• Business: $6 per month billed yearly ($8 when billed monthly) (20 users = $160/month), includes everything in Pro for each team member, plus a shared team workspace, up to 500 team projects, team calendar layout, granular team activity logs, 1000 team members & guests, 1000 project folders, team roles & permissions, and centralized team billing.

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is one of the best task management software designed to centralize all your work in one place. Users can manage tasks, projects, documents, and communications in one place. The task app's flexibility helps with customizing workflows, from simple task lists to complex project management processes. 

What sets ClickUp apart from other task management software is the breadth of features it offers. Flexibility does come at a cost though since many users claim there is a big learning curve and managing workflows can become complicated quite quickly.

Pros & cons of using ClickUp when managing your tasks

✅Pro: Highly customizable: Users can make use of high customizability to tailor their workflows, views, and dashboards to fit their specific needs. 

✅Pro: All-in-one solution: ClickUp integrates a wide range of features into a single platform. Beyond online task management, it includes time tracking, document creation, goal setting, and communication tools. 

⛔Con: Complexity: The extensive range of features and customization options can make ClickUp overwhelming for new users. There is a steep learning curve, and it may take time for teams to fully understand and use all available features.

⛔Con: Performance issues: Some users have reported performance issues, such as slow loading times and occasional glitches, especially when managing large projects with many tasks. 

⛔Con: Overwhelming interface: While the interface is powerful, it can be cluttered and confusing, particularly for those who prefer a simpler, more streamlined task management software. 

⛔Con: Per-user pricing: Paid plans are per-user which can quickly rise as you introduce more team members, clients and partners to the platform.

ClickUp pricing

ClickUp has a per-user pricing model:

• Free Forever: Ideal for personal use, includes 100MB storage, unlimited tasks, unlimited free plan members, collaborative docs, real-time chat, Kanban boards, sprint management, calendar view and more.
• Unlimited: Best for small teams, costs $7 per user per month (billed annually) ($70 per month for a team of 10). Everything in Free Forever plus unlimited storage, unlimited integrations, unlimited dashboards, unlimited Gantt charts, agile reporting, AI compatibility and more.
• Business: Best for mid-sized teams, costs $12 per user per month (billed annually) ($120/month for a team of 10), includes everything in Unlimited plus Google SSO, unlimited teams, custom exporting, advanced public sharing, advanced automations…
• Enterprise: Best for large teams, custom pricing, includes everything in Business plus white labeling, advanced permissions, conditional logic in forms, enterprise API…

4. Trello

Trello is a highly visual task management app that helps teams organize and track projects through boards, lists, and cards. Each board represents a project, lists represent the stages of the project, and cards represent individual tasks or ideas. 

What sets Trello apart from other online task managers is its emphasis on simplicity. While Trello’s ease-of-use is a big plus for many there have also been complaints about the lack of more complex features and task views such as a list view. 

Pros & cons of using Trello as your task management software

✅Pro: User-friendly interface: Trello's visual Kanban-style boards are intuitive and easy to use. This makes it simple to create, organize, and manage tasks, even for users who are new to task management tools.

✅Pro: Flexibility and customization: Trello offers a high degree of flexibility with customizable boards, lists, and cards. Users can adapt these elements to suit various workflows and projects.

⛔Con: Per-user pricing: Per user pricing can make trello a costly task management solution for teams that aim to collaborate with a lot of internal and external team members. Per-user-per-month pricing can quickly run a bill into hundreds of dollars every month.

⛔Con: scalability issues: Trello's simplicity can be a drawback for larger teams or more complex projects. It becomes challenging to maintain an overview and manage dependencies effectively as the number of tasks and boards grows.

⛔Con: Lack of advanced reporting: Trello does not offer built-in advanced reporting or analytics features. 

⛔Con: Limited task dependencies and timeline views: While Trello is great for simple task management, it lacks sophisticated features like task dependencies and advanced timeline views.

Trello pricing

Trello’s task management software works with a 4-tier per-user pricing model:

• Free: $0 USD - Task manager for free for individuals or teams looking to organize any project.
• Standard: $5 USD per user/month if billed annually ($6 billed monthly) - $60/month for a team of 10 – For small teams that need to manage work and scale collaboration.
• Premium: $10 USD per user/month if billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly) $125/month for a team of 10 – For teams that need to track and visualize multiple projects in several ways.
• Enterprise: $17.50 USD per user/month billed annually ($210 annual price per user) - For organizations that need to connect work across teams with more security and controls.

5. Wrike

Wrike distinguishes itself as a task management software with advanced features that streamline and automate workflows. It offers versatile project views like Gantt charts and Kanban boards, enabling users to visualize progress in their preferred format. 

What makes Wrike unique in the market is its robust integration with over 400 popular apps, ensuring seamless connectivity and collaboration across platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Pros & cons of using Wrike as your task management app

✅Pro: Comprehensive project management features: Wrike offers a robust set of tools for project management, including Gantt charts, task dependencies, time tracking, and custom workflows. These features help teams plan, execute, and monitor projects efficiently.

✅Pro: Strong collaboration tools: Wrike excels in facilitating cross-functional team collaboration with features like real-time activity streams, document sharing, and integrated communication tools. This ensures that team members stay connected and informed throughout the project lifecycle.

⛔Con: Steep learning curve: Due to its extensive features and capabilities, new users may find Wrike challenging to learn and navigate initially. This can result in a longer onboarding process and require more training.

⛔Con:High cost for advanced features: While Wrike offers a free plan and various pricing tiers, access to advanced features and integrations can be expensive. This can make it less accessible for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets.

⛔Con: Complex user interface: Some users find Wrike's interface to be cluttered and overwhelming, especially when managing multiple projects simultaneously. This complexity can hinder usability and efficiency for some team members.

⛔Con: Limited customization options: Although Wrike provides many features, some users may find the customization options for dashboards and reports limited compared to other task management tools. This can restrict how teams tailor the platform to their specific needs.

Wrike pricing

Wrike’s task management software has a 4-tier per-member pricing model:

• Free: $0/user/month - Intelligent online task manager with active task limitations, one user only.
• Team: $9.80/user/month ($98/month for a team of 10)- Only available for 2-25 users – unlimited projects, tasks, and automations (50 actions/user/month).
• Business: $24.80/user/month - ($248/month for a team of 10) Available for 5-200 users with custom item types, resource management, and automations (200 actions/user/month).
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing - 5 to unlimited users with advanced security features and automations (1000 actions/user/month).

6. Asana

Asana is a task management app designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work efficiently.

What makes Asana unique in the task management landscape is its strong emphasis on simplicity combined with powerful functionality. Its intuitive design ensures that even non-technical users can quickly adopt the platform without a steep learning curve. 

Pros & cons of using Asana as your task management app

✅Pro: User-friendly interface: Asana is known for its intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, which helps teams quickly get up to speed. The drag-and-drop functionality for tasks and projects simplifies organization and workflow management.

✅Pro: Robust task and project management features: Asana offers a comprehensive set of features, including task assignments, due dates, project timelines, and customizable project views like lists, boards, and calendars. These features allow teams to manage tasks efficiently and keep track of project progress.

⛔Con: High per-user pricing: Asana's starter plan costs $10.99/user/month when billed annually. This means you’ll quickly be spending over three or four figures for your task management every month.

⛔Con: Complexity with large projects: While Asana is great for small to medium-sized projects, it can become cumbersome and less efficient when managing very large projects with numerous tasks and dependencies. 

⛔Con: Limited time tracking and budgeting tools: Asana lacks built-in time tracking and budgeting features, which are essential for many project management needs. Users often need to rely on third-party integrations to fill this gap, which can complicate the workflow.

⛔Con: Email overload: Asana generates a significant amount of email notifications, which can overwhelm users and lead to important updates being missed in a cluttered inbox. While notifications can be customized, users often find the default settings to be excessive.

Asana pricing

• Personal: $0/user/month - Free task manager with unlimited tasks, projects, and messages.
• Starter: $10.99/user/month (billed annually) ($109.9/month for a team of 10) - Advanced project tracking with timeline view, workflows, and up to 500 teammates.
• Advanced: $24.99/user/month (billed annually) - ($249.90/month for a team of 10) Enhanced portfolio and goal management with 25,000 automations and advanced reporting.
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing - Unlimited users with advanced security features, custom branding, and premium support.
• Enterprise+: Contact for pricing - Includes all Enterprise features plus additional compliance and security integrations like SIEM and HIPAA.

‍

7 Basecamp

Basecamp is a task management software that simplifies project management by providing an all-in-one platform for teams to collaborate effectively.

What makes Basecamp one of the best apps for task management is its emphasis on communication and simplicity. Basecamp prioritizes clear communication with built-in message boards, group chat (Campfires), and automatic check-ins to keep everyone on the same page.

Pros & cons of using Basecamp as your task management app

‍

✅Pro: All-in-one collaboration tool: Basecamp combines multiple tools into one platform, including to-do lists, file sharing, message boards, schedules, and real-time group chat. This integration helps teams keep all their communications and project details in one place, reducing the need for multiple apps.

✅Pro: Simplicity and ease of use: Basecamp's user-friendly interface and straightforward design make it easy for teams to adopt and use effectively. Its simplicity is especially beneficial for small to medium-sized teams that need to get organized quickly without a steep learning curve.

⛔Con: Limited advanced project management features: Unlike some other project management tools, Basecamp lacks advanced features such as Gantt charts, task dependencies, and detailed reporting. 

⛔Con: No time tracking: Basecamp does not offer built-in time tracking, which can be a critical feature for teams needing to monitor the time spent on tasks and projects. Users must rely on third-party integrations to add this functionality.

⛔Con: Limited customization: Basecamp offers fewer customization options compared to other task management tools. Users may find it challenging to tailor the platform to their specific needs, as there is less flexibility in adjusting workflows, dashboards, and reports.

Basecamp pricing

Basecamp has a per-user pricing model for its task management application up until a certain amount, after which it becomes flat rate.

• Basecamp Per User: $15/user per month - ($150/month for a team of 10) Ideal for freelancers, startups, or smaller teams with every feature included and 500 GB storage.
• Basecamp Pro Unlimited: $299/month billed annually (or $349/month billed monthly) - Perfect for larger businesses with unlimited users, 5 TB storage, 24/7 priority support, and additional features like Timesheet and Admin Pro Pack add-ons.

8. Hive

Hive is a versatile task management app that consolidates project planning, execution, and tracking into one platform. 

Comprehensive proofing and approval processes are one of Hive’s main selling points. Teams can centralize document reviews and feedback to improve collaboration and ensure all necessary steps are followed.

Pros & cons of using Hive as your task management app

✅Pro: Team interaction and communication: Hive facilitates excellent team interactions and communications. Users appreciate the ability to catch up with team members and find the software effective for collaborative work, making it a valuable tool for team-based projects.

✅Pro: Ease of use and frequent updates: Users find Hive efficient and easy to use. The platform is regularly updated with new features, which users enjoy learning about and integrating into their workflows.

⛔Con: Reporting and accountability issues: Some users have reported that Hive's reporting and accountability features are lacking. There are issues with the logic in recurring actions, which can prevent the generation of accurate productivity reports.

⛔Con: Inability to create dependent tasks in recurring actions: A notable drawback mentioned by users is the inability to create dependent tasks within project actions that recur. This limitation can hinder the effective management of complex projects that require dependencies.

⛔Con: Annoying aspects and quirks: Users have pointed out certain annoying aspects and quirks of Hive. For example, "future" actions are not always treated as future actions, which can cause confusion and disrupt planning.

⛔Con: Complexity in some features: While Hive offers a range of features, some users find certain functionalities complex or not intuitive. This can lead to a steeper learning curve and may require more time for teams to fully utilize the tool's capabilities.

Hive pricing

• Free: $0/month: Free task manager that Includes 200MB storage, up to 10 workspace members, unlimited tasks and collaborative notes, various work views, email integration, and native chat messaging.
• Starter: $5/month per user ($50/month for a team of 10) Includes everything in Free plus unlimited storage, up to 10 workspace members, up to 10 projects, Gantt view, cloud storage integrations, in-app calendar, Zoom and Slack integration, and an AI Assistant.
• Teams: $12/month per user: Includes everything in Starter plus unlimited workspace members, flexible add-ons, shareable forms, time tracking, portfolio view, unlimited workflows, team sharing, and custom fields, labels, and statuses.

9. Meistertask

MeisterTask streamlines workflows and boosts team productivity with its intuitive, Kanban-style project boards. Teams can easily visualize tasks and track progress from start to finish.

What sets MeisterTask apart is its robust automation features and strong security focus. Users can automate repetitive workflow steps, saving time and ensuring consistency. 

Pros & cons of using Meistertask as your task management app

✅Pro: User-friendly interface and robust features: MeisterTask boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, paired with a wide range of robust features and collaboration tools. These attributes make it an outstanding project management solution for users.

⛔Con: Lack of internal calendar: A notable drawback is the absence of an internal calendar feature. Users have expressed the need for an integrated calendar to enhance task scheduling and time management.

⛔Con: Poor file sharing and revision management: File sharing and revision management within MeisterTask are considered poor by some users. There is a desire for improved handling of these aspects to better support collaborative work.

⛔Con: Dependability issues for remote work: For users with remote teams, MeisterTask has been criticized for its lack of dependability in assigning tasks and managing timekeeping for clients. This can be a significant issue for businesses that rely on remote collaboration.

Meistertask pricing

• Basic: Free – Core task management features for single users. Includes up to 3 projects, unlimited project members, customizable project boards, up to 5 collaborative notes, and quick reports.
• Pro: $13.5 per user/month: ($135/month for a team of 10) Includes all Basic features plus external sharing, unlimited projects and notes, agenda, unlimited integrations, private projects, automations, and advanced search.
• Business: $24 per user/month ($240/month for a team of 10) Includes all Pro features plus subtasks, timeline, roles and permissions, custom fields, security restrictions, priority email and phone support, and custom reports.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing – Includes all Business features plus tailored pricing offer, dedicated account manager, personalized onboarding assistance, and SAML Single Sign-On.

10. Notion

Notion redefines task management by offering a highly customizable and all-in-one workspace that goes beyond simple task tracking. Users can create tasks and projects within a flexible, modular environment, allowing them to tailor workflows to their exact needs. 

What sets Notion apart from other task management apps is its unparalleled versatility and customization. Users can design their own task boards, tables, calendars, and lists, adapting Notion to any project management style, whether it's Kanban, Agile, or a personalized method. 

Pros & cons of using Notion as your task management app

✅Pro: Integrated templates: Notion provides integrated templates that help users quickly launch new projects or tasks. This feature allows for easy integration of information from various sources, making it highly efficient for project setup.

✅Pro: Ease of organizing notes: Organizing notes or dashboards in Notion is super easy and fun. The ability to create a note within another note and link it to a line in a note is highly beneficial, helping users maintain organized and interconnected information.

⛔Con: Per-user pricing: Per-user pricing options can quickly skyrocket depending on who you’re collaborating with and the number of external people like clients, freelancers or other stakeholders need to access and collaborate with you.

⛔Con: Navigation difficulties: Some users find Notion difficult to navigate. This can result in inefficiencies and frustrations, especially when transitioning from other project management tools that might have simpler interfaces.

⛔Con:Initial learning curve: New users might face a steep learning curve when starting with Notion. 

⛔Con: Lack of direct communication features: Notion does not have a built-in chat feature which can make communicating between team members challenging.

Notion pricing

Notion has a 4-tier pricing model with an AI add-on:

• Free Plan: $0 per month: Free task manager with up to 10 guests, basic page analytics, 7-day page history, and limited block storage for multiple members.
• Plus Plan: $10 per seat/month (billed annually) or $12 per seat/month (billed monthly): Everything in Free, plus unlimited blocks for teams, unlimited file uploads, 30-day page history, invite up to 100 guests, synced databases, custom websites, custom automations, and charts & dashboards.
• Business Plan: $15 per seat/month (billed annually) or $18 per seat/month (billed monthly): Everything in Plus, plus SAML SSO, private teamspaces, bulk PDF export, advanced page analytics, 90-day page history, and invite up to 250 guests.
• Enterprise Plan: Contact Sales for pricing: Everything in Business, plus SCIM API for user provisioning, advanced security & controls, audit log, customer success manager, workspace analytics, unlimited page history, security & compliance integrations, and invite up to 250 guests.

Notion AI: $8 per member/month (billed annually) or $10 per member/month (billed monthly): Add to any plan for unlimited use of Q&A, autofill, and writer features.

Is Slack no longer meeting your team's needs? You're not alone. 

Many organizations are looking for Slack alternatives for team communication either because they’re missing a certain feature and/or want a more cost-efficient solution. 

In this article we’ll be sharing 15 best Slack alternatives to make sure you work with the tools that fit your team best.

1. Rock

Rock is the best Slack alternative because it integrates messaging with tasks, notes, files, and meetings. Teams can manage all aspects of a project without switching between apps for documentation, collaboration and instant messaging. 

Every project space is packed with a complete set of communication & collaboration features:

• Messaging: Real-time communication through chat with support for gifs, reactions, and mentions.
• Tasks: Task management with features like task boards, calendar views, time tracking, assignees and comments.
• Notes: Creation, discussion, and sharing of notes within the team.
• Files: File management and integration with cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud  Dropbox, and Smartsheet.
• Meetings: Integrate with Google Meet, Zoom or Jitsi and create new meetings directly from within the space

What makes Rock a great Slack alternative

Rock is better than Slack for a lot of teams since it integrates essential project management tools with team communication. Here are some of the main reasons why users think Rock is the best alternative to Slack:

• Integrated task management: Rock combines messaging with robust task management features, including Kanban boards, time tracking, and the ability to attach files to tasks. This integration eliminates the need for additional task management apps.
• Notes and files in one place: Unlike Slack, which focuses primarily on messaging, Rock allows users to create, share, and discuss notes and manage files within the same platform. This centralization of information ensures that all project-related materials are easily accessible.
• Flat pricing: Rock offers a flat pricing plan for unlimited users and projects. As a result, teams often save thousands every month by making the switch.
• Chat in seconds with Quick Connect: Drop the email threads and enable anyone to open a chat with you to discuss new projects, offer support or connect stakeholders with dedicated quick connect links. 
• Easy migration from Slack: Rock provides an easy three-step process to import all workspace data from Slack, ensuring a smooth transition without losing any past conversations or data.

2. Ryver

Ryver positions itself as a more integrated and cost-effective solution for team collaboration by combining messaging, task management, and voice/video calls in a single app. 

This approach reduces the complexity and cost associated with using multiple separate applications, which is often necessary with Slack. Additionally, Ryver's built-in task management makes it an attractive alternative for teams and enterprises looking for a comprehensive collaboration tool.

3. Flock

Flock differentiates itself from Slack by offering a more integrated suite of productivity tools and a focus on collaboration across various business functions.Flock comes equipped with built-in tools such as to-dos, polls, reminders, and file sharing. 

Security is another strong point for Flock, with comprehensive admin controls, authentication, data retention, and user permissions built into the platform. These features make Flock a compelling alternative to Slack for organizations looking for a comprehensive messaging and collaboration solution.

4. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams differentiates itself from Slack primarily through its deep integration with the Microsoft 365 suite. Teams seamlessly integrates with tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and OneDrive, allowing users to collaborate on documents in real-time directly within the app. 

Combine chat, video conferencing, and voice calling into a single platform, similar to Slack, but with more advanced features for larger-scale meetings and webinars. 

5. Discord

Discord is a free slack alternative that offers a more social and community-centric experience compared to Slack. Features like integrations with streaming services and community events foster a sense of community and engagement. 

Discord also provides extensive moderation tools and bots, which help manage large communities effectively.

Voice channels are one of Discord’s unique features. Users can drop in and out of conversations effortlessly making it ideal for dynamic, real-time interactions. Discord also supports extensive server customization with roles and permissions.

6. ClickUp

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ClickUp is one of the Slack app alternatives that differentiates itself by offering comprehensive project management and productivity features. The platform offers a wide array of features designed to manage tasks, projects, and workflows all in one platform. 

Features include task management, goal tracking, time tracking, Gantt charts, and customizable dashboards. Project management capabilities enable teams to plan, organize, and execute their work within a single ecosystem, reducing the need for multiple tools and enhancing overall productivity.

7. Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat differentiates itself from Slack primarily through its open-source nature. Organizations have the flexibility to host the platform on their own servers, providing enhanced control over data privacy and security.

Open source functionality can be particularly appealing to enterprises with stringent compliance requirements or those in regulated industries. Rocket.Chat allows for extensive customization and integration with other tools, enabling organizations to tailor the platform to their specific needs and workflows. 

Additionally, Rocket.Chat is a secure Slack alternative that supports a broader range of communication protocols, including federation and interoperability with other messaging systems like Matrix and XMPP. 

8. Troop Messenger

Troop Messenger is an alternative to Slack that provides both SaaS and on-premise deployment options. As a result organizations can choose the level of control they need over their data. 

On-premise deployment for a messaging solution is particularly beneficial for industries with stringent security requirements, as it enables complete data ownership and compliance with regulatory standards. 

Troop Messenger's emphasis on security is further highlighted by features such as end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and LDAP/SSO integration, providing a robust and secure communication environment.

9. Bitrix24

Bitrix24 differentiates itself from Slack by offering a comprehensive suite of tools that extend beyond simple team communication. While Slack primarily focuses on messaging and collaboration, Bitrix24 combines these functions with a robust CRM, project management, and online workspace capabilities. 

The CRM includes features like sales management, contact center integration, and sales team collaboration, which are not available in Slack.  Moreover, Bitrix24 offers significant advantages in terms of cost and scalability. A flat-fee structure eliminates the unpredictable costs associated with adding more team members. 

Bitrix24 also supports on-premise deployment, giving organizations the ability to host the platform on their servers for greater control over data security and compliance. 

10. Mattermost

Mattermost is purpose-built for organizations operating in highly regulated and sensitive environments such as defense, government, and critical infrastructure.

Mattermost differentiates itself from other alternatives to Slack by offering features like on-premise deployment, air-gapped network support, and fully self-sovereign infrastructure.

This Slack alternative also supports extensive integrations with tools like MS Teams, Atlassian (Trello), and GitLab, facilitating seamless workflows across different platforms.

11. Basecamp

Basecamp differentiates itself from Slack by offering a comprehensive project management platform that focuses on organization and productivity rather than just communication. A holistic approach allows teams to keep all project-related information and communication in one place, reducing the need for multiple tools.

Basecamp emphasizes asynchronous communication through message boards and automatic check-ins. This work philosophy supports a more deliberate and less stressful work pace, encouraging deep work and reducing distractions. 

12. Twist

Twist differentiates itself from Slack by focusing on asynchronous (async) communication. Channels are organized by topic, project, or client to break down silos, making it easier for teams to stay focused and prioritize their work without the anxiety of keeping up with notifications. 

This Slack alternative also does away with certain real-time features like "available" status bubbles and stress-inducing notification dots, which can create a pressure to respond immediately.

Twist encourages deep work and minimizes digital stress by allowing team members to engage with communication when they are ready, rather than feeling compelled to be "always on." 

13. Pumble

Pumble differentiates itself from Slack by offering a completely free communication platform that includes unlimited users, unlimited message history, and unlimited channels. Paid subscription plans (Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Productivity Suite) offer additional features and increased storage compared to the free plan.

14. Google Chat

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Google Chat differentiates itself from Slack by deeply integrating with the broader Google Workspace ecosystem. The messaging functionality works alongside Google’s existing services such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. 

The close integration with Google Workspace makes Google Chat an attractive option for organizations already invested in Google for their email communication, simplifying workflows and enhancing productivity.

Google Chat also includes robust search functionality powered by Google’s search technology, making it easier to find past conversations and shared documents. 

15. Workplace by Meta

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Formerly Workplace by Facebook. Workplace by Meta differentiates itself from Slack by offering an integrated business communication that resembles Facebook in some parts. 

Workplace's design mirrors Facebook’s interface, which simplifies adoption and usability, particularly for employees already familiar with social media navigation. 

The business messaging app is built on the same infrastructure that supports Facebook, ensuring high levels of security and reliability suitable for large-scale enterprise use.

“Another Zoom meeting? No, please! I already have a Zoom headache”. 

Since the pandemic hit, we have been on video calls more than ever before. Virtual meeting burnout is a very real thing. And more and more people are suffering signs of Zoom fatigue these days. 

Let’s talk about the “elephant in the Zoom”: Zoom meetings can be draining. Pressing the Leave/End button and relaxing the “Zoom face” is the ultimate moment of relief for many.

But what’s wrong with Zoom meetings and why are so many people experiencing Zoom exhaustion? What exactly is tiring us out? In the following article you will find all you need to know about Zoom fatigue symptoms and how to deal with Zoom burnout. Read along!

What is Zoom fatigue? 

The term “Zoom fatigue” (also called virtual meeting fatigue) was popularized on social media during the first months of 2020. But it has been continuously searched online afterwards, according to Google trends.

Over two years into the pandemic, a recent survey found that nearly a quarter of American remote workers (23%) say that their Zoom fatigue is worse than ever. But it is not just an internet phenomenon. And it is not just about Zoom. It was called “Zoom fatigue” because of the popularity of the platform among the available remote work tools. 

A first peer-reviewed article about the so-called Zoom fatigue symptoms from a psychological perspective was published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behavior in February 2021, by Stanford University communication professor Jeremy Bailenson.

Bailenson researched the symptoms of Zoom fatigue. He concluded that Zoom was “an amazing tool”, but its continued use can have “psychological consequences”. According to the Bailenson study, Zoom and other popular video chat platforms have “design flaws” that exhaust the human mind and body. 

After too many Zoom meetings, you can feel extremely tired and have some signs of Zoom burnout, such as forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension pain, fatigue and insomnia. 

Let’s find out why, and what you can do to reduce Zoom meetings while staying organized at work. 

Why do I feel drained after meetings? 

As the Bailenson research shows, video calls exhaust humans and cause Zoom fatigue symptoms. 

There are different reasons that explain why you can experience meeting fatigue when using videoconferencing technology.

Here are the five main reasons:

1. Too close up eye contact

When you talk to someone face to face, there is usually way more distance with the other person than in a Zoom meeting. 

However, if you use video conferencing platforms, cameras are often very close. As a result, the amount of eye contact becomes too intense, and the size of faces on screens seems unnatural.

Besides, in a Zoom call everyone is mostly looking at everyone all the time, so even if you don’t speak, you still have faces staring at you. It can cause Zoom exhaustion because we are not used to that permanent eye contact.

“This is similar to being in a crowded subway car while being forced to stare at the person you are standing very close to, instead of looking down or at your phone”, explains Bailenson.

“On top of this, it is as if everyone rotated their bodies such that their faces were oriented toward your eyes. [...] For many Zoom users, this happens for hours consecutively”, says the psychologist.

2. Seeing yourself

Another cause of Zoom fatigue symptoms  is what Bailenson calls “an all day mirror”. You don’t see yourself when communicating in person. In a Zoom meeting, you see yourself all the time. It’s very hard for us not to look at our own faces if we can see them on screen, or to not be conscious of how we behave in front of the camera.

Imagine an assistant following you all around the office with a handheld mirror while you have meetings with people, making sure you see yourself in that mirror while you have those conversations. Does it sound like a weird or even worrying example of a toxic work culture? Well, it is not much different to what happens in a Zoom call.

“Even though one can change the settings to ‘hide self view’, the default is that we see our own real-time camera feed, and we stare at ourselves throughout hours of meetings per day”, stresses Bailenson in his report.

Marissa Shuffler is an associate professor at Clemson University. She says that being on camera makes you aware of being watched, which can result in “social pressure” and “feeling like you need to perform”. “Being performative is nerve-wracking and stressful”, adds the psychology professor.

3. Too long

Meeting in person and online are different. A lot of virtual meetings are too long, causing exhaustion and leading to Zoom fatigue symptoms.

“After a long day of back-to-back video calls, it’s normal to feel drained”, explain authors Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy in a Harvard Business Review article. The length of Zoom meetings is a shared complaint among many remote workers.

There are countless posts on blogs and social media platforms from users suffering from Zoom exhaustion. Many people complain about “too long” virtual meetings. For some, virtual meetings transform into a “Zoom all day long”, as stated by workplace advice columnist Alison Green. 

2021 Zoom data shows that meetings are still too long. A Zoom survey of nearly 1,700 users suggests that the average meeting length was nearly an hour. That is a rather long meeting, and nearly twice as long as our attention span allows for. According to Microsoft research, fatigue sets in about half an hour into video meetings. 

We all have been in meetings that weren’t needed. You can try out these meeting agenda examples to improve the length and productivity of your video meetings.

4. Little mobility

Staying seated in a chair for prolonged periods of time can be challenging and unhealthy. Also, staying within the angle of the camera can come unnatural.

In-person and phone conversations allow you to walk around and move. But with videoconferencing, most cameras have a set field of view, meaning you have to generally stay in the same spot. 

According to Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson, when we move, we “perform better cognitively”.

5. Cognitive load

In regular face-to-face interaction, nonverbal communication is natural and helps us to interpret messages subconsciously. But in video chats it is harder to send and receive gestures.

We make our brain work harder by exaggerating our facial expressions. We also have to make more conscious signs (such as thumbs up or down) to note if we agree or disagree with something, explains Bailenson.

That adds cognitive load and the use of your “mental calories” to communicate and to understand others. As a result, you carry a heavier cognitive load and it adds to Zoom fatigue.

Things to do during your meetings to prevent Zoom fatigue

So now that we have explored the problem, let’s explore the solution.

Here are some things you can do to avoid Zoom fatigue symptoms, in case those Zoom meetings can’t be avoided:

• Turn your camera off every now and then: Take breaks from the camera every now and then to recharge your batteries.

• Move around: Take meetings while going on a walk if possible, or move around the house. 

• Sit further away from the screen: usual interactions have 1 meter between people, try sitting away further from your screen.

• Reduce meeting time: Try to keep meetings at 30 minutes max. Reducing items on a meeting agenda might also allow for a smaller group to attend, so it’s a more focused conversation.

• Set up a meeting agenda and follow virtual meeting best practices: improve virtual meetings and make sure you are getting the most out of that time.

How to avoid meetings altogether

It is not always possible, but for some companies it might be a good idea to reduce Zoom meetings to the bare minimum and apply other communication strategies.

If that is your case, there are three options you can try to implement to leave video conferences behind and forget about Zoom fatigue symptoms once and for all.

1. Switch to asynchronous by default

“We should evaluate why we are choosing a video for so many calls that previously would never have warranted a face-to-face meeting, or perhaps any synchronous meeting at all”, says professor Jeremy Bailenson.

Asynchronous work requires less direct response and allows people to get work done in their own time. This allows team members to pick up tasks from others without waiting for meetings or direct messages.

2. Learn to say no

Sometimes you just don’t need another meeting. Learn to say no when you don’t think you will bring value to it.

Task management skills can be useful for that purpose, as you will learn to prioritize which meetings are more relevant.

3. Leverage documentation

Storing information means team members can find information more easily without needing to reach out to or schedule a meeting for clarification.

If you look into how to improve productivity in an organization, you will start having your documents more structured and organized, thus less meetings will be necessary.

How do I recover from Zoom fatigue?

Already experiencing Zoom headache, virtual meeting burnout and other Zoom fatigue symptoms?

Here is some advice for you:

• Communicate with your team: Share your issues with your coworkers. You might be able to brainstorm a solution together. Check in questions for meetings can be a good start for it.

• Take some time off: Taking a few days off can have positive effects on your mental health.

• Set a no meetings day: Set a day in the week in which you don’t accept meetings. This allows you to clear your mind for a complete day. 

Stop zooming, start rocking!

Rock is designed to help you avoid unnecessary meetings, so you can reduce meeting fatigue. Use messages, tasks, notes and files to increase the efficiency of your meetings or to not need them in the first place!

However, we do believe that when necessary, virtual meetings should be easy to carry out. Rock has Zoom, Google Meet and Jitsi integrations, so you can start rocking in all you meetings!

Distractions are everywhere. Between endless emails, social media, and nonstop Zoom meetings, it's hard to stay focused. Fortunately, there are strategies aimed at how to work effectively and efficiently on the daily.

I spent the last 3 years growing a productivity tool and writing 100+ blogs focused on productivity, collaboration, and team communication. I have broken down my learnings into 14 work strategies to excel in your daily tasks while safeguarding work-life balance.

Alongside explanations and strategies, I'll also be sharing a free template on working effectively and efficiently to help you integrate these learnings into your routine.

Before jumping to the strategies; let’s go over the actual meaning of working effectively and efficiently.

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Working efficiently and effectively, What is the difference?

Many people use efficiency and effectiveness interchangeably. Before jumping into strategies to optimize them, you must understand the difference:

Working efficiently refers to producing a result in a way that consumes the least time, effort, and resources. For example, imagine you usually spend 4 hours on preparing an update report. If you suddenly manage to prepare the same report in 3 hours then you have increased your efficiency.

Working effectively focuses on the ability for the outcome to reach its goal. For example, think of two employees working in sales. Both have the same workload and perform the same tasks, but one outperforms the other by 20%. We can then conclude that the employee with higher performance is more effective.

In a nutshell, efficiency is about resource usage, while effectiveness is about the success of the output. Most jobs require a balance between speed (efficiency) and quality (effectiveness) when looking at work performance and output.

“Efficiency is concerned with doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” - Peter Drucker

Simply racing through tasks (efficiency) often leads to low-quality output that misses targets. Thus, striking the right balance between effectiveness and efficiency is a must.

Now that you know the difference You might wonder: What should I start doing to be more effective and efficient?

Well, I'll share 14 work strategies and an actionable template so you can level up your work performance consistently.

How to work effectively and efficiently: 14 strategies

Some work strategies focus on efficiency, others on effectiveness and some tackle both. To keep things organized, I'll separate strategies on the performance metric tackled: effectiveness, efficiency, or both at the same time.

4 work strategies to maximize your efficiency

Throughout the years I have been able to maximize my efficiency when completing my weekly responsibilities. These are the main 4 strategies that help me maximize the amount of work done throughout my working hours.

• Reduce the number of meetings you’re in
• Set up a working routine
• Stick to your deadlines
• Use asynchronous video sharing

1. Reduce the number of meetings you’re in

According to the Harvard Business Review, meetings often are run badly and take up too much time. Executives spend nearly 23 hours in meetings, up from <10 hours in the 1960s.

If you can reduce the number of meetings you sit through while still making key decisions and moving forward with projects, then your efficiency is guaranteed to improve. We have an async-first culture at Rock so we've always tried to keep meetings at a bare minimum. As a result, I typically have between 2 to 5 meetings every week.

Cutting down on meeting time doesn't apply to conversations that actually matter, but it might help you avoid meetings that could have been an email. Curious how to fill the gap?

• Documentation: Fewer instructional or last-minute meetings are needed if people can easily find the information they need.
• Asynchronous work: Set up work in such a way that people can finish their tasks without being too dependent on direct responses.
• Task management: Organize priorities with task management to structure the work that has to be done and swiftly move across different responsibilities.

Note that meetings do not need to disappear altogether. Instead, follow our virtual meetings best practices and make sure to communicate efficiently while documenting enough information so your team does not depend on lengthy meetings to be informed on what to do.

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2. Set up a working routine

A routine helps me make efficient use of my time. Implementing structure to the day gives a sense of control and helps improve productivity. Routines also help with removing guilt for unproductive moments so creating one is a must if you want to be more efficient.

Figuring out at what time of day you are most productive and sticking with it helps. When? Chances are you know best. I work with 2-hour "deep work" time slots that I organize throughout the day. I often put in a longer break during lunchtime to go to the gym and then add some extra time in the evening to get the most out of my day.

Whether you're looking for a productive morning routine or want to get work done at night, build a working routine that allows you to tackle tasks consistently.

Routines are there to make our lives easier, as they eliminate constant decision-making and, with that, decision fatigue. Establish new routines by combining the useful with the enjoyable. Petra Zink - Forbes Business Council

Your team must understand the value of flexible and asynchronous work for this to succeed. If a company is strict on working hours or locations, some people likely get left out, which will hurt team efficiency in the long run.

Try to stick to your routine, after all, it takes on average 66 days for behavioral changes to become a habit.

The best way to promote a routine is to gamify the activities and provide small rewards and recognition for those who stick to the routine. - John Knotts - Forbes Business Council

3. Stick to your deadlines

Time and resources are wasted when you don't define timeframes for tasks. Deadlines are a key component in project management strategies to assess your workload and make sure resources aren’t wasted.

Keep in mind that deadlines should not become a roadblock that hinders the effectiveness of a task. Doing something faster (efficiency) is not worth it if that outcome does not fulfill its goal (effectiveness).

Use sprints or configure start and due dates for your tasks with Rock: All-in-one task management, messaging, note-taking, files and meetings in one place.

Implementing reasonable deadlines also boosts motivation as it enables you to say no to new work and making your deadlines before their due date

Discuss reprioritizing your to-do list if you notice that your work is dropping in quality (effectiveness) when sticking to a deadline. Getting assistance from other team members, outsourcing the task, and moving a deadline back are all possible solutions to this problem.

4. Use asynchronous video sharing

Asynchronous video sharing is a great way to scale explanations or explain things without jumping into a meeting. At Rock, I have used asynchronous videos for a bunch of onboarding activities. A pre-recorded video teaches our new hires important information, they can watch it back as many times as they want, and it prevents me from having to schedule a meeting every time someone new is hired.

This strategy is best tailored for one-sided conversations such as presentations, onboardings, or tutorials. Allow people to pause, watch back, and take more effective notes.

Organize all your asynchronous videos in one place with a task board: Get started with Rock to organize your communication and collaboration in one place.

Loom is a tool specifically created to help you record these async videos. After sharing a link, team members can leave comments at different time stamps or respond with a custom emoji in-video.

Let’s say you typically do an onboarding on how your team uses Rock for task management and messaging. If you record a Loom, you can share this video for every onboarding over the next few months instead of planning a walk-through meeting (we have a recording for you if you need an in-depth Rock walkthrough)

4 work strategies you can implement to maximize the effectiveness of your team

We previously discussed how effectiveness focuses on delivering high-quality output. Here are 4 strategies for effective communication and work that I have implemented in my daily routines.

• Use meeting agendas
• Create a weekly to-do list
• Prioritize the most impactful tasks
• Connect with your team

1. Use meeting agendas

Structure is essential in meetings. We don't typically meet if there is no agenda, and require team members to share one well in advance. I previously discussed in best practices for meetings how a meeting agenda is crucial to collaborate effectively and get the most out of your meeting time.

Sharing a meeting agenda ensures that the correct team members are present and allows people to be informed on action items and important information before actually getting together. Overall this saves you valuable time and helps shorten the meeting significantly.

Meeting agendas should be sent out to all attendees at least 24-48 hours in advance so everyone has enough time to go over the information. We discuss the most important meeting agenda examples in a dedicated article, but here are some highlights:

• Action items: What tasks need completing or what issues need resolving before meetings? For example, someone needs to upload a certain document.
• Informational updates: What information should team members digest before getting together? Make sure to share in advance so you can avoid reading information and have a more in-depth discussion on the material.
• Discussion topics: What should be discussed in the meeting? This can include brainstorming or open bullets for other team members to add their topics.
• Relevant files: What documents should you attach to aid the meeting? Make sure to make cloud files easily accessible and available to everyone.

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2. A weekly to-do list helps with being effective

I struggle to work effectively when my thoughts and to-do's are scattered all over the place. Lack of clarity in to-dos just leads to context switching and excessive multi-tasking, ultimately tanking your actual productivity and effectiveness in completing tasks. A lack of organization leaves most people stressed and unable to work on what's most impactful.

By breaking large projects into smaller tasks, you organize your goals into achievable activities. This way, you prioritize work that is most important and relevant to achieving company goals and objectives.

Weekly to-do lists can take a lot of forms. Some people write notes by hand, use simple Excel, or have a dedicated task management app. I use the "Set Aside" function in Rock to manage most of my to-dos, but some team members manage it differently and are still able to work effectively.

I have spoken with many team members internally to see how they manage their to-dos, so here are possible ways to manage a weekly to do list template:

• We use Set Aside to store messages, tasks, notes and topics easily available.
• Summarize all tasks across different spaces in a dedicated ‘My Tasks’ panel.
• Organize tasks in sprints to reduce the cognitive load.
• Discuss to-do’s in depth with topics, dedicated discussions in group spaces.
• Use the task board in the personal space to organize priorities.

Manage your weekly to-dos in one place with Rock: Work with the task board, "my tasks" panel, configure sprints or move tasks, notes messages into the "Set Aside" panel to stay effective.

3. Prioritize the most impactful tasks

If you’re still left thinking - what should I start doing to collaborate effectively and get work done? A simple takeaway would be to prioritize tasks. Prioritization allows you to make the most of your time at work.

Being effective starts with your to-do list. Instead of cluttering up your list with low-impact tasks that overwhelm you, focus on tasks that drive value first. Start your day by selecting the tasks that are important and urgent, in line with previously discussed deadlines.

Effectiveness is not just about how much effort we put in, but where we put that effort. Effectiveness is about doing the right task, not just about doing the task right." - James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits"

Avoid deadlines from hurting your effectiveness by focusing on urgency and importance. This is also known as the Eisenhower matrix. Balance whether a task has to be completed now or can wait for another time. It’s also important to think of how impactful a task will be.

Alongside urgency, focus on tasks that are important to your long-term goals. If a task is neither urgent nor important, drop it or delegate it.

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4. Connect with your team

A significant part of working effectively is fostering good communication within your team. Note that this does not mean scheduling redundant meetings.

Communication goes beyond your close circle. You should extend it to other departments to optimize team members’ effectiveness. This way, the process of improving cross departmental collaboration and cross functional collaboration is naturally incorporated into your workday.

Collaborate effectively by building an environment that is engaging and open. Here are some communication strategies to implement if you want to connect with your team:

• Trust: Trust is key to working effectively as a team. Teams lose effectiveness when trust is lacking as creativity and different perspectives are not nurtured.
• Open feedback: Team members should share their thoughts and feelings, even if they are negative. Welcoming constructive criticism ensures that work relationships and output are optimized. Or if there are issues, they can be discussed and promptly resolved.
• Recognition: Everyone should feel valued and receive the recognition they deserve. Team members feel more compelled to deliver valuable output if it’s recognized and celebrated by other team members.

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6 Work Strategies to implement if you want to work effectively and efficiently

now that we've covered them individually, it’s time to look into some strategies that combine working effectively and efficiently with others at the same time.

• Take time off and rest
• Set asynchronous work as your default
• Use a project management framework
• Implement task management in your team
• Leverage documentation
• Use all-in-one tools

1. Take time off and rest

Forget about effectiveness and efficiency if rest isn’t in your vocabulary. While it might seem counterintuitive, adequate rest is key to preventing burnout.

Like many others, I've been victim to thinking that more hours equals more and better output. And while that might be the case for some time, it will most likely come crashing down at some point.

Our brains are like a muscle. Without rest periods between workouts, it becomes fatigued and you increase the risk of injury. Staying well-rested is essential to maintain concentration, motivation, and ability to solve problems.

Make sure that everyone is well-rested and takes enough rest to avoid a toxic work culture. Introduce check-in questions for meetings and keep an eye on types of communication styles in your team to spot issues before they arise.

Rest is not just the occasional vacation. While taking time off is crucial, rest needs to be an everyday practice. For example, 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice with positive affirmation for work can make a big difference for your productivity and health.

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2. Set asynchronous work as your default

What’s the best way to work if you're looking to get effective and efficient output? We advocate for asynchronous work as a collaboration default state. This methodology does not require all team members to be online at the same time, providing our whole team with more flexibility.

Employees can focus on their efficiency and effectiveness without waiting for others to finish tasks. Think of daily collaboration like a relay race instead of a sprint. Team members can pick up a task from another one without needing to wait for an “okay.”

Rock was built from the ground up to help teams implement asynchronous work and make day-to-day collaboration and communication more effective and efficient.

There is no need for constant check-ins, meetings, and consistent messaging that interrupts your daily work. Team members can stay organized at work without relying on others. Asynchronous work allows you to choose work faster and set a schedule that maximizes your productivity.

You get the freedom to start your day according to your needs when everyone doesn't have to be online at the same time throughout the workday. Some overlap is a must, but it shouldn't encompass 100% of your workday.

3. Use a project management framework

The right project management framework can help you organize your work in a more structured way. Project management provides you with processes and guidelines to help deliver efficient and effective output. To find the right one, ask yourself - what’s the best way to work for your team?

Although there are plenty of frameworks, Agile vs Waterfall are some of the most commonly applied frameworks. Despite their differences, both have been adopted by major companies for their proven success. For example, companies like Apple and IBM use Agile due to its demonstrated effectiveness.

When choosing a framework, consider your team's needs, project requirements, and organizational culture. By selecting the most suitable approach, you can optimize productivity and ensure a smooth project execution.

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4. Implement task management in your team

Task management allows you to maximize your efficiency and effectiveness by breaking large goals into smaller stepping stones. This makes prioritizing, optimizing workflows and getting work done easier as it’s configured in smaller pieces.

Since prioritization is key with task management, you can leverage the different features it offers to focus on the most important work. You can also track how many activities you finished in different time frames.

This makes it easier to become more efficient as time passes. You can track how long you spend on different activities, and find back past activities without searching across folders or docs.

Here are a few features within task management that can help you with managing your workload.

• Deadlines: add a start or due date to your tasks and make sure that they are finished in time.
• Connect with your team: use the comment section, assignees and followers to keep all relevant team members in the loop.
• @mention: You can @mention tasks in comments, descriptions and outside of the Tasks mini-app to quickly set up a weekly to-do-list.
• Prioritize: Tasks have a priority field: Highest, high, medium, low, lowest. Updating your tasks with this field allows you to filter all tasks to only see the most important to-do’s.

Rock is an all-in-one task management tool that includes feature-rich task cards and multiple views so you have complete flexibility in how you organize your projects.

5. Leverage documentation

A core component of working effectively and efficiently is documentation. Store past activities and information and make them easily accessible to you and the rest of your team. Here’s how documentation helps with efficiency and effectiveness:

• Implementing documentation makes your team more efficient as they spend less time searching for relevant work information. Well-documented teams can access important information without searching for too long or reaching out to one or more team members.
• Teams become more effective through documentation because they have more information available when completing a task. They can also more easily access relevant activities or information from the past that can help improve the output.

Getting a file management platform like Google Drive or Dropbox is not enough though. There’s nothing worse than endlessly searching for information across your folders or continuously sharing links with different team members.

We initially encountered the same issues, which is why we added native integrations with the most popular cloud storage providers to Rock. Think of Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Notion, Miro, Figma and many others in the Files mini-app.

Rock users can easily access shared files in the Files mini-app: Add relevant project folders to your space and quickly make them available to everyone.

6. Use all-in-one tools

If you’re using multiple tools to communicate and collaborate with your team then bringing it all together might help your team. Disconnected workflows cause a lot of context switching. This reduces efficiency and effectiveness, here's why:

• Efficiency is reduced because people have to switch between platforms to find information or get work done. This all takes away time which could have been spent in more productive ways.
• Teams become less effective because coworkers don't work with all the resources they need to provide valuable output. Tasks will be less complete when done without all the needed documentation.

Rock combines messaging with tasks and your favorite apps so you can focus on maximizing effective and efficient work: avoid switching between a separate messaging and task management platform to get work done.

Work Efficiently and Effectively with Rock

Ready to implement one or more of the strategies given throughout? Get started with this free template and check off every new strategy once you've implemented it.

Use the chat to discuss different strategies, add your own, and bring your work output to the next level.

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Rock can become a powerful tool for your team if you want to optimize your effectiveness and efficiency. From a weekly to-do list to asynchronous work in general, there is functionality built from the ground up to cover it all. Sign up for free and try it out.

Sign up for free to Rock to manage all your communication and collaboration in one place.

I hope this article was able to add valuable insights if you were wondering how to work effectively and efficiently with your team. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Youtube and don’t forget to share the article and tag us!

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In an ever-connected world where speed, efficiency, and convenience matter, instant messaging apps have taken center stage.

Messaging apps are not just about quick chats anymore— they're about sharing files, making voice and video calls, and even hosting virtual meetings. We've curated a list of the 10 best instant messaging apps that are redefining digital communication in 2024.

Ready to explore? Let's dive in!

1. Rock

We know, we know, that’s us. But you won’t regret giving our instant messaging app a chance!

Rock's messaging is not just your average chat tool—it's a powerhouse for working effectively and efficiently. Rock is designed to meet the diverse needs of teams in 2023: connect with team members, freelancers, or clients in the same place.

You get the freedom of sending unlimited messages, creating unlimited 1:1 spaces, and sharing files with anyone. Our messaging app is designed to make cross-organizational collaboration a breeze, allowing you to add collaborators from other companies, agencies, or freelancers to the same space.

You can also mention tasks, notes, people, files and spaces in every chat. No more juggling between tabs or losing context—everything you need is in the same project space: instant messaging, task management, note taking and file management.

Share audio messages, conduct polls, express with emojis, or use the advanced search functionality to find any task, note, file, or message. You can even schedule messages and pin important announcements when you upgrade to Unlimited.

The best part? Rock's Messaging is mobile-friendly, so you can take your conversations, tasks and work files wherever you go. Messaging on the platform is secure and made to supercharge your team's communication.

Ready to get started with the best messaging app? Start today with Rock’s all-in-one messaging platform.

Main benefits of selecting Rock for instant messaging

• Integrated task management: Project spaces include much more than messaging. The chat is natively connected to tasks, allowing users to discuss work, assign tasks, and track their completion all in one place.
• Collaboration with external parties: Quickly add other companies, agencies, or freelancers to a workspace.
• Integrations: Connect and manage apps like Zoom, Google Meet, Figma, Dropbox, Notion and others directly within the group message app.
• Quick connect: Create a custom invite link which allows others to open a project space with you within seconds.
• Cross-platform availability: Rock is available on various platforms, including Windows, Mac, iphone messaging app, and Android.  
• Flat pricing: Unlike other tools on the market, Rock does not have per-user pricing. Teams can collaborate with unlimited team members, freelancers and clients at a flat rate.

2. Slack

Slack is a cloud-based collaboration tool that aims to bring all communication together in one place. The instant messaging app is designed to support the way people naturally work together, making it easy to collaborate with individuals and workgroups in real time.

Users can organize team conversations in channels. Channels can be based on anything, be it a team, a project, a department, or even office-related random discussions. An intuitive structure helps keep track of important decisions and discussions, which otherwise get lost in email chains.

Slack doubles as a hub for all your essential work tools. By integrating with services like Google Drive, Salesforce, or Asana, Slack brings all your tools under one roof. No more tab-switching.

Slack does have its Achilles' heel: cost. To unlock most of the platform's powerful features, teams must subscribe to one of Slack's premium plans. The cost can escalate quickly for larger teams with per-user pricing, making it a less desirable option for those mindful of their bottom line.

Benefits of using Slack as your messaging app

• Channel-based organization: The concept of channels, which are essentially conversation threads, is a defining feature of Slack. Channels can be created for specific projects, teams, or topics, and can be made public or private.
• Secure collaboration: Slack offers enterprise-grade security with features like two-factor authentication and data encryption.
• Customizable notifications: Slack offers keyword notifications, where users can be notified whenever a specific word or phrase is mentioned. This level of notification customization is not commonly found in other group message apps.

3. Microsoft teams

Microsoft Teams is an app for messaging that's part of the Microsoft 365 suite. Teams provides a hub for communication, including messaging, video meetings, and file-sharing.

Conversations are organized in a threaded manner, preserving the context and history of discussions. Users can also draw attention to specific messages using @mentions for individuals or the entire team.

File sharing is integrated directly into the chat, and users can collaborate on these files in real-time. Additionally, Microsoft Teams allows for the integration of other Microsoft 365 apps within the chat interface, such as SharePoint, OneNote, and Planner.

A common complaint about Microsoft Teams is that its user interface can feel cluttered and overwhelming, especially for new users. Some users also report that the group message app can be slow or laggy, particularly when handling large files or during periods of high activity.

Benefits of using Teams as your messaging app

• Integration with Microsoft 365 suite: Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, and this allows seamless integration with other Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Outlook. This is a big advantage for organizations already using these tools.
• Walkie talkie feature: Teams includes a walkie-talkie feature in its android and iPhone messaging app, providing clear, instant, and secure voice communication over the cloud.
• Inline translation: Teams can automatically translate messages in channels and chats, making it a great tool for international teams.

4. Discord

Discord is a messaging app primarily designed for the gaming community, but it has also been adopted by a variety of other user groups. The platform offers features such as voice channels and text messaging.

Messaging in Discord is organized into servers, which are further divided into channels. Each server can have multiple text and voice channels for different topics, games, or conversations, and users can easily switch between these channels.

Discord supports direct messages for one-to-one conversations and group messages for small, private discussions outside of servers. Users can also use @mentions to get the attention of other users or entire roles in a server.

A common complaint about Discord is its lack of native support for threaded conversations. Unlike some other apps for messaging like Slack or Microsoft Teams, Discord doesn't offer an easy way to reply to a specific message in a thread-like format. As a result, conversations can sometimes become difficult to follow, especially in busy channels with a lot of active users.

Benefits of using discord as your group message app

• Voice channels: Discord includes voice channels that users can join and leave at will. Native voice channels provide a convenient option for impromptu or ongoing audio conversations.
• Custom emojis and reactions: Upload custom emojis and use them in your server. You can also react to messages with any emoji, adding a layer of expressiveness to conversations.
• Live streaming and screen sharing: Discord users can live stream video and audio in channels, or share their screens. Streaming or screen sharing can be useful for presentations, demos, or collaborative work.

5. Telegram

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging app recognized for its emphasis on speed and security. Businesses can create channels to disseminate updates, news, or promotional materials to an unlimited number of subscribers.

Businesses can also program bots to perform a multitude of tasks, such as providing customer support or sending scheduled updates.

It is worth noting that Telegram lacks productivity features that are typically found in other business-focused messaging apps. For instance, it does not natively support features like task management, calendar integration, or threaded conversations.

The absence of these features in an instant messaging app can make the management of work-related tasks and less streamlined.

Unique instant messaging features that can be found on Telegram

• Supergroups: Telegram supports supergroups that can accommodate up to 200,000 members, ideal for large-scale internal communication.
• Bot integration: Telegram supports the integration of bots, which can be programmed to do a variety of tasks. Think of customer support, scheduled updates, or automated responses.
• Privacy and security: Telegram offers Secret Chats with end-to-end encryption and self-destructing messages.

6. WhatsApp

WhatsApp messaging app is a free-to-download app specifically designed for small businesses. Businesses can interact with their customers by using tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages.

Both one-on-one and group messaging are supported on WhatsApp business. The messaging app offers a variety of tools, such as automated greeting and away messages, quick replies for frequently asked questions, and the ability to label chats for easy organization.

Scalability is a common issue with using the WhatsApp messaging app. For example, it lacks advanced business features such as integration with CRM systems, detailed analytics, or support for multiple operators.

Features that make WhatsApp a great app for messaging

• Global Reach: The WhatsApp messaging app is hugely popular worldwide, which can be an advantage for businesses looking to reach international customers.
• WhatsApp Business App: specifically designed for small businesses, allowing them to create a business profile and catalog their products and services.
• Labels: Organize chats using labels, making it easier to manage and locate conversations with customers.

7. Chanty

Chanty is a team collaboration and communication tool designed to improve team productivity. A user-friendly interface makes it an appealing choice for businesses seeking a simplified, efficient communication group message app.

Chanty’s messaging app offers one-on-one and group messaging, voice and video calls, and screen sharing. One of the key features of Chanty is its Teambook feature, a single hub where team members can find shared files, tasks, pinned messages, and conversation histories.

Some users have reported a lack of features like polling or scheduling within the app, which are available in some competing platforms. In terms of integrations, the app also lacks some common third-party apps.

Relevant business instant messaging app features found on Chanty

• Teambook feature: A single hub where team members can find files, tasks, pinned messages, and conversation histories. The teambook makes it easy to keep track of important information and tasks.
• Voice transcripts: Chanty can provide transcripts for voice messages, making it easier for users to catch up on missed conversations.
• Simple interface: A user-friendly interface makes it easy for teams to get started with the app for messaging.

8. Flock

Flock is a team instant messaging and collaboration app that offers a chat, file sharing, and task management. Designed to streamline work processes and boost productivity, Flock offers both direct messaging and group conversations, along with video and voice calls.

One of Flock's standout features is its robust app integration with third-party applications like Google Drive, Trello, Asana, and more. Users can also access a built-in task management feature with due dates, and progress tracking right within the app for messaging.

Some users find the notifications to be overly persistent and disruptive, especially when working across multiple channels. Others have expressed that the mobile app can sometimes be slow and less responsive compared to the desktop version.

Features that make Flock a solid instant messaging app

• Mailcast: Create mailing lists using Flock channels. Any email sent to the mailing list will appear as a message in the channel.
• Read-only channels: Create read-only channels where only admins can send messages.
• Pinned messages: Pin important messages in conversations, making it easy to reference key information.

9. Pumble

Pumble is a collaboration and business messaging platform that aids in fostering communication and productivity within work environments. Users can set up channels for different teams or projects, use instant messaging, and share files.

The messaging app is designed to centralize communication in a way that's organized and accessible. As a result, people won’t need long email chains or disjointed conversations across multiple platforms.

Users looking for more sophisticated project management tools or extensive third-party app integrations might find Pumble somewhat lacking. Some users have also reported occasional bugs and glitches that can disrupt the workflow.

Benefits of using Pumble for your instant messaging needs

• Rich-Text Editing: Users can format their messages with bolding, italics, bullet points, and more to enhance clarity.
• Threaded Conversations: Pumble supports threaded conversations, allowing users to keep track of different discussion topics within a channel.
• 24/7 support: Pumble has 24/7 customer support coverage and guarantees support from a real person.

10. Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is a comprehensive open-source team collaboration platform that facilitates seamless business messaging. Users are offered a wide range of communication options, from one-on-one messaging to group chats.

One of Rocket.Chat's standout features is its open-source nature, allowing for extensive customization and adaptability. Customize the user interface, develop new functionalities, or integrate with a multitude of third-party apps.

The open-source nature, while a strength, can also be a drawback. Rocket.Chat’s app for messaging can seem complex and intimidating for teams without the required technical expertise. Some users have also reported that the mobile app experience is not as smooth or stable as the desktop version.

Features that make Rocket.Chat a great app for messaging

• Open-source: Rocket.Chat allows for extensive customization. Businesses with the necessary technical know-how can tailor the platform to meet their needs.
• Self-hosting option: The instant messaging app can be self-hosted, providing businesses with full control of their data and greater privacy.
• Real-Time Translation: Users can access real-time translation of messages, helping bridge communication gaps in diverse teams.

Which messaging app are you staying with?

With so many apps on the market you have a great amount of choice when it comes to business messaging apps. What makes Rock the best messaging app for your team?

Rock combines messaging and tasks in one place so your team can get all their work done without leaving the platform. Integrate with your favorite tools, collaborate with anyone, and upgrade at a flat price.

‍Get started today, it’s free!

A toxic work environment is not just a buzzword—it's a business killer. Employees across the board are hitting a breaking point, grappling with a workplace atmosphere that saps their energy and drives them in search of greener pastures. 

To keep your team happy, you must address any signs of a toxic work culture. Bad culture can emerge in any team, from a small business to scale-ups or multinationals. 

Treating a toxic work culture requires understanding the most common signs.

It's the first step in crafting an intervention plan to revive your team's engagement and productivity. After all, a thriving company culture isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a competitive advantage. 

Let's delve into indicators to watch out for if you want to prevent toxicity from taking over the workplace. 

If any hostile work environment signs match your team, don’t worry. We’ll be sharing a set of tips to patch each symptom as quickly as possible. Let’s get into it!

Do you have a toxic work environment? Look out for these 7 signs

A toxic work environment is characterized by a negative atmosphere that severely impacts employees' well-being and productivity. Toxicity is presents itself through a combination of unhealthy behaviors, practices, and systems that lead to stress, anxiety, and low morale.

A bad company culture is a serious issue that impacts team health, creativity, and performance.

Toxic teams also hurt the business itself by hitting employee morale, increasing turnover, and causing an uptake in sick days.

Let’s discuss 7 universal signs of a toxic work environment. 

1. Sign of a toxic culture: Low levels of creativity

Creativity is about connecting ideas, taking intellectual risks, and fostering an environment where new solutions are born and valued. 

Low creativity is often a reflection of underlying issues that go further than a creative block and speak to the health of the organizational culture itself.

Your team environment becomes one of compliance rather than inspiration when team members stop offering new ideas or challenging the status quo. In such settings, employees might feel that creativity isn't welcomed, leading to a decline in engaged creative thinking. 

This can cause a ripple effect; as fewer people demonstrate creativity, the behavior becomes normalized. As a result, the non-creative status quo gets further entrenched.

Solution: Tactics that promote creative thinking in teams

"Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye." — Dorothy Parker

Addressing low levels of creativity within a team, particularly when it's a symptom of a toxic work culture, requires a multi-faceted approach.

Creating an environment that welcomes creativity requires managerial intervention and cultural transformation. Here are some tactics that can make a difference quickly:

• Promote psychological safety: Google's Project Aristotle found that psychological safety, where team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other, is the most critical factor for team success. Encourage an atmosphere where failure is seen as a learning opportunity rather than a cause for punishment.
• Provide training and resources: Invest in creativity workshops, training sessions, or bring in creative consultants to inspire your team and provide them with tools and techniques to generate and develop ideas.
• Allocate time for creativity: Google's famous "20% time" policy, where employees could spend 20% of their time on projects they are passionate about, underscores the importance of giving employees time away from their usual tasks to explore new ideas.

2. Sign of a bad work environment: Work is never finished before the deadline

Frequently missing a deadline isn't just about ineffective multitasking, poor time management or lack of effort; it often reflects deeper issues within the company culture. 

Deadlines serve as a critical structure for productivity. They're necessary to keep projects on track and meet client or growth needs. 

In a healthy workplace, deadlines are set through a collaborative process, ensuring they are realistic. In contrast, bad work enviroments often have top-down decision-making, where deadlines are dictated without input from those who understand the work involved. In turn, expectations become unrealistic, and deadlines become more aspirational than achievable. 

Another cause for consistently missing a deadline is considering everything urgent, creating a sea of supposed emergencies. Always being on alert leads to more missed deadlines because employees are stretched too thin across too many "top priority" projects.

Solution: Working with attainable deadlines across the team

Creating attainable deadlines in a bad work environment of missed commitments involves a clear organizational strategy, clear communication, and a shift in priorities and progress tracking.

Here are a few simple steps you can implement today to establish and maintain more attainable deadlines:

• Assess current workloads: Begin by gaining a clear understanding of your team's current workloads. Overburdened employees are more likely to miss deadlines, so it's essential to ensure that expectations are realistic given their available bandwidth.
• Involve the team in planning: Include team members in the deadline-setting process. This collaborative approach ensures that the team has a say in what they believe is achievable, fostering ownership and commitment to the deadlines.
• Implement the Eisenhower Matrix for prioritization: Help the team prioritize their tasks. By understanding what is most important and what can wait, team members can better manage their time and focus on meeting the most critical deadlines first.
• Break down large projects: Divide larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks with their own mini-deadlines. This can make the work seem less daunting and help maintain a steady pace toward completion. Understanding the difference between project and task is key for this. 

🎁 Free resource: Prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance using the Eisenhower matrix template.

3. Sign of toxic culture in the workplace: High turnover among employees

When employees frequently exit your team, it's a clear signal that something is fundamentally wrong with the workplace environment. 

According to Forbes, Employees are 10x more likely to quit if a company has a toxic workplace culture.

At its core, a high turnover rate represents a breakdown in the relationship between the employer and the employee. The origin of the broken relationship might be the underlying issue that creates such a bad culture at work that employees feel their only option is to leave.

One of the primary reasons employees leave is a lack of respect and support from management. Employees feel undervalued or unrecognized for their contributions. 

Favoritism or discrimination also cause hostile and unfair work environments, leading to the ultimate resignation of affected employees. What’s worse, this often affects the diversity within a team as well, creating cultures that lack a breadth of experiences and cultural perspectives. 

You should also ask yourself whether there is enough work-life balance in your team.

Toxic workplaces have a constant demand on employees' time, with long hours being glorified and becoming the norm. When their personal lives are consistently sacrificed for the job, employees are likely to look for opportunities that better respect their need for balance.

Solution: How to tackle high turnover rates in your team

Reducing turnover in a team that's experiencing a toxic culture in the workplace requires addressing the underlying issues that are driving employees away. 

Here are several strategies that can help you address these issues and create a more positive work environment:

• Review reward systems: Reviewing and potentially restructuring reward systems is a must if you want to reduce turnover rates. Intrinsic rewards should be assessed when issues of recognition are at the heart of why employees leave. In terms of extrinsic rewards, you should check platforms like Glassdoor or Levels.fyi and make sure your salaries are up to industry standard.
• Implement regular feedback and recognition programs: Develop a structured program for providing regular, constructive feedback as well as recognizing employees' accomplishments. This can include peer-recognition initiatives, manager shout-outs in meetings, or company-wide rewards.
• Promote work-life balance: Enforce policies that promote work-life balance, such as flexible working hours, the opportunity for remote work, and a strict policy against regular overtime. Encourage managers and employees to respect boundaries between work and personal time.

4. Toxic work culture sign: No career development opportunities

Career development opportunities within an organization—or the lack thereof—can also influence turnover rates. 

A toxic workplace may not provide clear paths for advancement or opportunities for professional growth. Employees feel stuck in their roles when there is no chance for progression, and leave the job whenever anything better comes up. 

Nepotism or other unfair systems can make this even worse. If people don’t feel like effort results in future opportunities, then their engagement drops.

Solution: Creating a path for career development

Building clear career development opportunities in a toxic work culture is crucial because it shifts the focus to growth and positivity. 

Here’s a deep dive into a few tactics you can implement to improve employee prospects within the organization:

• Create clear career paths: Map out potential career trajectories within the organization for each role. Communicate these paths clearly to employees, showing them how they can grow and what they need to achieve to progress.
• Inclusive and fair workplace: Conduct diversity and inclusion training for all employees. Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination and favoritism to ensure that all team members have equal access to opportunities and resources.
• Training programs: Set up structured training programs that address both current job requirements and future skill needs. Think about on-the-job training, cross-training, or external courses.
• Mentorship or buddy programs: Establish formal mentorship programs where employees can learn from experienced leaders, gain valuable insights, and develop their professional networks.

🎁 Free resource: Focus on the personal and professional growth within your company with the employee development plan template

5. Sign of a toxic workplace culture: Teams are extremely siloed

Silos form invisible barriers where each team ends up working with blinders on. Teams don't see what the others are doing, and they don't share what they're up to.

A bad culture at work silos is like a kitchen where everyone cooks a meal, but no one talks to each other—you might end up with four desserts and no main course.

The result? Well, it's not just about inefficiency or duplicated efforts, though those are certainly part of the mix. When an organization has silos, people start feeling like they're on an island, and that "us versus them" mindset creeps in. 

Everyone's looking out for their team's interests, and the idea of pulling together for the company's sake stops being a priority.

What's more, in a toxic culture with siloes, someone's always ready to pass the buck. "That's not our problem," becomes the refrain, and trying to find solutions turns into a game of hot potato. Nobody wins in that game—problems just go round and round.

Breaking down these walls isn't easy, but it's essential if you’re looking to tackle a toxic workplace culture.

Solution: How to break down silos in a toxic workplace

Breaking down silos in teams is crucial to foster a healthy, collaborative, and thriving work environment. Creating real change is about initiating a cultural shift that encourages openness and interaction across all functions, levels and departments. 

Here's how you might approach it:

• Redefine goals and values: Sometimes, silos form because teams don't see how their work fits into the organizational strategy. Employees see how their contributions matter in the grand scheme of things when company goals and objectives are inclusive of every department's efforts.
• Implement integrated systems: Sometimes it's the systems and processes that reinforce silos. By using integrated software and collaborative tools that are accessible to all, you'll encourage a more seamless flow of information. Create shared spaces—virtual or physical—where ideas can mingle.
• Encourage cross-departmental projects: Assemble teams from different departments to work on specific challenges or innovate new products. As they work towards a common goal, they'll naturally start to break down barriers and share knowledge.

Use Rock for your all-in-one team communication. Bring departments and teams together with chat, tasks, notes, files and meetings in one place. 

6. Sign of workplace issues: toxic management

When we talk about toxic management, we're delving into a complex and unfortunately all too common issue in many workplaces. Bad management practices gradually tear down your organization's culture and employee morale.

A classic sign of toxic management is tension in the air. People are hesitant to speak up in meetings or even to share their thoughts privately. An invisible barrier starts to block open communication. 

Another telltale symptom of toxic management is the absence of transparency. Decisions seem to be made in a black box, and employees are often left in the dark. This breeds a culture of uncertainty and fear, where rumors fill the void.

A toxic workplace culture thrives on control rather than inspiration, fear rather than motivation. 

Solution: Encourage leadership to take more effective management approaches

If you want employees to be creative thinkers and problem-solvers, you need to lead by example. Managers should hold themselves accountable for their actions and encourage others to do the same.

Here are three tactics teams can implement to improve the relationship between management and team members in a toxic work environment:

• Lead by example: Leadership should model creative behavior. This could involve openly sharing ideas at their early stages, welcoming feedback, and showing how to take calculated risks without fear of negative repercussions for honest mistakes.
• Redefine failure: Shift the perspective on failure by recognizing that when pushing the boundaries of innovation, not every idea or completed task will be a winner.
• Encourage open communication: Create an environment where team members feel safe and encouraged to express their ideas and opinions. Implementing career affirmations, teamwork quotes and brainstorming sessions is a good start. Leaders should actively listen and provide constructive feedback.

🎁 Free resource: Don't let endless to-do lists and overflowing inboxes dictate your work life any longer—embrace the power of effective time management and transform your productivity

7. Interpersonal tensions between team members

Interpersonal tensions between team members can be a significant red flag. When we talk about these tensions, we're usually referring to the undercurrents of conflict that run beneath the surface of day-to-day interactions. 

Conflict might not always erupt into outright arguments, but it can be just as damaging when present in a subtle form.

A certain amount of disagreement is both healthy and expected — diverse perspectives can actually drive innovation and problem-solving. However, when these disagreements become personal, they become toxic. 

Tension in a toxic workplace culture can stem from a variety of sources. Perhaps there's a culture of competition that's gone too far, leading to colleagues undermining each other instead of working together. Or maybe there's a lack of clear communication from leadership, resulting in confusion and frustration amongst team members.

Interpersonal issues can create a domino effect. Productivity often takes a hit as team members spend more time navigating workplace issues than focusing on their work. Morale suffers, too, because let's face it — nobody enjoys coming to work when it feels like a battleground.

In a nutshell, interpersonal tensions are not just small ripples; they can quickly turn into waves that threaten to capsize the organizational boat. It's crucial for a company to address these issues head-on to maintain a healthy, productive, and positive workplace culture.

Solution: How to improve interpersonal relationships in a toxic workplace

Building and maintaining strong interpersonal relationships at work is an ongoing process. It requires consistent effort, patience, and a willingness to adapt and learn from experiences.

Here are some strategies you can employ to foster a more harmonious and collaborative environment:

1. Show empathy: Try to understand your colleagues' viewpoints and feelings. Empathy builds trust and understanding, and it can defuse potential conflicts before they escalate.
2. Engage in team-building activities: Participate in or organize activities that can help strengthen relationships. Whether it's a team lunch, a collaborative project, or a team-building exercise, shared experiences help build camaraderie.
3. Offer help and support: Be willing to lend a hand when your colleagues need assistance. This can create a culture of mutual support and collaboration.
4. Set boundaries: Respect personal boundaries and understand that everyone has different comfort levels regarding personal space and social interaction.
5. Manage conflicts constructively: When disagreements arise, address them directly and calmly with the aim of finding a mutually beneficial resolution. Avoid gossip and don't let resentments fester.

‍ 🎁 Free resource: Don't let your voice be drowned out in the noise of the world—take control of your life through the Assertiveness Training Template.

Turn your organizational culture into a competitive advantage

Transforming your organization's culture into something that really gives you an edge in the marketplace is like infusing your company's personality with superpowers.

And you know what? People can feel it when they walk into a place where the culture is strong. It's like walking into a room where everyone's laughing – you can't help but smile. That kind of energy is infectious, and it's a magnet for talent.

The best people want to work in a place where they know they'll be valued, where they can grow, and where work feels meaningful.

So, in a nutshell, to turn your culture into a competitive advantage, make sure it's authentic, deeply rooted in everything you do, and aligns with how you want the world to see your company. Become the best version of yourselves and let authenticity shine through.

Frequently Asked Questions on Toxic Work Cultures

What are the signs that I might be working in a toxic environment?

Key signs include low creativity, missed deadlines, high turnover, lack of career development, siloed teams, poor management, and interpersonal tensions.

How can low levels of creativity indicate a toxic work culture?

When team members stop offering new ideas or challenging the status quo due to fear or a non-supportive atmosphere, it can be a sign of a deeper cultural issue.

Why is missing deadlines often a symptom of a deeper issue within the team?

Consistently missing deadlines might reflect unrealistic expectations, poor planning, lack of employee input in setting deadlines, or a culture where everything is treated as urgent.

What does high employee turnover say about a company’s work environment?

Rapid turnover often points to a lack of respect, support, and recognition from management, as well as inadequate work-life balance.

How do a lack of career advancement opportunities contribute to workplace toxicity?

When employees see no clear path for growth, they may feel stuck and demotivated, which can lead to a toxic environment.

What role does management play in creating or sustaining a toxic work culture?

Management styles that prioritize control and instill fear can hinder open communication and transparency, contributing to toxicity.

What causes interpersonal tensions to develop between team members?

This could stem from a competitive culture, unclear communication, or personal grievances that aren't effectively addressed.

Solving Common Problems

How can I foster an environment that encourages creativity in my team?

Promote a psychologically safe space, provide creativity resources and training, and allocate time for creativity within work schedules.‍

What strategies can help to ensure deadlines are met without overburdening employees?

Assess current workloads for realistic expectations, involve the team in planning, prioritize using the Eisenhower Matrix, and break large projects into manageable tasks.

What can be done to reduce high turnover rates in my team?

Review reward systems, implement regular feedback and recognition programs, and encourage work-life balance through company policies.

How can I develop clear career development opportunities to improve my work environment?

Define career paths, provide training programs, establish mentorship, and ensure inclusive and fair advancement practices.

What can I do to break down siloes and encourage collaboration?

Redefine company goals to be inclusive, implement integrated collaborative tools, and engage in cross-departmental projects.

How can I improve my management style to avoid contributing to a toxic environment?

Model positive behaviors, redefine failure as a learning opportunity, and foster open communication and idea-sharing.

What are effective ways to handle interpersonal conflicts in my workplace?

Foster empathy, participate in team-building activities, offer support, respect boundaries, and manage conflicts constructively.