Digestly

Apr 17, 2025

Boost Productivity: Todoist & AI Email Hacks 🚀📧

Performance
Tool Finder: AI is transforming email productivity by automating tasks and improving efficiency.
Carl Pullein: Using Todoist boards for personal and team project management enhances productivity and clarity.

Tool Finder - Goodbye Email (As we know it!)

The discussion highlights how AI is set to revolutionize email productivity by automating administrative tasks, enhancing efficiency, and handling errands. AI will organize emails more effectively, reducing the need for manual sorting and labeling. Tools like Superhum's auto labels and auto reminders exemplify these advancements, allowing users to manage their inboxes more efficiently. Auto labels automatically categorize emails, while auto reminders ensure timely responses. Additionally, AI will handle errands by drafting emails and managing tasks, saving users significant time. These changes will allow professionals to focus on more critical tasks, improving overall productivity.

Key Points:

  • AI will automate email organization, reducing manual tasks.
  • Superhum's auto labels feature categorizes emails automatically.
  • Auto reminders ensure timely email responses, enhancing efficiency.
  • AI will handle errands, drafting emails and managing tasks.
  • These advancements will save time and improve productivity.

Details:

1. 📧 The AI Revolution in Email

  • Email productivity is expected to change drastically in the next few years, with AI at the forefront of this transformation.
  • Traditional methods of managing Gmail and Outlook will likely become outdated due to the integration of AI technologies.
  • AI-driven tools could automate and optimize email sorting, prioritization, and response, significantly enhancing user efficiency.
  • AI is predicted to reduce the time spent on managing emails by up to 50%, according to recent studies.
  • The adoption of AI in email management is expected to improve decision-making processes by providing contextual insights and predictive analytics.

2. 🤖 Transformative AI Trends

  • AI is transforming email by making it more intelligent, allowing it to perform additional functions that enhance individual and team productivity.
  • Email administration is becoming more efficient as AI automates tasks, such as sorting and prioritizing emails, which improves daily inbox management.
  • Example: AI tools that automatically categorize and flag important emails have been shown to reduce time spent managing email by up to 30%.
  • Future trends include further integration of AI in email platforms, potentially enabling features like predictive email responses and advanced analytics.
  • Potential challenges include ensuring data privacy and managing the complexity of AI systems in email applications.

3. 🚀 Superhum: A Game Changer

3.1. Individual Productivity Enhancement

3.2. Organizational Impact and Scalability

4. 🗂️ Smart Email Management with AI

  • AI-driven email management features can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, which traditionally accounted for 40% of workdays. By automating processes like organizing, tagging, and prioritizing emails, employees can focus more on high-value tasks.
  • AI in email management focuses on organizing emails effectively, refining what is important through data training. This involves the use of machine learning algorithms to understand user preferences and behavior, thereby enhancing the relevance of emails.
  • Superhum has introduced 'auto labels' allowing automatic tagging and organizing of emails, enhancing inbox management. This feature helps users quickly identify and categorize emails, reducing clutter and improving efficiency.
  • AI features such as auto-archiving and inbox splitting are transforming manual tasks like setting up rules and triggers into automated processes. These features automate the categorization and storage of emails, minimizing manual intervention and errors.
  • The implementation of AI in email management has resulted in increased productivity, as employees are able to handle emails more efficiently. This leads to better time management and allows for a greater focus on core business activities.

5. ⚡ Enhancing Efficiency: AI in Action

5.1. AI-driven Email Efficiency

5.2. Impact on Productivity

6. 🔄 AI-Powered Errands & Automation

  • AI-powered productivity apps are significantly enhancing productivity by automating tasks such as finding information and managing to-do lists. These tools streamline daily operations, allowing users to focus on more strategic tasks.
  • Email management tools, such as Subhum's autodraft feature, can draft responses by understanding the user's tone, covering up to 75% of the email content. This capability saves substantial time for users, improving efficiency in communication.
  • Automation features like auto reminders and template-based workflows can reduce task time from 15-30 minutes per task. These tools facilitate efficient email management, enabling users to handle communications more effectively.
  • Future developments in AI-powered email tools suggest the potential for emails to autonomously manage conversations, set objectives, and achieve tasks without constant human input. This evolution could transform communication dynamics and enhance productivity.
  • Specific examples include AI tools that auto-categorize emails and prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, leading to improved workflow management and decision-making processes.

7. 📝 Comprehensive Summary of AI Trends

  • AI will automate inbox organization and email structuring, reducing administrative burdens and increasing efficiency.
  • AI tools will automate reminders and preparatory tasks, significantly cutting down the time spent on email-related activities.
  • Routine email tasks will be automated by AI-driven agents and workflows, saving users substantial time.
  • For users spending over 2 hours daily on emails, tools like Superhuman offer improved efficiency, showcasing AI's practical benefits in email management.

Carl Pullein - How To Easily Manage Your Team's Workload in Todoist

The discussion highlights the use of Todoist boards as a tool for managing personal and team projects effectively. Inspired by Cal Newport's idea of listing active and pending tasks, the speaker suggests using Todoist to visualize current workloads and future tasks. This method allows individuals to manage their projects by quarters, ensuring they do not overcommit and can focus on completing tasks efficiently. For teams, managers can use Todoist boards to allocate tasks based on team members' capacities, preventing overload and ensuring fair distribution of work. This approach also provides tangible evidence to discuss workload with superiors, facilitating better project negotiation and planning. The speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing one's limits and using Todoist to maintain a clear overview of tasks, which can be shared with team members or kept private.

Key Points:

  • Use Todoist boards to track active and pending tasks for better project management.
  • Visualize workloads to prevent overcommitment and ensure task completion.
  • Managers can allocate tasks based on team members' capacities using Todoist.
  • Provides evidence for workload discussions with superiors, aiding negotiation.
  • Know your project limits to avoid overwhelming yourself or your team.

Details:

1. 📚 Embracing Cal Newport's Productivity Strategy

  • Cal Newport's strategy involves creating a comprehensive list of all active tasks in a Google Doc or Microsoft Word document.
  • Additionally, maintain a subordinate list for tasks queued for activation, enhancing task management efficiency.
  • Prioritize tasks by assessing their urgency and impact, using criteria such as deadlines and strategic importance.
  • Implement a weekly review to adjust task priorities based on progress and changing objectives.
  • Use examples like prioritizing tasks by project deadlines or client impact to maximize productivity.

2. 🗂️ Setting Up Todoist for Personal Use

  • Todoist is effective for managing both personal and team projects by utilizing boards to visualize tasks, timelines, and priorities.
  • For personal use, Todoist helps track project timelines, such as planning a half marathon or launching a course, with adaptable project lists updated monthly to align with goals.
  • Users can manage workload by setting monthly project limits (e.g., 4-5 projects) to ensure quality and prevent burnout.
  • In team settings, Todoist aids in assessing workload capacity, helping distribute tasks efficiently; for instance, identifying that Max can take on more tasks while Lando and Charles are at full capacity.
  • Todoist facilitates communication with supervisors about workload capacity, providing data to help negotiate project timelines and assignments effectively.

3. 👥 Managing Team Workloads with Todoist Boards

3.1. Team Workload Management with Todoist Boards

3.2. Personal Workload Management with Todoist Boards

4. 🔍 Tips for Effective Project Management in Todoist

  • Leverage Todoist boards to visually demonstrate workload to your boss and team, ensuring everyone is aware of ongoing tasks and priorities.
  • Create non-completable tasks by starting the task with an asterisk and a space, enhancing planning by removing the checkbox and focusing on ongoing or reference tasks.
  • Utilize Todoist for strategic planning by moving tasks across different quarters without marking them as completed, aiding long-term project vision.
  • Maintain focus on quarterly objectives using Todoist boards, which help align team efforts with project goals.
  • Organize personal development tasks, like preparing for events or workshops, by integrating tasks and calendar events, streamlining preparation and execution.