Smarter Week

How to automate it

How to automate “jump between Slack, email and chat pings all day”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today.

60 min
typically, every day
35%
of the time can be automated
Easy
to set up

Fix 1 of 2

Process fixBest fix

Cut notifications to direct mentions and set reply-time expectations

Every ping costs minutes of refocusing. Most leaders can switch off most notifications once the team knows how to reach them for real emergencies.

Typically saves about 30% of the time20 min to set up
  1. 1In Slack or Teams, set notifications to direct messages and mentions only; mute busy channels.
  2. 2Turn off email notifications on desktop and phone.
  3. 3Tell your team: chat is answered within a few hours, phone or a marked urgent message for real emergencies.
  4. 4Check messages in set blocks, for example at 9, 12, 3 and 5.
  5. 5Use Focus modes on your phone and computer during deep work.

Tools: Slack or Microsoft Teams settings · iOS, Android, macOS or Windows Focus modes

Fix 2 of 2

Software feature

Use AI recaps to catch up on channels and threads

Slack AI, Copilot in Teams and Gemini in Gmail can summarize unread channels and long threads, so you read one paragraph instead of 200 messages.

Typically saves about 30% of the time10 min to set up
  1. 1Check which you have: Slack AI recaps, Copilot in Teams and Outlook, or Gemini in Gmail and Chat.
  2. 2Turn on daily recaps for the channels you skim.
  3. 3For a long thread, use "summarize" before you reply.
  4. 4Open the original only when the recap shows you are needed.

Tools: Slack AI · Copilot in Microsoft Teams · Gemini in Gmail and Google Chat

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Do you use a tool that automatically protects focus time on your calendar?
Reclaim.ai, Clockwise, Motion, or the Focus time feature in Outlook and Google Calendar book thinking time for you and move flexible meetings around it.
Have you used AI to recap busy Slack or Teams channels instead of scrolling through them?
Slack AI, Copilot in Teams and Gemini can summarize unread channels and long threads into a few lines, with links to the messages that matter.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

HourLeak · the 8-minute work audit

How many hours does this cost you?

The free 8-minute check works out where your week goes and gives you your top fixes. The team scan does the same for everyone and adds it up, so you know which leaks to fix first.

Answers are anonymous. Leaders only see team totals.

Other common tasks for CEOs / Founders