Because you asked: Rethinking how you work

Welcome back to “Because you asked,” our productivity advice column featuring Laura Mae Martin, Google’s executive productivity advisor. She’ll answer your questions about how to work smarter with Google Workspace. If you missed our last post, check out “Balancing productivity and wellbeing.” 

Our question comes from Tony:

“Hi Laura. Can an old dog learn new tricks? I’ve been doing things the same way for years — and it’s worked for me. Now I’m ready to make some changes. How do I pivot and change that muscle memory?”

Thanks for your question, Tony. Changing how you’ve done things for years can be daunting. Here are five ways to shift your mindset and fundamentally change how you work.

1. Create time for new tricks 

Give yourself space to reset, reprioritize, and gain a new perspective. If your schedule is too packed, you won’t have time to step back and see the big picture. Set aside “Focus time” during your day. Or schedule a “no-meeting” or “reset” day to give yourself time to dive in.

2. Rethink how you work

Shifting your mindset doesn’t mean working harder. It’s about changing your whole approach. Over time, these changes can increase your productivity by 10X, not just 10%. Rethink commitments so you can accomplish more without taking on more. For example, if you manage a large team of people, instead of scheduling a monthly meeting with everyone in your broader team individually, host just one monthly team lunch. Your coworkers will benefit from connecting with you and each other. Plus, you’ve potentially removed a whole slew of monthly meetings from your schedule. 

3. Customize your tools for the way you work

Revisit and customize your Google Workspace settings to fit your new and improved workflow. Create a Gmail template for frequent messages like team announcements. Update your Google Calendar event notifications so that they work for you. Consider checking for new features once a quarter (for example, you can find the latest on the Workspace updates blog). 

4. Ask Gemini how it can help you

You don’t need to be an expert to use generative AI tools like Gemini for Google Workspace. If you’re a project manager, try this prompt: “What are the best ways for a project manager to use generative AI tools?” You’ll learn how Gemini can help you: 

• Manage projects
• Improve communication and collaboration
• Enhance decision making
• Automate routine tasks

Not sure how to draft a prompt? Pose the question, “What are the best prompts to use when I need help drafting a communication plan?” You can also check out our Beyond the prompt series on prompting best practices.

5. Develop new muscles with Gemini 

Imagine you have an intern. What kind of tasks would you assign them? Use Gemini the same way. Get help summarizing newsletters, emails, and meeting notes. Gemini can compare several budget reports and explain how they differ. This collaborative partner can save you hours of time.

Conclusion: Start small 

• If you’re overwhelmed, don’t feel the need to overhaul everything at once.
• Start by making a list of the five or six things you do most often. Then see if there’s a way to automate one of those tasks using generative AI.
• Get help planning a work happy hour for your team. Gemini can select a venue, draft an invite, and even brainstorm a signature drink.
• Once you see how much time you’ve saved, you’ll be inspired to dig in a bit more.

If you’re already part of the Workspace Community Forum, you can submit your own questions at the Google Workspace Q&A. Otherwise, you can send your question to: asklaura@google.com.

Check out some additional productivity tips.