Collaborative note-taking has a solid track record in the academic world. It helps students distribute workload, patch up revision materials, and mix in different points of view. Now, with a bit of tinkering, you can also turn it into a remote team superpower! In today’s article, we revisit Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten and discuss three popular note-taking techniques. We’ll also show you how you can combine the two ingredients to create…

Hierarchical systems are the framework for creativity. They help you make sense of the world’s superficial chaos and create new, structured value out of it. The good news is, harnessing the power of hierarchical thinking isn’t that difficult. In today’s article, we revisit the concept of hierarchies in knowledge management. You’re going to learn how hierarchical systems can help you process information, stay organized, make better decisions, and solve complex…

Checklists have saved lives, helped teams succeed, and… sent people into space (more on that in a bit). But did you know that they can also make your distributed team self-reliant and more productive? (checklist template inside!) A checklist—simple list of steps/tasks arranged in sequential order—is one of the most powerful organization tools in our personal and professional lives. In this article, we explore the origins of checklists and the…

The Japanese term Tsundoku (積ん読)—piling up unread reading materials—is undergoing a renaissance of sorts. Ever since cloud storage became readily available and dirt cheap, we’ve been spiraling down the rabbit hole of digital hoarding. Keeping pristine digital hygiene isn’t easy. But it gets even more complicated when companies switch to remote work. Without a solid data management plan, distributed organizations can quickly lose their way in a deluge of information….

The recipe for a productive video conference is simple. Take a clear agenda, add willing participants, and set it to a quick, vigorous boil. But there’s one secret ingredient all distributed teams need but few use—a crisp meeting notes template to put things down in writing. Writer and business management expert Patrick Lencioni says that “the majority of meetings should be discussions that lead to decisions.“ And we can’t but…

If the ongoing work-from-home experiment had a tagline, this quote—erroneously attributed to Abe Lincoln—would be it: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” So, what do you say we sharpen that (metaphorical) ax of yours and learn how to focus while working from home? Here are some of the questions we answer in this article: 🤯 Why is…

Navigating a 100% remote workplace can be tricky, especially when you’re not exactly the most confident person in the world. The good news is, we’ve put together five confidence-boosting tips that’ll help you tune in to virtual office vibes in a jiffy. 🤔 How Do You Define Confidence? 1. self-assurance: trust in one’s abilities, capacities, and judgment.2. a belief that one is capable of successfully meeting the demands of a…

Over the last 50 years, gaming has dropped the “not-too-serious” tag and matured into a booming $159.3 billion industry(1). To celebrate the dawn of the 9th generation of consoles—and satisfy our geek hearts—we take a look back at the history of video game consoles and the evolution of the user experience (UX) we all love them for. 🥚 What was the first video game console? 👤 Who created it and…