Common Workflow Issues That Hurt Productivity

This is the No. 1 productivity killer at work: Context switching. — You know how it goes. 9:00am - 9:30am: meeting 9:30am - 10:00am: break/emails/Teams/Slack 10:00am - 11:00am: meeting 11:00am - 11:30am: break/emails/starting working on that deck 11:30am - 12:00pm: meeting 12:00pm - 12:30pm: meeting 12:30pm - 1:00pm: lunch (hopefully/maybe) 1:30pm - 2:30pm: meeting 2:30pm - 3:30pm: break/emails/Teams/Slack/opening that spreadsheet and so on… — Most of us have been culprits of work schedules like that. Schedules that constantly force us to switch between different tasks. Schedules that leave very little room for us to get actual work done, engage in focused work for extended periods of time, or do some much needed creative thinking. The result: Overwhelm, stress, multitasking on Zoom calls, productivity guilt, working late hours and/or on weekends. — A study highlighted in Harvard Business Review coined the term “toggling tax” which describes the cost associated with frequently switching context and applications throughout the work day. They found that the average employee in their sample toggled between different apps and websites nearly 1,200 times each day. That resulted in employees spending just under four hours a week reorienting themselves after toggling to a new application. Over the course of a year, that adds up to five working weeks, or 9% of their annual time at work. And these numbers don't even account for the time it takes for people’s brains to properly adjust. According to a University of California Irvine study, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to a task after being distracted (or interrupted by yet another meeting). — So now that we know that context switching is bad, what can be done? ✅ Limit the number of meetings that could have been an email instead → Last year, Shopify made headlines for introducing a Chrome extension that allowed their employees to see how much pointless meetings are costing them. (Spoiler: it ain’t pretty) ✅ Consider asynchronous catch-ups or knowledge exchange → This gives people the opportunity to provide more thoughtful input at their own pace at a time that works best for them. ✅ Dedicate either ~3-hour time blocks, mornings/afternoons or even entire days to specific activity types (meetings/focused work/problem solving/creative thinking/email) → Do you even remember the last time you had 3 hours of uninterrupted focused work? Do you remember how much sh*t you can get done in 3 hours when you have tunnel vision? ✅ Instead of constantly checking your emails & Teams/Slack, designate 3 times a day (morning/mid-day/late afternoon) to these activities. → Don't let other people's urgency become your emergency. Most of us sitting in front of computers all day are not saving lives. — What are you doing to protect your time and productivity? I’m always looking to add new tools to my toolbox! #productivity #contextswitching 📸: Fast Company

80% of workflow bottlenecks are hiding in plain sight. But most teams don’t look closely enough to see them. When I design workflows, I don’t add new tools right away or build complex systems. I start by mapping the current process. Without knowing every step, we’re just guessing at what’s slowing us down. Here’s my go-to checklist for spotting the hidden issues: 1 - Map every step Document each click, handoff, and decision. Most teams skip this, but it’s where the real insights are. 2 - Spot repetitive tasks Repeated steps often go unnoticed. They feel like “just part of the job” but usually add no real value. 3 - Measure task times Check how long each step actually takes. When times drag, it’s a sign of inefficiency that needs fixing. 4 - Look for approval delays Every extra approval is a potential bottleneck. Too many checks can slow things down more than they help. 5 - Align skills with tasks Ensure tasks fit the person’s skill level. If experts are doing routine work, it’s time to rethink the setup. 6 - Automate simple tasks Automation isn’t about flashy tools. It’s about freeing up your team’s time for critical work, not admin tasks. It’s surprising how often these basics are ignored. Do this if you want to do more with less. Or skip it if you’re okay with unnecessary delays and wasted resources.

I watched a $50M hospital expansion get delayed by 8 months because of one email sitting in someone's inbox. The approval was ready. The budget was approved. The contractors were waiting. But the project manager had no visibility into where things stood. After working with 200+ organizations, I've seen the same manual workflow mistakes destroy project timelines and team morale. Here are the 5 most damaging ones: → Spreadsheet dependency for project tracking Teams lose hours updating multiple versions, and critical details slip through the cracks. One outdated cell can derail an entire milestone. → Chasing approvals through email chains Decision-makers get buried in their inboxes while projects sit idle. What should take 2 days stretches into 2 weeks. → Disconnected systems creating data silos Finance uses one tool, operations uses another, leadership gets reports from a third. Nobody has the complete picture. → Manual status reporting that's outdated before it's sent By the time you compile that weekly report, three new issues have emerged and two "green" items turned red. → Lack of structured accountability When everything is tracked informally, nothing gets tracked consistently. Problems surface too late to fix them effectively. Behind every delayed project are dedicated professionals trying to deliver value to their communities. They deserve better than being trapped in operational chaos. The solution isn't just better software. It's structured workflows that create transparency and accountability from day one. What workflow challenge is slowing down your current projects?

What’s Quietly Killing VA Productivity? The Answer Isn’t What You Think When people think about virtual assistant (VA) productivity, they often point to the obvious: distractions, workload, or lack of skills. But the real killers are much more subtle. The biggest hidden productivity drainers that we typically see are: - Micro-Clarifications: How often do your VAs send little questions (“Just to confirm…?”) during a task? These add up, breaking focus and task flow. Unclear task definitions are a top hidden time waster. - Inconsistent Tools: Juggling different CRMs, chat platforms, or workflows means VAs waste precious time bridging information gaps instead of getting things done. - Reactive Processes: Without real-time guidance, VAs often wait for feedback, slowing momentum and leading to more “checking in” instead of executing. At HelpFlow, we tackle these often-overlooked pain points head-on. We standardize processes, integrate tools, and give every VA real-time support so you (and your VA) spend less time clarifying and more time delivering results. Why does this matter? Because while you might not see these small interruptions piling up, they are quietly killing productivity every day. What hidden challenges have you seen drain your team’s productivity? Share your experience below.

275. According to #microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report, that’s the average number of times people are interrupted by email, meetings, or chat in their normal workday. Once every 2 minutes. That’s a problem – but there is a bigger issue. According to research done by Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at UC Irvine who studies digital distraction and attention, it takes about 23 minutes and 15 seconds for a person to return to a state of deep focus after being interrupted. There are 3 main reasons why it takes so long: 😩 Cognitive residue: After switching tasks, your brain holds on to some of the context from the previous task, creating “attention residue” that makes it harder to fully re-engage. 😩Task ramp-up: Getting back into a mentally demanding task (like writing, analysis, or creative problem-solving) often requires reorienting and rebuilding mental context. 😩Fragmentation effect: Multiple small interruptions can compound and create a fractured attention span over time. Microsoft also reports 58 chats sent daily outside a 9-5 workday (15% YoY increase). People are struggling to be as productive as they need in their role. That’s a miserable work existence that comes with stress, anxiety, and mental exhaustion. The promise of AI/GenAI and Agents is real. I’m excited for all the work we are doing with clients to help them transform their work, workplace, and workforce. We are only scratching the surface. That said, these advances will not cure the interruption and productivity ills if leaders don’t rethink work systems. Yes, individuals can install rituals, routines, and rhythms that will help, including: DND time for deep focused work sprints Align work times with a person’s ultradian rhythm Turn off notifications to avoid the dopamine burst when a text, chat, or email arrives More importantly, leaders can improve work systems by: 🎯 Ensuring people have clarity on the standards of excellence for their given role. When there is a lack of clarity, people engage in non-essential work 🎯 Align environments, systems, and resources with the standards of excellence. When people need to work in spite of the system, that’s when meeting overload, email proliferation, and interruptions explode. Take a full meeting inventory. Are all of the meetings essential? Are they run effectively? Are only essential participants invited? 🎯 Create recognition, rewards, and consequences that align with role expectations, organization strategies, and company values. Address misalignment immediately A bad system “wins” versus great people. Without addressing the root system issues, great people lose motivation, get frustrated, and eventually leave. The system issues will not change because your organization is using AI if you don’t address the fundamental and interdependent elements outlined above. Now is the time for true #reinvention. Not sure where to start? Send me a DM and I’ll schedule time to chat with you. 

If you're spending ten minutes to find your HubSpot workflows, you're doing it wrong. Unfortunately, it's more common than you think. Out of the last ten HubSpot portals I've reviewed, zero had any cohesiveness to their workflow structure and taxonomy. No naming conventions. No folder structure. Not a big deal, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, the reason you have... • Three workflows sending the same type of alert to the same Slack channel • Workflows sending Covid-specific emails to an event list from 2021 • Workflow routing leads to employees who haven't been with the company for two years ...It's because you have no idea what is going on with your workflows (and yes, these are real examples). Creating a folder structure for your workflows gives you: 1. Find workflows 10x faster when troubleshooting issues 2. New team members can navigate workflows without training 3. Easily identify outdated or duplicate workflows 4. Quickly isolate issues to specific business functions 5. See at a glance what areas are over-/under-automated So what does a good structure look like? HINT – it's not what I tell you it is. It's what makes most sense for your business, what your team will use, and what makes sense. A guide I like to use is below, and then have our clients customize for themselves: 𝟭. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Lead Scoring • Lead Routing • Lead Qualification 𝟮. 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 • Top of Funnel (TOFU) Nurture • Middle of Funnel (MOFU) Nurture • Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) Nurture 𝟯. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗛𝘆𝗴𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲 • Field Normalization • Duplicate Management • Data Validation 𝟰. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Onboarding • Upsell/Cross-sell • Retention/Churn Prevention 𝟱. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 • Webinar/Event Registrants • Product Launches • Survey Responses 𝟲. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 • Sales Alerts • Task Automation • Team Notifications 𝟳. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 & 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗰 • Salesforce Sync • Third-Party Tools • API Workflows 𝟴. 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 As the example in the image shows, it can be customized for flexibility and what's being automated the most, and it is a starting point. And yes, you should have a proper naming convention, but that's another post ;) Are you using a folder structure for your workflows? Would love to hear it. #hubspot #automation #businessprocess  

Let’s talk about a productivity killer that’s hiding in plain sight: decision fatigue. Your team isn’t slow. They’re not disengaged. They’re not bad at their jobs. They’re just exhausted from making too many unnecessary decisions—every single day. Here’s what decision fatigue really looks like in a mid-sized business: 🔸 Endless Slack pings: “Quick question—who owns this?” 🔸 Delayed approvals: “Can you take a look at this… again?” 🔸 Mistakes and rework: “Sorry, I thought we did it this way?” 🔸 Meetings that exist only to clarify next steps 🔸 Good people second-guessing themselves or waiting for green lights that never come This isn’t a time management problem. It’s an operations problem. When you don’t have clear, repeatable processes… When ownership is fuzzy… When “how we do things here” is tribal knowledge instead of documented workflows… Your team is forced to fill in the gaps with constant decision-making. 👉 The mental cost? High. 👉 The business cost? Higher. Here’s the good news: You don’t fix decision fatigue with more hustle or longer workdays. You fix it with clarity. ✅ Define your processes ✅ Assign ownership ✅ Document the repeatable ✅ Give your team the context (the why, not just the what) One of our clients cut their client onboarding time by 40% just by mapping out their process and clarifying ownership—without hiring a single new person. The fastest way to speed up your team isn’t to push harder. It’s to help them think less about the things they shouldn’t have to think about. If decision fatigue sounds a little too familiar… let’s talk.