Illustration by Amelia Giller

Productivity Hacks of 4
Successful Career Women

In partnership with our friends at

It’s one thing to be busy. It’s quite another to have days that are actually productive. So we asked four incredibly hardworking professionals on top of their game how they got there and stayed there. Their hacks may vary, but each one helped these women achieve a few common goals—less busywork, more efficiency, and better time management.

• 

  Katie Bolz

  Senior Product Manager

• Katie Bolz manages at least fifty things a day—seriously, that’s her job as goop’s
  senior product manager—while always maintaining her calm and positivity. She’s a
  beacon of humor and efficiency here at goop HQ, and a total inspiration.

  “Being productive means managing my engagement. I can accomplish a lot in
  one day if I prioritize, then fully engage in what I’m doing rather than trying to
  talk to one person while pinging another. Slack and email can be the enemy of
  being present. Snooze those bad boys.”
• CONFLUENCE CONFLUENCE, pricing varies

  “My job as a product manager requires constant
  transparency and collaboration with designers,
  developers, analysts, and other product managers. I
  get a lot of value out of Confluence, a software
  system that allows me to create, organize, and
  discuss projects with my team in real time.”

• GOOGLE Pixel 3 Google, from $799

  “I rely on a really good phone.
  Make that a stellar phone. One
  that’s a full-screen, picture-taking, super smart, hyper-adaptable
  extension of myself.”

• EVERNOTE EVERNOTE, pricing varies

  “I am a checklist junkie.
  Evernote—both the desktop
  and app versions—helps me
  stay on top of my to-dos. It
  also keeps track of any sloppily
  written notes I’ve jotted down
  during a meeting-packed day.”

• OPTP foam roller goop, $17

  “Every morning and night, I use
  a foam roller to help stretch
  out my whole body. I like the
  shorter travel size one because
  it fits nicely near my bedside
  so it’s ingrained in my routine.”

• CALM CALM, starting at $60

  “I have a strict goal to
  meditate once per day, twice if
  I need extra love. I use the
  meditation app Calm. I love
  how it has a variety of options
  to keep your mind, well,
  calmer. There are even
  meditations for mindful walks, which I totally recommend.
  (But don’t bring your dogs.)”

• 

  Sally Kohn

  CNN political commentator,
  activist, columnist, and author
  of The Opposite of Hate

• Go to any peaceful, progressive community rally and there’s a good chance the
  leaders were inspired by Sally Kohn. Hers is the voice that so often informs
  conversations on humanity and social rights. (Kohn’s book, The Opposite of Hate,
  should be required reading for every human.)

  “My friend, motivational guru Mel Robbins, encourages folks to make their task
  list for the day before they do anything else, including looking at email,
  social media, etc. I’ve been doing that lately, and it really helps, especially in a
  business that can be super reactive. It’s nice to focus first on my goals for the
  day before I let in the noise.”
• GOOGLE maps App Store, free

  “Can’t live without it,
  especially for subway
  directions in NYC. And I
  can drop pins for my
  go-to restaurant spots,
  etc. I love Google Maps.”

• ACTION METHOD action book Action Method, $16

  “I love how these have space set to the
  side for tasks, action items, etc. And that
  there’s grid paper in the mix. Just feels
  like it creates an active, task-oriented
  writing space that matches my brain. It
  keeps me focused.”

• WUNDERLIST app Wunderlist, free

  “I’m a huge to-do list
  maker. I prefer paper, but
  it’s hard given how much I
  travel. I usually keep a
  master task list digitally and
  then make a list for that
  day’s tasks on paper.”

• TRACEY TANNER large pouch Tracey Tanner, $49

  “I’m very into bags. I’m very into
  organization. And I’m very into glitter. Tracey
  Tanner pouches check all my boxes. I have
  one of her gold glitter bags that I keep a set
  of my computer cords in. It stays in my
  carry-on bag (my Lo & Sons Hanover
  backpack, which I also ADORE!), so I always
  have the cords I need for travel. When I get
  them out, I get the joy of the glitter and soft
  leather. It’s the small things, folks.”

• ON Cloud sneakers On, $130

  “On Cloud sneakers have
  become my favorite travel
  shoes. I can wear them
  casually with a pair of jeans
  and to work out, which means
  less to pack. And I love how
  lightweight they are. They feel
  much more fun for my feet.”

• 

  Shrankhla
  Holecek

  Founder and CEO of UMA Oils

• Shrankhla Holecek is involved in the marketing, the concepts, the team building,
  the you-name-its of her beauty and wellness oil business. That often means trips
  to her family’s farm in India, where she and her team harvest the oils. Holecek is
  a force, no doubt. And she’s also one of the nicest people we know.

  “I’ve been working on taking a broader view of productivity, while trying not
  to compromise on being the best I can be every day. It’s not easy. But I think all
  of us owe ourselves that attempt.”
• GMAIL Gmail, free

  “I love the pause button on my Gmail inbox. There way too
  many shiny red balls lurking in my inbox, multiplying by the
  second, that make me punt doing other important things.”

• GOOP WELLNESS
  Why Am I So Effing Tired? goop, $90

  “These goop vitamins help me
  work—and play—harder.”

• EQUINOX app App Store, free

  “A few times a week, I anchor my day
  around an evening workout, like a spin
  class, that I book via my Equinox App.
  If I don’t show, the app bans me from
  signing up the next time. Nothing
  makes you feel more like a deadbeat
  than the bold red Strike 1 that shows up
  every time you open the app.”

• TOGGL app Toggl, pricing varies

  “Being the CEO of a young
  company means going
  between strategizing global
  expansion and overseeing
  janitorial coverage, often in
  the span of an hour. So it’s
  become crucial for me to
  track my time to ensure it
  goes toward value-accretive
  activities. Toggl has been a
  simple but effective tool for
  doing just that.”

• UMA pure calm wellness oil goop, $85

  “I rely heavily on my UMA products for my daily anchor moments to pull up from
  the grind and reflect. Sometimes it’s a face oil massage in the a.m.; other times it’s
  incorporating the Pure Calm Wellness Oil into my nighttime ritual. It doesn’t take
  much time, and it’s so pleasurable.”

• 

  Erica
  Chidi Cohen

  Doula, cofounder and CEO
  of LOOM, author of Nurture
  

• Along with legions of other women, we look to Erica Chidi Cohen for advice on
  motherhood, pregnancy, and self-care. And since she also co-runs a successful
  health education and community hub in Los Angeles, we ping her for boss business
  insight, too.

  “I love figuring out how to work smarter, not harder. I’m constantly looking for
  new ways to up my productivity. That said, I try not to take it too seriously,
  and I also prioritize my self-care. I’m less about balance and more about taking care of myself as intensely as I work.”
• MIND & MOTION Pilates Mind & Motion, pricing varies

  “For ten years, I have been doing classical Pilates. I
  couldn’t get through the week without my sessions
  with Meghan Pickrell at Mind & Motion, which support
  my body and my mind. I love how detailed it is.”

• INCAUSA palo santo goop, $12

  “I burn palo santo
  constantly at home.
  There’s something so
  soothing about striking
  a match, letting the
  flame burn, and
  breathing in the scent.
  A reminder to be in
  the moment.”

• SLACK Slack, pricing varies
• ASANA ASANA, pricing varies

  “I love both Asana and Slack. Asana
  helps us keep track of what we need to
  do, and Slack helps us streamline
  communication. They both help me and
  my team save time and keep us off of
  email unless we’re dealing with external
  communications, which is a boon.”