
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.
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Katie Bolz
Senior Product Manager
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Katie Bolz manages at least fifty things a day—seriously, that’s her job as goop’s
“Being productive means managing my engagement. I can accomplish a lot in
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.
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.)”
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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
“My friend, motivational guru Mel Robbins, encourages folks to make their task
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.)
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.”
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Shrankhla
HolecekFounder and CEO of UMA Oils
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Shrankhla Holecek is involved in the marketing, the concepts, the team building,
“I’ve been working on taking a broader view of productivity, while trying not
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.
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.”
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Erica
Chidi CohenDoula, cofounder and CEO
of LOOM, author of Nurture -
Along with legions of other women, we look to Erica Chidi Cohen for advice on
“I love figuring out how to work smarter, not harder. I’m constantly looking for
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.
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
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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.”