By
El Copeland
May 2, 2025
•
20 min read
Professional Development
Rethinking Productivity: Tools and Mindsets That Actually Work
Productivity. It's one of my most beloved and yet most hated concepts. At its core, productivity is just output over time: a metric that first rose to prominence during the Industrial Revolution as we looked for a way to measure how efficiently machines (and then people) produced goods.
But, dear reader, I propose to you that we aren't machines whose only value in what we produce, and we should be intentional about evading that trap.
It's tempting to equate productivity with worth. In a tech-driven world where the average worker is already exponentially more productive than generations before, chasing productivity for its own sake can leave us burnt out and disoriented.
Chasing productivity alone can reduce our identities to more emails, more code, more content. An endless and meaningless attempt to bend the boundaries of finite resources.
Instead, I want to reframe the conversation around efficiency: meaningful output over time. Efficiency asks better questions which will lead us to better answers. No longer are we asking, "How much did you do today?" but rather, "Was it worth doing?" It is very important to me that we can reclaim this quality as something every worker can own and take pride in, and that it isn't merely a metric for middle management to squeeze as much out of you as they possibly can.
Triple D: A Framework for Meaningful Work
It's called Triple D not just because I'm a Guy Fieri fan (Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is peak American reality TV in my humble opinion), but because I believe every great day at work should have that same heart: a little execution, a little learning, and a little dreaming about what’s next.
Triple D in light of our conversation on meaningful, modern productivity and efficiency in the workplace is: Do, Discover, Dream.
- Do: The core of your work. The tasks you're responsible for completing.
- Discover: Feedback loops. Communicating with others. Learning from customers, coworkers, or your own process. Research, reading, and further education.
- Dream: Rest, imagine, and plan. How could you improve your work, systems, or strategy?
These three feed into each other, creating a loop of sustainable, intentional work. It honors both execution and imagination.
The Tools of Efficiency
SInce we've defined efficiency as something every worker is in command of in their own lives, it's worth noting that attaining better efficiency isn't about having expensive software or corporate resources. It's about using what you already have as well as finding new tools. Many aspects of productivity can be inexpensive, or free. With that said, I break tools into three categories:
1. Rhythm & Flow
In order to accomplish all of the Doing, Discovering, and Dreaming you are capable of, it's vital that you establish a Flow to create structure, sense, and accountability.
Your body and brain are your most important tools. Building a rhythm that supports rest, clarity, and momentum matters more than any productivity app. Ways that you can establish Flow:
- Health, including fitness, sleep, and nutrition habits
- Therapist check-ins
- An agenda planner or a analog tool that supports weekly and monthly goal-setting, habit tracking, and reflection. I'm personally a big fan of Ink + Volt, and a huge thanks to my buddies Josh Mallard and Blake Imeson at LimeCuda for gifting me that first planner years ago!
2. Products: Hardware & Software
Start with what you already have. You might be surprised by what your existing tools can do.
- Consider using shortcuts and macros within programs, or even programming your keyboard or mouse.
- Ditto Clipboard Manager + a programmable mouse shortcut: game-changer for copy/paste workflows
- ActivityWatch, RescueTime, or Qbserve: passive time tracking for digital self-awareness
- Logseq, Obsidian, or Notion: personal knowledge management that links your thoughts, tasks, and notes
- Calendly or other booking links through Microsoft or Hubspot to reduce scheduling fatigue
- Microsoft Scheduling or Doodle polls for easier group coordination
And if your organization already uses Microsoft or Google, explore Copilot or Gemini before paying for new AI tools.
3. Space
Space is more than just free time. It’s about creating breathing room to connect the dots.
- Generative AI - Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and CoPpilot aren't just for doing tasks. They help you think and make YOUR VOICE STRONGER instead of being your voice. Use them to:
- Clarify jumbled thoughts
- Summarize or rewrite rough ideas
- Generate alternatives or brainstorm solutions
- Transcription tools built-in options with Microsoft Teams, Zoom. Or other tools like Otter.ai or Firefly reduce cognative load during conversations
- Combine Transcripts with GenAI and you're going to be way ahead by having GenAI create follow up summaries, emails, and work plans.
- Email agents like SaneBox, Superhuman, or Inbox Zero to help you manage unruly inboxes
Most importantly, focus on how you can build in downtime to let your mind wander. That’s where big ideas and problem-solving happen.
From Output to Impact
At the end of the day, productivity was a metric that was created for machines, and you're not a machine. You’re a human in a finite, soft body, in a world that is often very hard. Your value is not your output.
Efficiency, in contrast, helps you:
- Respect your limits
- Align your actions with your values
- Deliver meaningful work consistently
When we focus on efficiency, we create room for autonomy, insight, and innovation. That’s what helps teams thrive and businesses grow.
So: Do. Discover. Dream. And build a system that works for your actual life—not just your to-do list.
Author's Note: I also recorded a video on this with a few anecdotes and visuals. You can view it here: Rethinking Productivity: Tools and Mindsets That Actually Work.
As Partner and Business Consultant at Rising Tide, I help organizations align culture with efficiency, bridging the gap between strategy and the everyday systems that make it work. I’ve spent my career leading diverse, cross-functional teams and building communities where people actually want to learn and collaborate. With roots in technology, education, user experience & design, and project management, I specialize in turning complex ideas into clear, actionable plans that keep both people and projects thriving.
Outside of work, you’ll usually find me weight-training, gardening, or rewatching Doctor Who with a cat in my lap.
See some more of our most recent posts...
By the [run]Book: Episode 11
Episode 11 breaks down the most impactful upgrades across v2.202 and v2.204 — from smarter controls to new AI capabilities every MSP should know.
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In Episode 11 of By the [run]Book, Connor and Mendy wrap up v2.202 and move into v2.204, highlighting a mix of compliance tools, smarter ticketing controls, and powerful new AI foundations. They cover everything from audit log redaction and agent cost history tracking to Halo’s new MCP server, plus practical integration updates MSPs can use right away. It’s a fast, insight-packed walkthrough of the latest improvements shaping daily MSP workflows.
Watch Now: By the [run]Book: Episode 11
For easier tracking, check out haloreleases.remmy.dev to filter and search HaloPSA updates by ID, version, and keyword.
Added the setting 'Allow admins to redact Ticket audit logs' | v2.202 #817350 | 2:33
A new compliance-driven option allowing admins to redact specific audit log entries.
- Redactions are themselves logged
- Ideal for removing accidentally captured sensitive information
- Could be automated for retention policies
Added advanced settings per ticket type to disable the problem/resolution finder for agents and users | v2.202 #795561 | 4:29
More precise control of when Halo’s Resolution Finder appears.
- Disable for admin/maintenance workflows
- Keep enabled for user-facing support
- Improves workflow relevancy + reduces noise
Added the ability to use custom filter profiles on the Self Service Portal | v2.202 #768823 | 7:54
You can now surface custom ticket views directly to clients.
- Great for “All Tasks,” project dashboards, or simplified overviews
- Can be access-controlled so agents don’t see them
- Major enhancement for client-side transparency
Added Subscriptions and Software Licences to SQL Import Integration | v2.202 #737247 | 12:18
Allows software licensing data to be imported through SQL Integrator.
- Requires consistent identifiers
- Supports license type mapping + customer matching
- Bridges on-prem systems with Halo licensing
Added Agent cost history tracking | v2.202 #735577 | 15:30
A major improvement for profitability accuracy.
- Stores cost by time period
- Supports multi-currency
- Prevents old tickets from recalculating using new rates
- Essential for contract margin analysis
MSP Tip: Enable this before your next billing cycle.
Added Opensearch as a vector search database option for AI searching | v2.202 #650351 | 22:23
Halo now supports Opensearch for AI semantic search.
- Better AI matching & contextual understanding
- Powers more accurate AI triage & article suggestions
Entering v2.204
Halo Remote MCP Server for AI integrations now available | v2.204 #979569 | 24:37
Halo’s MCP server enables AI systems to take real action via the Halo API.
- Requires tight guardrails
- Future update adds bearer tokens for stable authentication
- Enables smarter Halobot and AI-driven automation
Improvements to the Dynamics Business Central integration | v2.204 #882737 | 30:36
Improvements to the Addigy integration | v2.204 #787185 | 30:48
A setting has been added… to disable asynchronous search | v2.204 #1005031 | 32:54
Allows fallback to synchronous sequential search.
- Use cautiously — unclear scenarios for enabling
Custom Tag Category mapping via ID or "~" for N-Central | v2.204 #1004123 | 34:15
Changes to the "Allow actions to be translated…" | v2.204 #1003051 | 35:22
Better translation toggles for multi-language communication.
New "Get Report Data" custom function for MCP & Virtual Agents | v2.204 #1003042 | 37:19
Allow Sales Opportunities to be invoiced | v2.204 #1002257 | 37:44
IT Glue Location Sync | v2.204 #1000835 | 40:55
Ticket Sources can be disabled | v2.204 #1000775 | 41:21
Edit Prepay time allocated to an action | v2.204 #1000603 | 41:38
Expense review process improvements | v2.204 #1000311 | 45:02
- Bulk actions
- Clearer UI
- Better handling for reimbursement flows
Quotes & Orders default sorting fix | v2.204 #999825 | 47:11
Allow items to be added to approved POs from Sales Orders | v2.204 #999609 | 50:45
Add Additional Agents as Attendees on Appointment creation | v2.204 #999225 | 51:40
Rich Text Custom Fields will now populate the $ variables on PDFs & Emails | v2.204 #998883 | 53:38
Chapter-by-Chapter Discussion Questions for The Go-Giver by Bob Burg: Chapter Seven - Rachel
In this chapter guide to “Rachel” from The Go-Giver, we explore what great coffee, storytelling, and human needs have in common. From “survive, save, serve” to Maslow and “meat computers,” this piece invites MSP leaders and service pros to rethink how they scale excellence without burning people...or the beans!
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About this Series
This discussion guide is part of Rising Tide’s Fall 2025 book club, where we’re reading The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.
If you’re just joining us, here are a few pages you’ll likely benefit from:
- Chapter One – The Go-Getter for an introduction on how to use these Discussion Questions
- Book Clubs, Conversations, and Curiosity for why we started a book club for a technical team here
Chapter Summary
In Chapter 7, "Rachel," we learn more about Rachel and about the characteristics that Pindar finds valuable.
Discussion Questions
Use these open-ended prompts to guide reflection and conversation. Remember, there are no right answers!
- How do you feel about the commentary about Pindar’s age? Do you know people who are younger than they seem? What characteristics contribute to that perception?
- Can you relate to Rachel? Is her story believable? What do you think the authors seek to elucidate about her? What about Pindar’s view of her?
- We’re yet again hearing Pindar described as a storyteller. What does that make you think the authors are trying to say about Pindar’s skill set?
- Survive, save, and serve. Where do you find yourself landing? Where would you like to invest more?
- What do you think is Rachel’s “secret” to good coffee? The author describes many aspects of her craft, surely it’s not just because she’s one-eighth Colombian!
Rising Tide Input for your Consideration
- Making coffee well is an interesting metaphor! There is so much care, precision, and repetition in making coffee, it’s as much a science as it can be considered an art.
- Consider Starbucks beans: to produce a consistent product at a scale, they roast their beans very hard, eliminating the unique characteristics of a specific variety of coffee bean in lieu of a product that will hold up to their regularly heavy-flavored and sugared drinks. (See: Why Starbucks Coffee Has That Burnt Taste) Is it possible to truly scale excellence with care? Is there a limit?
- As you're growing YOUR business, which parts of your business are you burning off as you clarify your mission and vision? If you're not burning with care and wisdom, you can burn off exactly what makes you and your team special, and you can even deter your ideal clients because of a lack of care, precision, and intention.
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests humans must have their basic needs met before they have the space to pursue “more advanced” needs.
- If that’s too academic, El gave a talk at MSPGeekCon about how we’re all basically meat computers with Hardware, Software, and Networking built into us. Does that perspective change how you can handle other humans and even take care of yourself? (Watch part 1 of “The Care and Feeding of Meat Computers” here: https://youtu.be/yRcs5XYI8LQ?si=J3Q_VGenSHaKutOR)
About Rising Tide and our Book Club
Rising Tide helps MSPs and service-focused teams build better systems: the kind that align people with purpose.
Every Friday at 9:30 AM ET, we host Rising Tide Fridays as an open conversation for MSP owners, consultants, and service professionals who want to grow both professionally, technically, and emotionally. In Fall/Winter 2025, we’re walking through The Go-Giver, chapter by chapter.
If that sounds like your kind of crowd, reach out to partners@risingtidegroup.net for the Teams link.
Bring your coffee and curiosity…no prep required.
Chapter-by-Chapter Discussion Questions for The Go-Giver by Bob Burg: Chapter One - The Go-Getter
At Rising Tide, we use book clubs not to read—but to listen, question, and practice curiosity. Join us as we unpack Chapter One of The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann, using open-ended prompts to reflect on ambition, connection, and growth. Perfect for service-minded teams who want to slow down and think differently.
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About this Series
If you’ve already read Book Clubs, Conversations, and Curiosity, you know that at Rising Tide, we don’t host book clubs for the sake of reading. We use them as an excuse to talk, to listen, and to practice curiosity together.
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann is the first book that we've chosen to explore together in this way. Each week, we’re reading one short chapter together and using a few open-ended questions to spark real conversation: no lectures, no wrong answers, just reflection.
Below are our discussion prompts for Chapter One: “The Go-Getter.”
They’re written for teams like ours: busy, service-minded, sometimes too practical for their own good...who want to slow down long enough to notice what these stories have to teach.
How this guide is different from others you'll find online: We keep it chapter-focused. Every set of questions focuses only on the current chapter so there is no foreshadowing, no jumping ahead, no “we’ll get to that in Chapter 7.” The goal is to slow down and savor the smaller ideas that get lost when you rush to the big themes, and we're going to make sure that team members that are "behind" have enough data points to connect the dots and contribute even if they're not caught up to the current reading.
Use them however you like. Whether you’re reading along with us or just looking for a fresh team conversation starter, we hope these questions help you stretch a little, think differently, and see something new in yourself or your work.
Some Tips on how to use this Guide
- Keep it simple. No slides. No structured lessons. Read a question aloud, give a solid 10-second pause, sometimes you have to let the awkwardness of silence drive the conversation.
- Honor the one-chapter rule. No spoilers, no summaries! Stay inside the chapter or assigned reading. If someone raises a later theme, park it in a “Next Chapters” list and keep today focused. Similarly, don’t try to solve the book. Ask what this chapter made people notice or feel—nothing more.
- Actively include people who didn’t read and make space for quieter voices. Use prompts like, “From this idea alone, what stands out?” Curiosity doesn’t require homework. Explicitly ask: “Anyone who hasn’t shared want to weigh in?” Intentionally invite two voices before anyone speaks twice
- Time-box it. 15–30 minutes. One good discussion beats five rushed questions.
- Close with a single takeaway. Each person names one sentence, idea, or action they’re taking into the week. Log it. Revisit next time.
If you tweak or add questions, tell us at partners@risingtidegroup.net. We’ll keep improving this tool for other MSP teams.
Chapter One Discussion Questions and Observations
Chapter One Summary
In this chapter, we meet Joe, a go-getter who doesn't seem to be getting what he's going for. We are also introduced to his coworkers: Melanie and Gus, who help connect him with Pindar, or the Chairman, who agrees to tell Joe the huge trade secret that will surely be his key to success.
Chapter One Questions
- How would you describe or define a go-getter?
- Is it a good or bad thing? Why?
- Do you consider yourself a go-getter?
- Do you know people like Joe, Gus, or Melanie? What do you think of them as people or colleagues?
- Why do you think the authors chose the name Pindar for the Chairman?
- What do you think Pindar's conditions are going to be?
Chapter One Observations from the Rising Tide Team
- Being a Go-Getter isn’t a bad thing!
- It’s important to remember that the authors of this book are likely flattening the depth of characters into caricatures to more cleanly get the point of their story across. This is important to remember because rarely in life will the humans you interact with be the fulfillment of the assumptions you make about them.
- Pindar is the name of a Greek poet who wrote odes of Victory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pindar. Does this mean we can expect victory for Joe?
Creatures of a day! What is anyone?
What is anyone not? A dream of a shadow
Is our mortal being. But when there comes to men
A gleam of splendour given of heaven,
Then rests on them a light of glory
And blessed are their days. (Pindar, Pythian 8)
Join the Conversation
Want to hang out in these conversations with the Rising Tide team? We meet Fridays at 9:30 AM ET to talk through important business, technological, and communal developments, and for the next 14ish weeks, The Go-Giver! If you’re an MSP owner, consultant, or service professional who wants to grow your team’s emotional intelligence alongside your technical skill, you’re welcome here.
Reach out to partners@risingtidegroup.net for the Rising Tide Fridays Teams link. Bring your coffee and curiosity: no prep required.