Welcome to Practical Magic! A productivity and intentional living newsletter with quick, actionable tips that automate, delegate, or speed up your work.

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Using a WorkOS tool, aka digital workspace, is all the rage lately as the term has become popularized.

Personally, I’m a big fan of WorkOS tools because they:

1) Reduce the number of tools you need (and thus costs), and

2) Keep more of your needs in one place through integrations and native features.

As an ops nerd, digital organization is one of my top 5 favorite things (I know, I know…I sound super fun) and the tools available to us today are incredible.

You may be wondering what the heck I’m even talking about. So first, let’s get on the same page before I show you how I built mine.

What the heck is a WorkOS tool?

A WorkOS, or work operating system, is a digital workspace or hub for your business that acts as an (almost) all-in-one tool.

It can be used cross-functionally across teams and roles.

It typically allows you to store information, integrate with multiple apps, automate actions, track progress, and host communication capabilities.

Some might assume it’s a project management tool, but if it’s only being used for project management, it’s being heavily underutilized.

What are examples of WorkOS tools?

I’m going to list a few examples that I’ve used extensively and recommend. Fair warning – I get a bit techy so feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Monday.com

Monday is a highly customizable solution. It has an extensive app marketplace, workflow automations, and all-in-one features, like docs and email. My main complaint is that the marketplace apps sometimes cost additional money or don’t work as expected. While there are many apps that work great, it’s a frustration I don’t like dealing with.

Airtable

Reliable, visually appealing, and really good at what it does best – databases, reporting, and relational databases. I’ve seen impressive Airtable workspaces, however I don’t find it as all-in-one as some of the other tools on this list. I’ll typically use Airtable to integrate with other WorkOS tools.

Notion

My top 2! Notion wins at being customizable and visually beautiful. The capabilities to be an all-in-one solution are endless. I don’t find its project management features as robust as I personally like. However, they just released brand new features for this. It’s a great option for many businesses.

ClickUp

My #1 stunna. ClickUp has the all-in-one features and integrations we love, but also superior project management capabilities. My main complaint is that it’s not as intuitive to use for less tech-savvy clients so can be harder to adopt than a tool like Notion. However, once you learn how to use it, you quickly see how powerful it can be. ClickUp is coming out with their 3.0 version (soon!), which includes big visual updates.

SmartSheet

A new contender on the block. SmartSheet is like if Airtable and Monday had a baby. I think it has a lot of potential, but I found the hierarchy structure confusing upon first impression. I’ll likely revisit as it matures!

Behind The Scenes: How I Built My Workspace

Now that we’re clear on what a WorkOS tool is, let’s dive into the key components I used to design my digital workspace.

Create a Hierarchy

Be thoughtful with the organizational structure to make it easy to navigate. This means your team can quickly find things and get answers (eliminating you as a bottleneck). Overall, it should speed up everyone’s productivity.

When I design and build workspaces, I’m constantly evaluating:

• How can this take the least amount of “clicks”?

• If I was someone new, where would I assume this lives?

Thus, there are a couple key aspects I focus on:

• Create quick access to commonly used items: Most tools have the ability to mark “Favorites.” Not only do I quickly access common lists using this functionality, but I create docs that store commonly used items, like scheduling links, brand assets, or client meeting agendas.

• Think of your workspace structure like a map: One of the common mistakes I see is creating a list or space for every new project or client. This turns into a giant list that makes things hard to find. Instead, think of your workspace like a map – logically guiding from one thing to another similar item. For example, as a service-based business I work with clients, so all client work can be found under the “Clients” section, but all my internal business operations is housed under an “HQ” section. By keeping things simple and following a hierarchy, I’m reducing the places someone (including myself) has to look for what they need.

Templatize Everything

The beauty of using a WorkOS tool is that you can create templates or SOPs for common processes and store them right within your workspace. For example, if you generally have the same list of to-dos for one of your services, create a template you can duplicate every time. If you have emails that you always send, create a template or doc for easy use.

In ClickUp, I can even turn templates into an automation. For example, every time I have “Discovery Call” with a lead, I follow the same steps: 1) prep for the call, and 2) send a proposal post-call. Through a template with automation, when I mark a lead as a Discovery Call status, it automatically adds those two tasks to the lead.

Utilize Communication

My favorite reason to use these tools is to reduce one person being a bottleneck. Your information is stored centrally, with a hierarchy that’s easy to navigate, and your team can act without you. This is how you build an asynchronous team that works even while someone is not “on.”

By using the communication features, everyone can see each other’s comments and discussions directly on the project or task it’s about. If one of your team members is out, they can pick up someone else’s place.

Warning ❗️ Using communication features within a tool does not happen by default.

You have to create policies and processes and then train your team on expectations. You then have to uphold these policies by occasionally re-training team members (😱) if they fail to document within the tool.

Which WorkOS Tool Is Right For You?

You could spend hours on this question. The good news is that almost all of these tools have a free version you can start using immediately.

The right tool is going to be the one you use. So choose what feels most intuitive. The processes and policies you implement will be far more important.

Always in your corner,

Alex

Systems Strategist & Fractional Operations

More Practical & Magical Finds ✨

Three things I’m reading, watching, or learning this week.

1. 👩‍🏫 Looking to grow your business this year? I’m a guest professor for Scaling School – come join us! What I find really powerful about this program is that it’s not a course or one-size-fits all method. It’s a hands-on holistic membership for entrepreneurs needing to scale – and wanting education and tactical help in one place. Limited enrollment pricing ends July 28!

2. 📻 I won’t lie to you – my life has been consumed by radio stations this week as my friend and I try to win Taylor Swift tickets. If you have any tips for winning those call-in contests, help a girl out! 😉

3. See #2 above.

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