Forward planning is crucial for realistically assessing your own workload and working efficiently. That’s why I strongly recommend using Outlook not only for meetings, but also for reserving specific time slots for important tasks.
In our team, this method is an integral part of our daily work routine – and it has proven to be extremely effective. We not only schedule client appointments and internal meetings, but also set aside specific times for preparation, research, or strategic projects. This allows us to maintain an overview, work in a more structured manner, and plan our tasks realistically. At the same time, it enables our colleagues to see when someone is available at any given time, which makes collaboration much easier.
And I’ll admit it here and now, I am the calendar stalker in our team – and I have no guilty conscience about it. After all, I’m not the witch with the crystal ball🔮 who keeps an eye on everything in the team for nothing. While others are still thinking about when they actually have vacation, I already have it on my radar. This regularly causes hearty laughter when I know sooner than the person themselves that they have time off.
But honestly, it’s not so bad when at least one person keeps track of everything. From experience, I can say that this has often been practical – either because appointments would otherwise have clashed or because no one knew what was planned and when. Of course, I’m not perfect and sometimes I overlook things, but when in doubt, I simply rely on my crystal ball – or Outlook 😉
This structured approach also helps us to recognize early on whether our workload is realistic or whether tasks need to be redistributed. Of course, there are always spontaneous issues, but thanks to well-thought-out planning, we know exactly which tasks are flexible and which have priority. I can only recommend this way of working—it ensures greater efficiency, transparency, and better self-organization in everyday work.

• Collect and prioritize agenda items
• Tag colleagues (the email notification feature still leaves something to be desired)
• Can access ongoing topics across all pages without having to manually move unfinished topics from one week to the next
• Expand notes live during the meeting – without having to jump back and forth between PowerPoint or OneNote
• Have a finished transcript ready for anyone who is currently on vacation 😊🏝️

Advantage: Everyone can collaborate in real time, we get to the heart of the matter faster, and all relevant information stays in one place.

2. Loop as a project tool in customer projects
In some customer projects, we use Loop pages specifically to make the most important content available interactively for each meeting. It looks like this:

• For each project meeting, whether training or workshop, we create a Loop page that contains the current agenda, links to presentation documents or concept boards, or the project planner.
• During the meeting, all participants work together on the checklists, comment directly in Loop components, and can provide live feedback.
• After the meeting, this Loop page remains in place, tasks (embedded from Planner) are checked off, and the current status is transparent for everyone.

Advantage: Fewer different media that project participants have to click through, less version chaos—everyone works on the same page. And everyone knows what to do next. In particular, the combination of “instructions” for a task, the task itself, and the context (project, workshop, work package) helps people who are not involved with the project on a daily basis to quickly get back on track.

3. Loop task lists with Lightweight Planner as a workaround for Shared Channels
Planner boards are still not available in Teams shared channels. We tested how Loop task lists with the integrated Lightweight Planners (i.e., task lists with assignments and due dates) can help:

• In Loop, we create one task list per project, which we embed in the shared channel as a Loop component.
• Everyone can access the task list directly in Teams, move tasks, change priorities, and view due dates.
• The Loop Tasks Lightweight Planner synchronizes between the Loop app and Teams.

Advantage: We can work with shared channels without having to forego collaborative editing of Planner tasks.

In the beginning, it was a real learning process. Just because everyone works from home doesn’t mean it works automatically. So we set our own rules:

• Friday is team day – no customer appointments, but meetings that sometimes cover private topics.
• The “check-in deck” – everyone can quickly show how they’re doing. Is the sun shining or is there a storm? That way, everyone knows without having to explain themselves. Check-In Deck
• Workation instead of the office – Once a year, we meet up in a really cool place, work and spend time together. workation 2025
• Company vacation at Christmas and New Year – Switch off together and recharge your batteries – plannable and stress-free for everyone.
• BDEV – A day several times a year when we work together on big ideas and take our company forward.
• Clear rules of cooperation – So that we all know what we can rely on Rules of cooperation

The changeover was not only exciting for us, but also for our customers. We used to hold all-day workshops with coffee breaks and lunch. Today, the meetings are crisp and focused – and that is unusual for many people at first. Of course, all the workshop formats also had to be adapted.

And then there’s always this one question: “Where are you actually sitting?” When I say that we no longer have an office, many people are initially confused. The next question comes almost automatically: “How do you manage to work as a team?” As soon as I talk about our rituals, it quickly becomes clear that this is not a cost-cutting measure, but a conscious decision.

Another highlight was our joint workshop in which we discussed the most important requirements for a successful project. It was exciting to see how the participants and later co-authors of the guide jointly collected the most important points on how to effectively plan and implement change projects. Together we talked about the importance of clear objectives, good communication and strong teamwork. The interaction with the participants was great and we learnt a lot from each other. You can download the guide here! Download  

But the Copetri COCON 2024 was not just ‘work’. We had an incredible amount of fun! The atmosphere at the trade fair was inspiring, and the new impressions and ideas we took away with us are priceless. The visits to our legendary trade fair stand were particularly exciting. It was fantastic to welcome so many curious and interested visitors and introduce them to our ‘way of work’.

In our case there was nothing to complain about here, since all our tools used are cloud-based, I always have the possibility to get an up-to-date overview of tasks or a status of projects without having to go into a direct exchange.
For me, it was a welcome break from my daily routine without wasting vacation days and still being in a different place. For me it is certain, I will continue to use this freedom and maybe my next blog entry will already come from a completely different time zone!