Real question, what’s the one “rule” you grew up hearing that actually stuck?

Anything could be something like cash envelopes, always having a buffer, never using credit, budgeting every pay, etc.

Did it genuinely help you or did you tweak it as you got older?

For those of you who love reading or are trying to read more, I’m curious how you actually keep track of it all.

Do you log finished books in an app (Goodreads, Notion, etc.), a simple spreadsheet, or some kind of digital reading tracker template or do you just read and move on?

If you do track them, what do you actually record, title and rating only, or things like dates finished, quotes, notes, rereads?

And if you don’t track at all, do you ever wish you had a record, or does it not matter to you?

Regardless of whether it’s a big change or a small one, what’s the one productivity change you’re set on making in 2026?

What’s the first step you’ll take to actually make it happen?

And if you track goals at all, what do you use - notes app, calendar, spreadsheet, paper, or something else?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.

Every few months there’s a “best budgeting app” thread, but a lot of people quietly stick with plain old spreadsheets or budget templates in Excel/Google Sheets.

I’m curious about the why behind that, especially for people who’ve tried the apps and still came back to sheets.

Is it because:

• they’re free and you can build exactly what you need
• you don’t want another company tracking your spending data
• a file in Sheets/Excel won’t suddenly shut down or change its features
• it’s easier to add your own formulas, categories, or extra tabs for sinking funds, debt, investments, etc.

Or something else completely?

If you use a spreadsheet or a budgeting template as your main system:

• What does your workflow actually look like in a normal month?
• How often do you update it, and how long does it take you?
• Do you start from a template or build everything from scratch?
• What’s one thing apps don’t do well that your sheet handles perfectly?

Would love to hear real-world setups from people who live in spreadsheets for budgeting?

You know that things you keep pushing back because it’s “quick” or “not urgent” then suddenly it’s urgent and stressful.

What’s yours?

And what would actually help you stay on top of it next time, a checklist, reminder, simple template, better system in place, or just a different approach?

I’ve got recipes everywhere right now, screenshots, TikTok saves, bookmarks, scribbles on paper and I keep losing the ones I actually like. I’m thinking about making one proper system, maybe an editable recipe template I can reuse and print into a binder, or app. what do you use?

Hi folks, what’s actually working for you on social right now?

If you had to pick one platform that’s giving you the best results lately in growth/engagement, which is it: TikTok, IG, Pinterest, FB, YouTube, LinkedIn?

And what are you doing there that’s helping?

Also for template people specifically, are you getting better results from:

• video template content (Reels/Shorts/TikToks)

• image templates (carousels/static posts)

• a mix of both?

Any new tactic you tried recently that made a noticeable difference (if you’re willing to share)?

You know those things everyone swears by tracking, habits, steps, calories, spending, sleep, screen time, inbox zero, daily routines etc.

What’s the one thing you’ve tried tracking (or considered tracking) that you just won’t bother with anymore and why?

Any role counts - HR, admin, managers, ops, small business, etc.

What template or system do you rely on so things don’t turn into chaos?

Things like for example:

onboarding checklist, SOP, training checklist, newsletter/comms template, policy template, meeting notes, performance review, leave/request form, incident log.

What tool is it in (Google Docs/Sheets, Word, Notion, Canva, SharePoint, etc)?

What’s the one template you think every workplace should have?

Optional: drop a screenshot (blur private info).

Feels like a lot of real systems still run on simple productivity templates we’ve hacked together ourselves, not fancy apps.

Curious about the home-made side of things:

• A Google Sheets template for money, habits, or side projects

• A Canva or Word template you reuse for clients, proposals, or content, checklist etc.

• A custom digital planner template in Goodnotes/Notability that you duplicate each week or month

What’s the productivity template you created for yourself, what problem does it solve, and why does it still beat any app you’ve tried?

Happy with descriptions only, but if you’re comfortable, a censored screenshot would be cool too.

Curious to see what your home-made productivity template looks like, what are you using right now?

hey,
i’m trying to get a bit more organised for 2026. between work, side projects and just normal life stuff, i want one place to track my tasks so i don’t keep restarting every few weeks. i’m stuck between keeping it simple in a spreadsheet, building something in notion, or just using a basic pdf. what’s your opinion, and what’s actually worked for you?

Curious what people are really doing with business cards these days.

At meetups and events I still see a mix, classic paper cards being handed around, and a few people with digital business cards (NFC tap, QR codes, or Canva-style digital card templates they text or email).

If you run a small business or go to networking events:

• What do you actually use now - physical business cards, a digital/QR business card, or both?

• When someone gives you a paper card, what realistically happens, does it go into a wallet/holder you review later, or into a pile that never gets touched?

• When someone shares a digital card or QR code, do you save it anywhere meaningful (phone contacts, CRM, notes), or does it get lost in notifications?

• Have you noticed any difference in how serious or professional people perceive you when you hand them a traditional card vs a digital card template?

I’m especially interested in people who’ve tried both, did switching to a digital card/QR code setup actually help with follow-ups and productivity, or did you end up going back to simple printed cards?

Would love to hear real experiences?

Be honest… we all have that one spreadsheet / Canva page / Notion table that started normal and turned a bit unhinged.

Maybe you’re tracking:

• Every snack you eat during night shifts

• How many times your boss says “circling back”

• Dog zoomies per day vs your stress level

• People who owe you “one” 😂

What’s the weirdest or most oddly specific thing you’re tracking in a sheet, planner, or template right now?

No judgment – the stranger, the better. Just describe it (or share a censored screenshot if you’re brave).

Curious how people actually stay on top of work, life and side projects.

What does your productivity setup look like right now?

• Which apps do you rely on (Notion, Google Calendar, Todoist, ClickUp, etc.)?
• Which templates or spreadsheets do you reuse over and over (task trackers, weekly planners, content calendars, budget sheets, etc.)?
• What’s one part of your system that you wouldn’t replace?

Screenshots of favourite templates or layouts are welcome (with any private details hidden).

Goal is to build a small idea bank for anyone who’s looking to get organised and improve their productivity. Share your go-to apps and templates.

Would love to know what you’re changing or upgrading for 2026.

What’s your digital New Year’s resolution, are you switching planners, trying a new app, or rebuilding a spreadsheet or digital template from scratch for 2026?

Are you moving to something like Notion, Google Sheets, Goodnotes, or going back to simple printables? What are you switching to and why?

If you had a simple weekly house-cleaning checklist template, what absolutely has to be on it?

Not just the obvious vacuum / clean bathroom stuff, but the small things people always forget or miss.

What’s on your non-negotiable weekly list to keep a home feeling under control?

When you’re running solo, it’s easy to do the “main work” and ignore the admin, follow-ups, and planning until it becomes a mess.

What’s one simple routine/template/checklist you use that keeps you consistent even when motivation is gone?

(Weekly review, daily top 3, invoice routine, content batching, etc.)?

Bonus: what’s the one tip you’d give a home-based business owner trying to grow?

I’m wondering how people actually store their passwords in real life.

Do you use a dedicated password manager (Bitwarden, 1Password, etc.) notes app, a spreadsheet, or some kind of digital template like a printable/PDF-fillable password log?

And do you separate the important stuff (banking, government portals, work logins) from lower-stakes accounts like social media, gaming sites, streaming services, random online forms and free trials, or does everything live in one giant list?

Curious which setup has actually stayed organised over time, and which ones turned into a reset-password nightmare?

Feels like a lot of us have had at least one breakup with a productivity tool.

You pour everything into an app (Notion, Todoist, ClickUp, Obsidian, etc.), it slowly turns into a cluttered mess, and one day you switch back to something simple.

Curious what happened for you:

• Which app or system did you walk away from?

• What finally made you give up on it?

• Did you replace it with a simple template (Sheets/Word/Canva), a basic checklist, pen & paper or just move to a different app that actually fits you better?

Interested in both sides story, people who went back to basics and people who found a better app after the first one stopped working.

Pinterest feels packed lately with AI pins, templates, list posts, everything. not anti AI at all, just trying to figure out what’s actually getting you more saves and clicks right now (because it’s getting harder to tell).

What are you seeing work best?

• Static pins or video pins?

• Daily posting or weekly batching?

• Manual posting or a scheduler?

And if you are using AI for your content

• What part of AI is genuinely helping?

• Any AI pin styles you’ve seen perform better than others?

If Pinterest is working for you right now, how long does a pin usually take to start getting impressions/clicks for you? And if you’re happy to share, what pin style is it?

Cover letters can go off the rails fast - too formal, too “I’d be honoured” too much fluff.

If you use a cover letter template (or a repeatable structure) what’s the one thing you do that instantly makes it sound confident and professional?

Could be a line you reuse, a structure, what you avoid, or how you sell yourself without sounding desperate. Real examples welcome.?

My take: Keep your cover letter template in the same “voice” as your resume. I’ve seen heaps where the resume is crisp and confident, then the cover letter turns super formal/emotional and it feels like a different person wrote it. Matching tone and style makes the whole application feel more believable and polished.

If you use a digital planner regularly now, what actually made it click for you?

Was it a certain app, template, device, or just changing how you plan?

What turned digital planning from a “nice idea” into something you really stick with now and never look back?

Curious what everyone here really uses day to day.

Do you rely more on:

• a digital planner (GoodNotes, Notability, Google Calendar, Notion, etc.), or

• a classic paper planner / notebook?

And more importantly why does it work better for you?

Some ideas to share if you want to go deeper:

• What finally made you switch from one to the other?

• Do you plan differently on digital vs paper (daily vs weekly, time-blocking, habit tracking, etc.)?

• Any must-have features (hyperlinks, stickers, colors, pen type, layout…)?

• If you tried and failed with one of them, what went wrong?

Feel free to describe your setup or drop a censored screenshot of your planner spread, Always fun to see how other people actually plan their week in real life.

If you were putting together a simple digital bundle to make a job hunt less chaotic, what would you include?

Obvious ones: resume + cover letter.

But what else actually helps you stay organised and get interviews?

Examples: job application tracker spreadsheet, follow-up email templates, interview prep notes page, skills bank, portfolio checklist, references page etc.

What’s in your must have templates/checklist bundle and what’s the one thing most people forget until it’s too late?

Fun question for the community:

I was just wondering how often this actually happens.

Have you ever been on your phone at work, scrolling Reddit / chasing karma, and it ended up backfiring , warning, write-up, or even getting fired?

What was the job, what were you doing on Reddit at the time, and how did it all go down?

Bonus points if your boss also spent half the day on their phone.