# My Perspective on Productivity Tools

When I look at new products in productivity software, I ask three questions: 

1. Does this product give users agency? 
2. Does this product add to tech fatigue or actually streamline the user experience? 
3. Are we optimizing for the strengths of technology vs. humans wherever appropriate? 

Those three questions help me drill down toward product features that empower users. We want to apply smart tech to give contextual recommendations and automate the tedious tasks so humans can focus on the work only they can do.

As a productivity tech founder, here are a few other platforms in the space following principles that inspired me: 

Tempo – They were a classic email platform with innovative ideas around inbox management and gamification of productivity. 

Loom – They’re pushing boundaries around the future of work by giving people freedom to work in their own way in the team context. 

Notion – They’re providing a user experience that empowers users to be Zen and mindful while also creating the structure to be productive.

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