We often hear about the importance of productivity—getting more done, staying on top of everything, and pushing through endless to-do lists. But what if we shift the focus? Instead of asking how we can be more productive, let’s ask why we’re doing these tasks in the first place.
Before Sunsama, my productivity felt like playing whack-a-mole—except I had no hammer and really bad aim. I needed a way to plan my day intentionally instead of just reacting and relying on grit. Sunsama changed everything. It’s more than just a task manager—it’s a structured daily planning tool that helps you set priorities, time block realistically, and integrate with the tools you already use. And with Zapier, you can automate even more, cutting out manual work and staying effortlessly organized.
The Secret to Making Any Productivity App Work
The best productivity tool? The one you actually use consistently.
I’ve tested hundreds—if not thousands—of productivity apps, and the biggest takeaway is this: Your system only works if you trust it.
If you don’t trust your to-do app to remind you when you need to grab milk, you won’t use it.
If your note-taking app makes it hard to find last week’s meeting notes, you’ll switch back to pen and paper.
If your project manager is cluttered and overwhelming, you’ll avoid using it entirely.
Shiny object syndrome makes us feel like we need the best app with the most features, but what actually matters is finding a tool you stick with long enough to see results. Sunsama works because it prioritizes consistency, clarity, and alignment with your actual needs.
The Importance of Purposeful Productivity
Productivity isn’t just about getting more done—it’s about getting the right things done. Every task should have a clear purpose that aligns with your needs and values.
When you focus on why a task is important, it stops feeling like a never-ending list of obligations and starts becoming a way to create space for what matters most. Maybe finishing work early means closing your laptop for the weekend, spending more time with family, or finally pursuing a creative project. Productivity should serve your life, not consume it.
Sunsama encourages this mindset by structuring your workday in a way that prioritizes meaningful work while filtering out tasks that don’t contribute to your bigger goals.
Getting Started with Sunsama
Step 1: Setting Up Your Account
Sign up for Sunsama (use this link for a free trial).
Choose your preferred task management tool to sync (or skip for now).
Connect your calendar to pull in events and block time for tasks.
Set your daily planning and shutdown rituals to maintain structured workflows.
Step 2: Daily Planning & Task Prioritization
Sunsama encourages you to plan your day before starting:
Add tasks manually or pull them from integrated tools (Notion, Gmail, Asana, etc.).
Assign an estimated time for each task to prevent over-scheduling.
Set priorities using Objectives—align tasks with bigger goals.
Snooze or move tasks to a backlog if they aren’t urgent.
Step 3: Time Blocking & Scheduling
Drag and drop tasks onto your calendar to visualize your workload.
Use the Focus Mode to work on one task at a time.
Adjust your schedule dynamically—move or extend tasks as needed.
Key Features That Make Sunsama Powerful
Time Tracking & Billing with Toggl
Sunsama provides built-in time tracking, offering daily and weekly breakdowns of where your time is spent. This feature helps you identify productivity patterns, spot inefficiencies, and adjust your workflow for better focus.
For freelancers and consultants, Sunsama integrates with Toggl, allowing you to:
Track billable hours for specific projects or clients.
Automate time tracking based on your Sunsama tasks.
Generate detailed reports for invoicing or time audits.
The Importance of Breaks & The Pomodoro Technique
Taking breaks isn’t a sign of laziness; it’s a necessity for sustainable productivity.
Improves Focus & Creativity – Research shows that short, regular breaks enhance work quality. Our brains need rest to function at their best.
Prevents Burnout – The structured approach of Pomodoro ensures you don’t overwork yourself.
Encourages Physical Activity – Stretching, a brisk walk, or yoga poses can help reenergize your body and mind. A walking pad has been a huge help for me to stay active while working.
True Disconnection – Use breaks to fully step away from work. Avoid checking emails—engage in something relaxing instead.
Daily Highlight AI: Meaningful Reflection on Work
Sunsama’s Daily Highlight AI helps you reflect on your work instead of just checking off tasks and forgetting about them. This feature creates an insightful summary of your day that you can keep for your records or share with your team.
Task Recap & Time Breakdown – Sunsama automatically organizes what you worked on, showing the planned vs. actual time spent.
AI-Generated Summaries – Highlights your most important work and provides context based on notes or previous activity.
Personal Reflection & Prompts – Customize prompts to guide end-of-day reflections, helping you capture what went well, what needs improvement, and how you feel about the day.
Easy Sharing – Save highlights privately or send them to Slack, Teams, or email.
Managing Inboxes & Multi-Day Tasks
Notifications and ongoing tasks can easily derail productivity, especially when alerts from multiple apps pull your attention in different directions. Constantly shifting focus to check emails, Slack messages, or project updates disrupts deep work and creates mental clutter. Instead of reacting all day, Sunsama helps centralize and structure your workflow so you can process notifications intentionally without losing focus.
Inbox Triage
Set Up a Recurring Task – Create a daily “Inbox Triage” task with subtasks for email, Slack, Asana, etc.
Use a Timer – Start a timer while processing messages to stay focused and track time spent.
Turn Messages Into Tasks – Convert emails, Slack messages, or other notifications into Sunsama tasks.
Managing Multi-Day Tasks
Let Tasks Roll Over – Log time spent. If unfinished, Sunsama automatically rolls it to the next day.
Use Subtasks – Break large tasks into steps; completed subtasks mark progress.
Plan With Weekly Objectives – Create an objective and assign tasks to each workday.
Duplicate When Needed – Copy tasks if they contain key notes or details.
Leverage Integrations – Import tasks multiple times from connected tools.
By structuring inbox and task management, you reduce distractions, stay focused, and track progress effortlessly.
Part 02: Zapier
Zapier is an automation tool that connects different apps and services, allowing you to create workflows that streamline repetitive tasks. By setting up automated sequences (called “Zaps”), you can eliminate manual work, improve efficiency, and integrate tools that don’t natively communicate with each other.
Zapier operates on a simple trigger-and-action system:
Trigger: An event that starts the workflow (e.g., receiving an email, adding a new task in Asana, getting a new form submission).
Action: The automated task that follows the trigger (e.g., sending a Slack message, updating a Notion database, creating a new Trello card).
Setting Up a Zap
Choose a Trigger App: Select the app where the automation begins (e.g., Gmail, Google Sheets, or Notion).
Define the Trigger Event: Specify what action will start the Zap (e.g., receiving a new email with a specific keyword).
Choose an Action App: Select the app where the automation should take place (e.g., Slack, Asana, Airtable).
Define the Action Event: Specify what happens in response to the trigger (e.g., creating a new task, sending a notification, updating a spreadsheet).
Test & Activate: Run a test to ensure the Zap works correctly, then enable it to run automatically in the background.
Free vs. Premium Plans
Zapier offers different pricing tiers, including a free plan with basic automation and premium plans for more complex workflows.
Feature
Free Plan
Premium Plans (Starter & Up)
Number of Zaps
5
Unlimited
Number of Actions per Zap
1 action per Zap
Multi-step Zaps available
App Integrations
Standard apps only
Premium app integrations
Update Frequency
Every 15 minutes
Every 2-5 minutes
Paths & Filters
Not available
Available for advanced logic
Webhooks & APIs
Not available
Available in higher plans
Popular Use Cases
Zapier can automate countless workflows. Here are some common examples:
1. Email & Task Management
Convert emails into tasks in Notion, Sunsama, or Todoist.
Send Slack notifications for new emails from key clients.
Create Trello cards from starred Gmail emails.
2. Social Media Automation
Auto-post new blog articles to Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
Save Instagram posts to a Google Sheet for content tracking.
Get Slack notifications when someone mentions your brand.
3. Business & CRM Workflows
Add new leads from Typeform to a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce.
Send automatic follow-up emails after a new contact fills out a form.
Create invoices in QuickBooks when a Stripe payment is received.
4. Productivity & Note-Taking
Sync meeting notes from Google Calendar to Notion.
Save new Slack messages to a “Read Later” list in Pocket or Evernote.
Log daily habits from a Google Form to a Notion tracker.
5. E-commerce & Order Management
Add new Shopify orders to an Airtable database.
Send thank-you emails after a Gumroad or Etsy purchase.
Update inventory in Google Sheets when a sale is made.
How to Supercharge Sunsama with Zapier
For any missing integration you may need in Sunsama, there is Zapier. With Zapier you can send tasks into Sunsama from tools that don’t already integrate with it.
Useful Sunsama + Zapier Automations
Google Tasks to Sunsama – Automatically sync Google Tasks into Sunsama for better daily planning.
Google Sheets to Sunsama – Turn spreadsheet rows into actionable Sunsama tasks, ideal for tracking repeating processes.
Basecamp to Sunsama – Convert Basecamp to-dos into Sunsama tasks so everything is in one place.
Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy Sales to Sunsama – Automatically create follow-up or customer service tasks when sales happen.
How to Set Up a Sunsama Zap in Zapier
Go to Zapier and click Create a Zap.
Select the trigger app (e.g., Google Tasks, Notion, Basecamp).
Choose an event (e.g., “New Task Created”).
Select Sunsama as the action app.
Customize and test your Zap to ensure it works properly.
Activate it and let Zapier handle the rest!
Advanced Zapier Features
For users on premium plans, Zapier offers more powerful automation options:
Multi-Step Zaps: Chain multiple actions together (e.g., When a new lead comes in, add them to a CRM, send a Slack notification, and create a follow-up task in Asana).
Filters: Set conditions so Zaps only run when certain criteria are met (e.g., Only create a task if an email contains the word “urgent”).
Paths: Use “if-then” logic to send different outcomes based on variables (e.g., If a purchase is over $100, send a VIP thank-you email; otherwise, send a standard email).
Webhooks: Connect apps without direct integrations using APIs.
Schedule-Based Triggers: Run Zaps at scheduled times instead of waiting for an event to happen.
Getting Started with Zapier
Sign up at zapier.com and explore pre-built templates.
Identify repetitive tasks in your workflow and see where automation can help.
Start small by creating a simple Zap and gradually build more complex ones.
Monitor & tweak workflows to ensure they’re running smoothly.
By automating everyday tasks, Zapier allows you to focus on high-value work instead of getting bogged down in manual processes. Whether you’re managing emails, social media, or business operations, Zapier can help streamline your workflow effortlessly.
Final Thoughts: Productivity with Purpose
Sunsama and Zapier have completely changed how I approach productivity—offering a combination of time blocking, Pomodoro, task consolidation, automation, and burnout prevention. But more importantly, it has helped me shift my mindset from doing more to doing what matters most.
Productivity is about efficiency, but efficiency without purpose is just busyness. Sunsama helps you stay on track, automate the small stuff, and focus on what truly moves the needle—both in business and in life.
