The "Hidden" Features That Are Saving My Clients 5+ Hours Every Week

Hey System Champion!

Let me share a secret from my consulting work: The most powerful features in your project management tools are probably the ones you're not using yet.

I recently analysed the feature usage patterns across 50+ businesses, and here's what shocked me: Most teams use less than 40% of their tools' capabilities. It's like buying a Ferrari and never shifting out of first gear!

Today, I'm pulling back the curtain on the game-changing features that transformed my clients' workflows. These aren't just "nice to have" features – they're the ones that made my clients say, "Wait, it could do that this whole time?!"

The "Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me This Before?" Features

1. Custom Fields That Think for You

   • The Old Way: Manual calculations, constant updates

   • The Game-Changer: Formula fields that auto-calculate

   • Real Client Win: A marketing agency reduced reporting time by 73% using formula fields to automatically calculate campaign ROI

2. Views That Read Your Mind

   • The Old Way: Switching between multiple boards

   • The Game-Changer: Custom views with saved filters

   • Real Client Win: A project manager cut daily setup time from 45 minutes to 5 using personalized views

3. Automations That Actually Work

   • The Old Way: Manual status updates and notifications

   • The Game-Changer: Multi-step automation chains

   • Real Client Win: An e-commerce team automated their entire order-to-fulfilment process, saving 12 hours/week

ClickUp Power Features You're Probably Missing

1. Custom Calculations in Table View

   • What it does: Performs real-time calculations across tasks

   • Best for: Budget tracking, resource allocation, performance metrics

   • Setup time: 15 minutes

   • Time saved: 2-3 hours/week

2. Relationship Fields

   • What it does: Creates smart connections between tasks

   • Best for: Client projects, product development, bug tracking

   • Setup time: 30 minutes

   • Time saved: 3-4 hours/week

Monday.com Hidden Gems

1. Formula Column Automation

   • What it does: Triggers actions based on calculated values

   • Best for: Deadline management, budget alerts, workload balancing

   • Setup time: 20 minutes

   • Time saved: 2-3 hours/week

2. Board Dependencies

   • What it does: Connects different workflows automatically

   • Best for: Project dependencies, approval workflows, client onboarding

   • Setup time: 45 minutes

   • Time saved: 4-5 hours/week

💡 Pro Tip: The real power comes from combining these features. One of my clients uses formula fields to calculate project health scores, which then trigger automations for team notifications and status updates.

The "Nobody Tells You This" Tricks

1. In ClickUp:

   • Use custom fields as dynamic project phase indicators

   • Set up recurring tasks with dynamic due dates

   • Create dashboard widgets that predict project completion

2. In Monday.com:

   • Leverage timeline column formulas for resource forecasting

   • Use mirror items for cross-functional project views

   • Set up automations based on formula results

Client Success Story Spotlight

You know my client Sarah, whom I mention here quite a lot, the one who runs a digital agency. Her team was drowning in client communication and project updates. By implementing custom formula fields and automated status updates:

• Client update meetings reduced by 60%

• Project visibility improved by 85%

• Team saved 7 hours/week on reporting

Here's to unlocking the full power of your tools,

Hina

P.S. Wondering which advanced features would benefit your specific workflow? Reply with "AUDIT" and let's explore your system's untapped potential together!

💭 Thought of the Week: "The most powerful feature is the one you discover right when you need it most."