When to Introduce New Tools Into Your Workflow

Hello Creative Friends,

One question I hear constantly from clients is:

Whether it's ClickUp, Asana, the latest AI assistant, or even Notion, the enthusiasm for new tools is always buzzing in your ear.

But as someone who helps people build systems for a living, I've learned that WHEN you introduce a new tool matters just as much as WHICH tool you choose. So when could that be?

The 3 Perfect Moments to Introduce a New Tool

1. When you've outgrown your current solution​
   Your current process has clear limitations that are actively holding you back. You've pushed your existing tools to their limits and need them to work a bit more so you don't have to.
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   Just recently I did this with looking at moving Creative Flow Academy out of Teachable. None of the course management felt very easy to use, and with a whole year going by, I wanted to have more flexibility in what I offered my students.
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2. When you're solving a specific, recurring pain point​
   You've identified a problem that appears consistently in your workflow, and you've confirmed a new tool will directly address it. Remember: tools should solve problems, not create them.
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   For my consulting work, I'm finding that I work way too fast and it slows me down a ton to try and document the process. So in order to save some time, I looked into Scribe that can help do that process with me. Currently testing this right now.
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3. When you have the bandwidth to properly implement it​
   New tools require time, learning curves, and workflow adjustments. Only introduce them when you can either a) dedicate proper time to integration or b) there is no rush to implementation.
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   Having some test projects can really help identify if something is a good fit or not.

Warning Signs It's NOT the Right Time

• You're already feeling overwhelmed by your current tools
• You haven't fully utilized what you already have
• You're chasing a feature rather than solving a problem
• You haven't defined how success would look after implementation

Real-Life Example: Notion + Quotient

A client recently asked about connecting Notion with Quotient (a quoting tool). Rather than immediately jumping to implementation, we first explored:

• What specific problem were they trying to solve?
• What manual steps would this integration replace?
• What information actually needed to flow between systems?

We discovered their real need wasn't the integration itself—it was visibility into their status within their sales system system. This clarity helped us design a much simpler solution than they initially thought they needed.

Remember: The best system isn't the one that utilzes the most tools–because that actually sounds like a nightmare—it's the one that feels like so invisible, you treat it as an extension of you and your work.

Do you have any tools that you are considering adding to your workflow? Reply to this email and let me know what problem you're trying to solve—I might have some suggestions!
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💙 Jenny

Want to talk about ways that Notion can actually serve your workflow instead of complicating it? Book a FREE Intro Call and we can sort through possible options together.