In today’s fast-paced project world, efficient planning is the key to more creativity and less stress – and that’s exactly where awork can help.
We spoke to the most active awork Planner users and gathered their best tips: How can you save time in planning? What needs to be considered to optimally allocate resources? And how can teams become more productive through planning?
Learn from the Planner Champions and discover how to make the most of awork to optimize your own project planning.
Olaf Heinrich, process manager at thjnk (450+ Users)
[.toc-name]Olaf Heinrich from thjnk[.toc-name]
As a Process manager at thjnk, Olaf is responsible for the internal project planning of one of Germany’s largest creative agencies. He knows exactly how to combine structured planning with creative freedom, enabling teams to work efficiently without losing flexibility.
#1 Planning tip
“Make sure to meet for planning sessions. It must be clear who prepares what so that planning remains efficient and practical.”
The pragmatic planning style
Without well-thought-out planning, project work quickly becomes chaotic. However, overly detailed to-do lists can be just as hindering. Olaf follows a pragmatic approach and mainly plans for the next one to two weeks. This keeps his team flexible and ensures they can adapt to changes at any time. Important decisions, such as project adjustments, are discussed in regular planning meetings and immediately put into action.
Implementation in awork
Olaf uses bookings instead of fixed individual tasks in the awork Planner to maintain his team’s creative freedom. Bookings are primarily independent of tasks but still block precise times for selected users. Instead of planning every detail, he creates a clear structure with only a few but flexible time blocks. This makes spontaneous adjustments easier and ensures a productive balance between structure and freedom.
Key takeaways
- Regular meetings are essential to realistically plan tasks and stay adaptable.
- Plan in larger time blocks instead of defining micro-tasks to avoid unnecessary replanning.
- Use bookings in awork to manage capacities and foster agile workflows.
[.b-important-block]The thjnk AG is one of the leading agencies in the DACH region, with over 450 employees across five locations and clients such as IKEA, AUDI, and REWE. Their success story demonstrates how professional planning and the right use of awork can lead to impressive results.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡 About thjnk[$tag]
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Lukas Hautle, project manager and board member at Euphoris Digital Group (12 Users)
[.toc-name]Lukas Hautle from Euphoris Digital[.toc-name]
Lukas Hautle is a project manager and a board member at Euphoris Digital Group, responsible for overall project management and planning. His focus: Clean structures, continuous improvement, and long-term planning. Especially in the agency business, good planning determines success or failure. By ensuring clear resource allocation and precise project overviews, Lukas has increased the company’s efficiency by 30% in just two years. His recipe for success: A detailed yet flexible planning approach in awork.
#1 Planning tip
“You can't expect perfect planning from day one – the key is to get started, learn, and continuously improve your approach.”
The structured planning style
Lukas relies on planned foresight combined with precise control. He is always looking for ways to optimize planning—whether through task structures, team assignments, or new awork features. He prefers planning projects that span an entire year and involve all departments within the agency. While projects are structured, they only include truly necessary tasks and information. Whenever new insights emerge, Lukas updates the planning and transfers this knowledge into a project template to ensure a better foundation for future projects.
Implementation in awork
With the workload view in the awork Planner, Lukas has gained holistic visibility into all agency resources—an absolute game changer. He utilizes detailed resource planning to identify workload distribution and prevent project overloads. Especially for retainer clients, the Planner allows structured client-facing project control. Automation and notifications help him stay up to date on project budgets. Additionally, templates enable him to seamlessly apply past project learnings to new ones.
Key takeaways
- Start your planning in a simple and structured way instead of waiting for perfection—you will continuously refine the process.
- Use reporting features and automation to ensure budget control and efficiency.
- Work with project templates to reduce planning efforts for recurring projects and update them based on experience.
[.b-important-block]Euphoris Digital Group is a sought-after partner for content creation and social media, driven by a motivated team of 12 creative minds who push innovation and top results for their clients.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡 About Euphoris Digital Group[$tag]
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Daniel Windelband, head of project management at PHOENIX Design (70+ Users)
[.toc-name]Daniel Windelband from PHOENIX Design[.toc-name]
As Head of Project Management at PHOENIX Design, Daniel is responsible for capacity management and strategic planning—with a unique approach: The company has no fixed project teams. Instead, for each new project, a suitable team is dynamically assembled based on skills and availability.
#1 Planning tip
“Success depends on everyone maintaining their tasks properly and tracking their hours—only then does the plan reflect reality and enable informed decisions.”
The high-level planning style
Daniel works from a bird’s-eye view—he doesn’t plan every detail of individual projects but focuses on the bigger picture. Detailed project planning is delegated to project leads. This high-level approach allows him to create rough plans for the early stages of projects and assemble the right teams and competencies. Additionally, his comprehensive overview helps him quickly recognize and react to short-term changes.
Implementation in awork
Daniel uses the awork Planner to gain a complete overview of the daily workload of 70+ users. He keeps the workload view open at all times to monitor capacity distribution. The structured setup of awork also assists him in new project planning: With clearly defined skills and properly maintained availabilities, he can easily filter for the right team members and put together the optimal team.
Key takeaways
- Ensure all team members update their tasks and hours in awork regularly to create a realistic planning foundation.
- Consider team composition carefully based on skills and availability when planning ahead.
- Maintain a full overview of employee workload to detect changes early and react accordingly.
[.b-important-block]As an innovation and design studio, PHOENIX has sharpened the identity of global companies for decades, using progressive strategies for sustainable success. With an international team of around 70 design and innovation experts, PHOENIX makes the future tangible for its partners, guiding them from initial ideas to market success.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡 About PHOENIX Design[$tag]
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Hanna Hack, project manager at Hi–TiDE™ (12 Users)
[.toc-name]Hanna Hack from Hi–TiDE™[.toc-name]
Hanna is a project manager at the creative agency Hi–TiDE™ and is responsible for ensuring that all projects run smoothly and efficiently—even when spontaneous requests or tight deadlines dominate the daily business. Her biggest challenge? Distributing multiple parallel tasks fairly under tight time constraints without overloading the team. To tackle this, she relies on smart weekly planning with the awork Planner to ensure maximum transparency and efficiency within the team. It’s especially important to her to plan projects based on her team’s actual capacity, achieving a balanced workload without scheduling conflicts.
#1 Planning tip
"The most important thing for clear planning: Connect your calendar to the awork Planner! This way, you’ll see not only tasks but also all appointments and blockers—for a realistic and, above all, fair schedule."
The considerate planning style
A common mistake in the agency world is setting deadlines without aligning them with the actual schedules and capacities of everyone involved. That’s why Hanna takes a considerate, team-centered approach. She ensures that the team isn’t overburdened and that tasks are distributed fairly. But she takes it a step further—she deliberately considers the individual strengths and interests of her team members. This way, she not only ensures an even workload but also that everyone works on tasks they enjoy and excel at.
Implementation in awork
To ensure that everyone in the team can trust realistic deadlines and a fair distribution of tasks, the Planner in awork is Hanna’s go-to tool. Every day, she checks the overview of all tasks and the workload of individual team members. Since everyone in the team has linked their Google Calendar with awork, upcoming meetings and commitments are directly integrated into the planning, allowing for realistic time buffers. With this foundation, Hanna can distribute available capacities fairly because she can instantly see who is working on what and how busy they are. Even when sudden changes occur, she can easily and stress-free adjust plans dynamically.
Key takeaways
- Connect your calendar with the awork Planner to plan based on your team’s actual workload rather than relying on standard weekly working hours.
- Ensure fair and balanced task distribution to foster satisfaction and creativity within the team.
- Build realistic time buffers into deadlines to allow stress-free adjustments when unexpected changes arise.
[.b-important-block]Hi–TiDE™ is a team of brand experts passionate about design in all its forms. They connect insights with creativity to develop unique brand strategies, designs, and ideas that stand out from the crowd and perfectly resonate with the target audience.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡 About Hi–TiDE™[$tag]
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Samuel Gioia, business consultant at Ontrex AG (25 Users)
[.toc-name]Samuel Gioia from Ontrex[.toc-name]
Samuel is a Senior Business Consultant at Ontrex AG, working daily on demanding service management projects. He and his colleagues ensure that the Ontrex consultants operate efficiently, resources are optimally utilised, and there is still enough flexibility to accommodate spontaneous client requests or support cases. For him, structured yet not overly detailed planning is the key to success.
#1 Planning tip
"Don’t plan too granularly! In long-term planning, use main tasks rather than creating many small subtasks. This way, you avoid constant rescheduling and stay flexible without losing oversight."
The forward-thinking planning style
Samuel demonstrates how a forward-thinking yet uncluttered planning approach helps manage a team efficiently. His secret? Instead of meticulously planning out dozens of small tasks, he relies on main tasks that serve as a framework for detailed work. This allows him to plan further ahead without needing to know every detail. Moreover, his team can respond to changes more quickly since rescheduling doesn’t require adjusting numerous subtasks. Additionally, Samuel proactively blocks time slots for his team to ensure availability for last-minute requests and support cases—so that urgent client inquiries don’t immediately lead to overload.
Implementation in awork
Samuel uses the awork Planner multiple times daily to efficiently allocate Ontrex AG’s consultants to client projects. He plans long-term with key main tasks and short-term with fixed time blocks (e.g., morning & afternoon) for individual weeks. Task distribution happens during a weekly planning meeting, where new tasks are assigned to available time slots collectively. This meeting serves as a central coordination tool, ensuring that everyone works in sync and can flexibly adapt to new demands.
Key takeaways
- For long-term planning, focus on larger task packages rather than micromanaging subtasks—this saves time and reduces the effort needed for rescheduling.
- Use regular planning meetings and distribute tasks collaboratively with your team to stay up to date and ensure optimal workload balancing.
- Work with recurring tasks to keep capacity available for last-minute requests and support cases.
[.b-important-block]Ontrex AG is a successful Swiss IT service provider specializing in system, service, security, and endpoint management. They distribute, implement, and maintain software solutions for leading enterprises in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡 About Ontrex[$tag]
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Marco Wengert, CEO of MW Smart Home (18 Users)
[.toc-name]Marco Wengert from MW Smart Home[.toc-name]
Marco Wengert is the driving force behind MW Smart Home, an innovative company specializing in smart energy solutions and building security. As CEO, he juggles 30-40 projects simultaneously, manages client appointments, and continuously develops his business—all without falling into planning chaos. His solution? A structured weekly framework that practically fills itself and a planning system that distinguishes between working a lot and working productively.
#1 Planning tip
"It’s not about working hard, but about being productive. And to be more productive, you need to understand that planning isn’t a time-waster—it’s your personal key to success."
The meticulous planning style
For Marco, it’s essential that a calendar doesn’t grow chaotically but consists of meaningful appointments. To achieve this, he combines a clearly defined weekly framework with automated scheduling. Once a week, he assigns open tasks to the appropriate slots in his weekly plan to maximize productivity and ensure work is done on the right things. This creates a foundational routine that ensures available capacities are optimally utilized.
Implementation in awork
Marco uses the awork Planner as his central tool to implement his weekly planning systematically. He manages all projects and tasks in awork and schedules them into predefined time slots once a week. Fixed blockers for recurring tasks, appointments via Outlook, or Calendly are also included and automatically filled thanks to automation. The goal: Staying distraction-free in flow without losing oversight.
Key takeaways
- Plan your week in advance—not on the fly during daily chaos. A clear weekly structure helps you tackle the right tasks without wasting time.
- Routines drive productivity. The more predefined time slots are, the fewer decisions need to be made = less stress and more output.
- Use automation for scheduling and task management to minimize the time spent on coordination and planning.
[.b-important-block]MW Smart Home is an innovative company specializing in smart energy solutions and building security. Marco Wengert and his young team handle consulting and implementation for smart home projects in residential and commercial spaces.[.b-important-block]
[$tag]💡 About MW Smart Home[$tag]
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Become a planning champion yourself!
Whether a creative agency, IT service provider, or smart home company—the most successful planners have one thing in common: They combine clear structures with flexibility, keep an overview of resources and deadlines, and use the awork Planner to work efficiently and productively.
Every planning champion has their own style, but they all rely on regular coordination, realistic workload assessments, and continuous optimization of their planning. This shows: Planning isn’t a rigid framework—it evolves with you and your team!
Now it’s your turn! Try out these tips, adapt them to your workflow, and discover which methods make your planning routine easier.
What’s the next step? Open awork and take your projects to the next level—without chaos. 🚀
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