I remember it like it was yesterday, but it was 20 years ago. As I approached my boss’s desk, I saw her do something amazing: she made a smaller window appear on top of her screen, displaying the icons of her open applications. She quickly toggled and selected another. In an instant, she’d gone from Outlook to Excel. No mousing around, no hunting to open the app. I squawked. What the heck was that? That, my friends, was my alt-tab Eureka! moment.

As engineering teams grow, obvious difficulties arise. It’s simple math. You can’t keep up with everyone, and everything, in the same way as you did when the team was small. To maintain the high level of impact you’ve always had, your ways of working need to change.

It’s 3 a.m. and you’re up again tossing and turning, a stampede of wild thoughts running through your head about your latest work issue. Maybe it’s a project gone south, a recurring problem rearing its head again, or a difficult relationship with a coworker. Get stories like this in your inbox Either way, it’s up to you to calm your mind, talk yourself through your worries, and get a good night’s sleep.

“Wait. I don’t remember telling you the name of my hometown,” I said with an eyebrow cocked. “No, but I’m an intel analyst. So I know.” Truth be told, I was surprised the conversation hadn’t included more moments like this. I’m sitting in a tavern a few klicks down the road from the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, VA.

You’re a manager. You’re not one to pat yourself on the back, but you’ve got to admit: your team is doing pretty darn well. At least, that’s how it seems to you. Big projects are being checked off the list, deadlines are being met. You haven’t had to referee any heated conflicts, your inbox has no complaints. You’re good! But is that the whole story? Our research suggests your direct reports might describe the situation a wee bit differently.

Unless you build or program computers for a living, you could be forgiven for never having wondered what actually happens under the hood. How do computers make decisions? What do their instructions look like? Can they, y’know… think?

Choosing the best organizational structure for your company, division, or team is a lot like picking out a new car. At the most basic level, you’re always looking for something road-worthy – something that can take you (and your passengers) from point A to point B without a hitch. But beyond that, there are many other options to consider. Automatic or manual? Four-wheel drive? Built-in GPS? Leather interior?

Want to get a quick read on your company culture? Just look at your meetings. It’s all there: interpersonal relationships, power dynamics, team camaraderie. For many organizations, meetings are a reflection of the company’s broader processes and health. It’s no surprise, then, that the most effective teams have transformed meetings into a force for alignment, engagement, and efficiency. At Hugo, we’ve seen this firsthand.

Efficiency tools are everywhere. Software, planners, lists, you name it. There’s a huge industry around helping you be more well-organized and effective at work. But you already have the most powerful efficiency tool available: your brain. Whether it’s your first job or you’re eyeing retirement, there are proven techniques you can use to amplify that big mass of neurons in your head.

In my role as work futurist and evangelist of open work practices, I spend time in more workplaces than the average bloke (and have the frequent flier miles to prove it). I talk to people up and down the org chart about how they get work done day-to-day, the improvements they’re trying to make, and the challenges they face. What I hear is quite consistent from company to company: we crave more autonomy and meaning in our work.