Recommended, not reviewed to death

Tools that make the work faster

Every playbook on this site works with a free AI assistant. These are the tools worth adding once a task becomes part of your week, each with what to check before you install it.

Prices checked against each vendor's own page on 19 September 2026

Scheduling

Cal.com

Best for: Letting people book time with you without an email thread.
Why we like it: You share one link and people pick a slot that suits both of you. Buffers, notice periods and a daily limit on calls are all in the free plan.
Good to know: Paid plans are only needed when a team wants to share bookings between people.
Before you install: It connects to your calendar to check when you are free and to add bookings, so it needs access to your calendar events.
Price: Free forever for individuals. Teams from $12 per user a month

Sales Customer Success Freelancers & consultants

Visit Cal.comAffiliate Read our write-up

Forms

Tally.so

Best for: Collecting sign-ups, feedback and client details in a clean list.
Why we like it: You build a form by typing, the way you write a document, and it is ready to share in minutes. The free plan is one of the most generous of any tool on this list.
Good to know: Pro is for removing the Tally branding and using your own domain.
Before you install: Everything people submit is stored in your Tally account. Only ask for personal details you actually need.
Price: Free for unlimited forms and responses. Pro $24 a month

Operations Marketing Customer Success Freelancers & consultants

Visit Tally.soAffiliate Read our write-up

Tasks

Todoist

Best for: Keeping every task in one list you actually trust.
Why we like it: It understands plain language, so typing "send invoice friday 4pm" files the task with the right date. It is the easiest place to start if you have no system at all.
Good to know: The free plan covers up to five projects, which is plenty for one person starting out.
Before you install: Tasks sync through Todoist's servers so they appear on every device. Keep passwords and confidential client details out of task names.
Price: Free plan. Pro $5 a month, billed yearly

Operations Sales Freelancers & consultants

Visit TodoistAffiliate Read our write-up

Calendar

Reclaim.ai

Best for: Protecting time for your own work on a busy calendar.
Why we like it: It puts tasks, focus time and habits onto your calendar as real blocks, then moves them when a meeting lands on top, so your priorities keep a place in the week.
Good to know: It works with Google Calendar and Outlook. The free Lite plan covers focus time, habits and buffers for one person.
Before you install: It needs permission to read and edit your calendar, because it creates and moves events for you. Check your employer allows that on a work calendar.
Price: Free Lite plan. Starter $12 per seat a month

Customer Success Operations

Visit Reclaim.aiAffiliate Read our write-up

Presentations

Gamma

Best for: Getting from an outline to a presentable deck quickly.
Why we like it: You give it an outline or a few notes and it returns a designed deck you can edit, which is a far better starting point than a blank template.
Good to know: The free plan gives you a one-time batch of credits to try it properly before deciding to pay.
Before you install: What you type is sent to AI models to build the deck. Keep confidential figures out unless your company has approved the tool.
Price: Free to start. Plus $10 per user a month

Marketing Sales Freelancers & consultants Customer Success

Visit Gamma Read our write-up

Visuals

Napkin.ai

Best for: Turning a paragraph into a diagram people understand at a glance.
Why we like it: Paste text you have already written and it suggests flows, comparisons and timelines. It makes an explanation land when words alone are not doing it.
Good to know: The free plan refreshes its credits every week, which is enough for occasional use.
Before you install: Text you paste is processed by AI to create the visuals. Leave out anything confidential.
Price: Free with weekly credits. Plus $9 a month

Marketing Operations Freelancers & consultants

Visit Napkin.ai Read our write-up

Short links

Dub

Best for: Knowing which post or email actually sent people to your page.
Why we like it: Give each place you share a link its own short link, and you can see which one people clicked. It turns guesswork about what worked into a number.
Good to know: The free plan covers short links for most individuals. Paid plans add higher volume.
Before you install: Anyone who has a short link can open what it points to, so never use one to share a private document.
Price: Free plan for short links. Paid plans for higher volume

Marketing Sales Freelancers & consultants

Visit DubAffiliate Read our write-up

Referrals

Cello

Best for: Adding a referral programme to a software product.
Why we like it: It gives a software company a working referral programme without a long engineering project, and the free tier lets you test whether referrals work for you.
Good to know: It is built for companies that sell software, so it is most useful to founders and growth teams.
Before you install: It connects to your product and your billing to reward referrals, so the first setup needs whoever manages your product.
Price: Free tier. Grow $200 a month

Marketing

Visit CelloAffiliate Read our write-up

The newsletter

Get the next playbook by email

Each issue is one task from real work, step by step, with the prompt ready to copy. Free, and one click to leave. Reply to any issue with the task you are stuck on.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.