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I have always been someone who loves to plan. Every morning starts with writing a to-do list, which gives me a feeling that I’ve got the day under control. But there is a catch: I tend to misjudge how long things will take to get done. At some point, staring at half-finished tasks at the end of the day and wondering where the time went turned into a norm. The truth is, a lot of it comes down to time perception. Some people, like those with inattentive ADHD or other learning disorders, can genuinely struggle to grasp how much time a task will consume, and will pack way more into their schedule than is humanly possible (Smith, 2024). This constant mismatch between planning and executing leaves many individuals feeling unproductive and discouraging.

In recent years, the rise of AI-powered productivity tools has been a game changer for people like me (Olaoluwa, 2024). Apps like Notion AI, Any.do or BeeDone bring structure into our lives by optimizing our schedules, managing our priorities and even automating certain tasks (Olaoluwa, 2024). We are no longer left to manage our busy lives alone — now we’ve got technology to lend a hand. 

Among various productivity tools available, I decided to try Reclaim AI –  “a smart time blocking platform that finds the best time for all of your tasks before their due date” (Reclaim.ai, 2024). While some people might enjoy a bit of gamification, I prefer my productivity apps to be direct and to the point. Reclaim satisfies that requirement and thus became the first candidate for testing. One of its standout aspects is how it breaks down big scary projects into smaller, manageable steps without me having to think about it. I no longer have to figure out how to divide a task or when it makes the most sense to schedule it, considering deadlines — the app handles all of that for me. This is particularly helpful for someone who often feels overwhelmed.

Reclaim also creates a dynamic schedule that adapts to any unexpected changes. By taking into account deadlines, task urgency and your daily habits, it crafts a plan that feels realistic. For example, if I add a new high-priority task with a tight deadline, Reclaim finds time for it by rescheduling less urgent tasks to another day instead of just piling it on top of my existing plan for the day. 

While I think AI productivity tools are heading in a great direction, there’s definitely room for improvement. With Reclaim, I noticed it takes quite a while to get familiar with all its features, and some aspects are not very intuitive. It feels rather advanced, targeting more tech-savvy users, especially those familiar with complex tools like Jira. While Reclaim does streamline planning, it requires significant setup, attention to detail, and time, which can be discouraging for people who already struggle with large tasks.

Additionally, as useful as the automatic rescheduling feature is, it can feel a bit strange at first. When the app starts moving things around in your calendar, it almost feels like someone else is in control of your life. For those who like to maintain full control over their plans, this can be unsettling and make them feel uneasy about trusting the app with such access.

In general, I think AI productivity apps hold great potential, but there’s still work to be done in making them more user-friendly and earning people’s trust.

References:

• Olaoluwa, I. (2024, June 27). AI-Powered Productivity Tools: Boost your efficiency. Medium. https://medium.com/@taiwoadeyemi3157/ai-powered-productivity-tools-boost-your-efficiency-8d120944f469
• Reclaim.ai. (2024). Reclaim.ai | Todoist. Todoist. https://todoist.com/integrations/apps/reclaim
• Smith, M., MA. (2024, September 25). Tips for managing adult ADHD – HelpGuide.org. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/adhd/managing-adult-adhd

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As some of you might know, tech giant Google has been facing serious challenges with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently. It all started with an antitrust case that was filed against it in 2023, where Google was accused of abusing its monopoly in the online ad industry through its Google Ad Manager platform (Belanger, 2024a). According to McCabe (2024), the company controls about 87 percent market share in ad-selling technology, allowing it to push out any competition and set extremely high prices. This level of control could potentially harm news publishers and website owners, as they would be forced to accept whatever terms Google sets.

The SIlicon Valley giant managed to gain so much power after the acquisition of DoubleClick, an online ad management and tracking platform, in 2007 (Belanger, 2024b). That move gave Google the ability to create a two-sided network, linking advertisers and publishers in a way that fueled its growth. The platform benefits from a cross-sided network effect, where more publishers/websites attract more advertisers (Koss, 2022). And vice versa: a platform with more advertisers drives up competition for ad space, increasing prices and making it more profitable for website owners. As more members joined on both sides, it became more and more difficult for any competitor to enter the market, effectively making Google a textbook example of the “winner-takes-all” phenomenon (Hayes, 2022).

But how did Google break into this market so quickly and become its dominant force? The answer could be found in the company’s envelopment strategy. Google used aspects of a foreclosure strategy by using its dominance in the online search market to gather massive amounts of data, which it then used to improve its targeted advertising capabilities (Google, 2024). Besides, the acquisitions of companies like DoubleClick helped turn Google Ad Manager into a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to buy or sell their ads (Belanger, 2024b). Google’s bundling of ad tech services created a closed ecosystem, where users had little reason to switch to independent or smaller companies. The company also used a conglomeration technique, building on its existing user base—people who already used its search engine, watched YouTube videos, or owned Android devices. Essentially, Google had a ready-made audience for advertisers, and by sharing data across its platforms, it offered more precise ad targeting than any competitor.

In the end, the DOJ argues that Google’s dominance is unfair and that it crosses into monopolistic abuse (Belanger, 2024b). And while it seems straightforward, one could argue that Google’s success is simply a natural outcome of platform growth and network effects. For Google, losing this trial will simply mean selling off parts of its ad business (Belanger, 2024b). But for the rest of the industry, the impact could be far more significant. Other companies will need to be cautious when building powerful and innovative ecosystems that harness the network effect, as these could lead them to grow into tech giants — and face similar antitrust challenges down the line.

References:

• Belanger, A. (2024a, September 10). DOJ claims Google has “trifecta of monopolies” on Day 1 of ad tech trial. Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/09/doj-claims-google-has-trifecta-of-monopolies-on-day-1-of-ad-tech-trial/

• Belanger, A. (2024b, September 12). Google’s ad tech empire may be $95B and “too big” to sell, analysts warn DOJ. Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/09/google-holds-publishers-hostage-ex-news-corp-exec-testifies-at-ad-tech-trial/

• Google. (2024). Ad Controls & Personalisation on Google – Google Safety Centre. https://safety.google/privacy/ads-and-data/#:~:text=What%20data%20does%20Google%20use,across%20our%20products%2C%20including%20ads.

• Hayes, A. (2022, June 4). Winner-Takes-All Market: Definition, Examples, Economic impact. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/winner-takes-all-market.asp#:~:text=A%20winner%2Dtakes%2Dall%20market%20refers%20to%20an%20economic%20system,a%20majority%20of%20market%20share.]

• Koss, H. (2022, June 14). What are network effects and why are they important? Built In. https://builtin.com/articles/network-effect

• McCabe, D. (2024, September 9). U.S. Argues Google Created Ad Tech Monopoly. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/technology/google-antitrust-ad-technology.html