Who is Jeff Su?
Jeff Su works as a Product Marketing Manager at Google and creates YouTube content about getting the most out of Google Workspace. No fluff, no theory - just practical tutorials on features that already exist but most people never use.
His videos break down Gmail filters, Calendar keyboard shortcuts, Google Docs templates, and Sheets formulas that save hours every week. The approach is simple: master the tools you already have before chasing the next shiny app.
What makes Jeff different is he actually works at Google. He's not some productivity influencer theorizing about systems. He's using these tools daily at one of the biggest tech companies on the planet, then sharing what actually works.
The Jeff Su tools list is stupidly minimal. Four apps. That's it. Todoist for tasks, Notion for knowledge, Google Calendar for time-blocking, Gmail for communication. When you go deep on a few tools instead of spreading yourself thin across 20, you get way better results.
How Jeff Uses Google Calendar
Google Calendar is the backbone of Jeff's entire system. Not just for meetings - every task from Todoist gets time-blocked on the calendar. If it's not scheduled, it doesn't happen.
Color-coding separates different project types instantly. Meetings are one color, deep work another, personal time a third. One glance at the week shows the balance between reactive meetings and proactive work.
Keyboard shortcuts make scheduling instant. Type 'c' to create an event, 'j' and 'k' to navigate days. He's shared that learning these shortcuts cut his scheduling time from minutes to seconds. Small efficiency that compounds daily.
The mobile app syncs everything across devices instantly. Schedule something on desktop, it appears on phone before you pick it up. Google's sync infrastructure is probably the most reliable in the business - nothing falls through the cracks.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar helps people manage events, create appointments & block their time.
Inbox Zero with Gmail
Among the Jeff Su productivity apps, Gmail gets the most advanced treatment. He hits inbox zero daily using filters, labels, and search operators that most people don't know exist.
Custom filters automatically sort incoming mail before it hits the inbox. Newsletters go to a 'Read Later' label, receipts get archived immediately, team updates filter to project-specific folders. Only emails requiring action stay in the main inbox.
Keyboard shortcuts make processing email stupid fast. 'e' to archive, 'l' to label, '#' to delete, '/' to search. He's mentioned that processing 50 emails takes under 10 minutes with shortcuts versus 30+ minutes clicking around.
The snooze feature reschedules emails to surface later when they're actually relevant. Got an email about next week's project? Snooze it until Monday. Keeps the inbox focused on today's priorities without losing track of future stuff.
Search operators let him find anything instantly. 'from:boss has:attachment' pulls every email from his manager with files attached. 'after:2024/12/01 subject:project' finds specific threads without scrolling forever. Most people just use the basic search and wonder why Gmail feels slow.
Todoist & Calendar Integration
Todoist captures tasks fast with natural language input. Type 'call Sarah tomorrow at 2pm' and it automatically sets the date and time. Then the two-way sync with Google Calendar puts it on the schedule without manual entry.
This integration is the key to his system. Tasks live in Todoist, time-blocks appear on Calendar. Complete a task, it disappears from both. Reschedule on the calendar, Todoist updates automatically. No duplicate entry, no syncing headaches.
Projects get organized with labels and filters. Work tasks separate from personal ones. High-priority items surface first. The 'Today' view shows exactly what needs doing without scrolling through a massive list.
He's talked about trying other task managers but always coming back to Todoist. The Google Calendar integration is too valuable to give up. Most alternatives either don't sync well or require manual work to keep things aligned.
Notion for Long-Term Knowledge
While most of Jeff's work happens in Google Workspace, Notion handles the stuff that doesn't fit neatly in Docs or Sheets. Long-term project documentation, meeting notes archives, personal knowledge base.
Templates speed up recurring processes. Weekly review template, meeting notes template, project kickoff template. Open the template, fill in the blanks, done. Saves recreating structure every single time.
Databases organize reference material that needs more structure than Google Docs provides. Reading notes, project trackers, resource libraries. The linked database feature connects related info without duplicating content.
Honestly, Notion is the one non-Google tool in his stack because Google Workspace doesn't have a great equivalent for this use case. Keep exists but lacks the database functionality. Notion fills that gap without adding complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jeff Su's Stack
What productivity apps does Jeff Su use?
Just four. Todoist for tasks, Google Calendar for time-blocking, Gmail for email, and Notion for knowledge management. That's the entire Jeff Su productivity apps list. No fancy project managers, no 15 different tools. Deep mastery of four beats surface knowledge of twenty.
How does Jeff Su achieve inbox zero?
Gmail filters that auto-sort incoming mail, keyboard shortcuts to process emails in seconds, and the snooze feature to reschedule messages for later. Custom search operators find anything instantly. Most people click around Gmail like cavemen - Jeff uses it like a power user.
Does Jeff Su use Google Calendar for tasks?
Yeah, every task gets time-blocked on the calendar through the Todoist integration. If it's not scheduled, it doesn't get done. Color-coding shows project types at a glance. Keyboard shortcuts make scheduling instant. Calendar becomes the single source of truth for the entire day.
Why does Jeff Su only use 4 apps?
Going deep on a few tools beats spreading yourself thin across 20. He works at Google, so mastering Google Workspace makes sense. Todoist integrates perfectly with Calendar. Notion fills the one gap Workspace has. Adding more apps would just create complexity without adding value.
What makes Jeff Su's workflow different?
No tool hopping. Most productivity nerds switch apps every three months chasing the next thing. Jeff's been using the same four tools for years, just getting better at them. The Jeff Su tech stack proves depth beats breadth when it comes to productivity systems.
Does Jeff Su recommend Google Workspace for everyone?
If you're already using Gmail and Calendar, absolutely. Most people use like 10% of the features. Learn filters, shortcuts, search operators, and integrations - suddenly you don't need five other apps. The tools you have are probably enough if you actually learn them.