Small Slack habits can make a working day easier. A clear request saves a round of questions. A good search finds the decision you need. A notification schedule gives you time to finish what is in front of you.
These 17 tips start with Slack's conversation, search, and notification features, then cover following up on assigned work with Chaser. Pick a few that solve a problem your team has today.
Make conversations easier to follow
1. Give every channel a clear purpose
Use the channel's topic and description to explain what belongs there. A naming pattern such as proj-client-launch or team-operations helps people choose where to post.
A useful description could be: “Client launch decisions, delivery updates, and questions. Brief linked in the channel tabs.” New teammates get the context without needing to ask. Slack's channel guide explains the basic structure.
2. Keep replies together, then share the decision
Reply in a thread when the discussion is about one message. When the decision affects the wider group, post a short conclusion back to the channel and link to the thread.
Use the message menu's Get notified about new replies to follow a discussion. Slack's thread guide covers the controls. For examples of the habits teams agree on, this Slack etiquette discussion offers a range of user perspectives.
3. Put the question and its context in one message
Give a request the information someone needs to answer: what you need, why it matters, and when you need it. A greeting is welcome; include the question with it so the person can respond when they are free. The No Hello guide illustrates this habit.
For example: “Hi Maya, the client is reviewing the proposal on Thursday. Can you update the pricing section and share the document by Wednesday at 3 p.m.? The approved rates are linked here.”
That message tells Maya what to do and gives her enough context to ask a useful follow-up question.
4. Use a clip when showing is easier than explaining
Slack supports audio and video clips of up to five minutes, with replies in a thread. A short recording can help when you are walking through a design or demonstrating a problem.
Record the part that needs attention, then add a written prompt such as “Please choose option A or B by tomorrow.” People can scan the request before watching. Slack's clip instructions explain how to record and send one.
5. Keep the project brief in a canvas
Use a Slack canvas for information people return to: the project outcome, owners, key links, and decisions. Add it as a conversation tab so it is easy to find.
Keep the canvas current as decisions change. A new teammate should be able to read it and understand where the project stands. Canvas creation is a paid-plan feature; see Slack's canvas guide for setup and sharing.
Find the information you need
6. Narrow a search with a channel, person, or date
Start with what you remember about the message. Use quotation marks for an exact phrase, in: for a conversation, from: for a person, and a date filter for the relevant period.
"launch brief" in:#proj-launch from:@Sara after:2026-09-01
Change the channel, person, and date to match your workspace. Combining a couple of details is often enough to find the answer. Slack's search guide lists the available modifiers.
7. Learn the shortcuts you use most
To search the channel or direct message you are already reading, press ⌘F on Mac or Ctrl+F on Windows/Linux. Search for the document name or a phrase from the decision, then narrow the date if needed.
Typing / in the message field also gives you a way to find available shortcuts. The options depend on Slack's features and the apps your workspace has installed. Slack's shortcuts guide is a useful reference to share with the team.
8. Separate things to do from things to keep
Slack is rolling out To-dos to replace Later, starting in October 2026. In the new interface, use To-dos for actions and Saved in Home for reference material. Adding a to-do does not automatically add a reminder.
If your workspace still has Later, its In progress, Completed, and Archived tabs provide a place to organize saved items. Slack's Later guide covers that version.
A client question you need to answer belongs with your actions. A reference document you may need next month belongs with the material you are keeping. Review the action list regularly and clear finished work.
9. Remind yourself at a time when you can act
Open a message's three-dot menu → Remind me about this and choose a time. On mobile, press and hold the message and choose Remind me.
For a question you cannot answer yet, choose a time when you expect to have the information. For a recurring team prompt, use a channel reminder. Our Slack reminders guide covers both, including how to change or remove a reminder.
Give yourself room to focus
10. Set your notification hours
Set a notification schedule in Slack's preferences that matches your working days and hours. Slack's notification schedule guide explains the settings.
Agree on response expectations too. A teammate in another timezone should know they can send a message now and expect an answer during your working day. Make the team's route for urgent issues explicit.
11. Pause notifications while you finish a piece of work
Use /dnd 30 minutes to pause notifications for half an hour and /dnd off to resume them. Pick a period that fits the task, then return to the conversations that need your attention.
This is useful for reviewing a proposal or writing a difficult section of a document. For more ways to reduce interruptions, see our article on context switching.
12. Choose which messages should notify you
Review whether you need all messages or mainly mentions and direct messages, then set exceptions for conversations you follow closely. In notification preferences, Channel keywords can alert you to distinctive terms such as a project name.
Choose words people actually use. Keywords match exact words or phrases without regard to capitalization; they do not alert you to replies in threads you are not following. Slack's notification settings explain the current behavior.
Make regular communication easier
13. Schedule a message for the recipient's working day
On desktop, use the arrow beside the send button to schedule a message. On mobile, press and hold send. You can review scheduled messages under Drafts & sent → Scheduled.
Prepare tomorrow's review prompt before you finish today, then schedule it for a useful time. Include the document and the decision you need. Slack's scheduled-message guide covers the controls.
14. Give recurring updates a consistent format
For a regular check-in, ask the same short questions: what is finished, what comes next, and where is help needed? This follows the purpose of a stand-up update, with a written record people can read in Slack.
On a paid Slack plan, Workflow Builder can send a scheduled channel prompt. It can also collect information through a form. For an IT help request, ask for the issue type and a short description, then post the response in the help channel.
Administrators can restrict who creates workflows. Start with Slack's workflow creation guide. To bring requests from another service into Slack, our Slack app roundup includes integrations such as Zapier and HubSpot.
Follow through on assigned work
15. Give each action an owner and a deadline
When a conversation produces a commitment, Chaser lets you turn it into an assigned task. Create it from the message or with /chaser, name the person responsible, and set the due date. They can acknowledge and complete the task in Slack.
“Review the client brief and post the decision by Thursday” is a clear assignment. Include the brief and keep questions in the original thread. Our task management guide shows the full process; you can add Chaser to your workspace to use it with your team.
16. Use automatic follow-ups and review the progress
Chaser sends reminders as work comes due. Task views and channel reports give the team a shared picture of what is open and what has been completed.
After a meeting, assign the agreed actions. At the next check-in, review progress and answer questions that need the group. Chaser handles the reminders between those meetings.
If the work is billable, log the hours against the task as well. The time-tracking guide explains how to record time in Slack and use it for billing and project review.
17. Reuse a checklist for a familiar process
Client onboarding, a new employee's first week, and a project handover usually have a recognizable set of steps. Chaser's reusable checklists turn those steps into tasks with their own owners and deadlines.
Write down the steps for your next client kickoff and review who is responsible for each. Use that as the starting checklist, then refine it after completing the process. For one repeating responsibility, such as a weekly client update, use a recurring task.
Try a few habits on this week's work
Choose the changes your team can practice immediately. You might start with clearer requests, a shared project brief, and a notification schedule. Show a real example so everyone understands what the change looks like.
After a week, ask whether people can find the information they need and whether requests are easier to answer. Keep what helps, and adjust the rest.
