Let me guess: your tech stack didn’t exactly arrive as a neat, intentional package. It grew like weeds in a garden. Outlook was always there, then Slack crept in. Suddenly you had to use Asana because “the project team” insisted. Someone introduced Notion for “knowledge management.” Finance rolled out a new expenses portal. Your exec downloaded an AI scheduling app because they saw it in a LinkedIn post.
Fast forward a few months and you’re juggling seven logins, duplicating work across platforms, and trying to remember where the “real” version of that file lives.
Sound familiar?
Welcome to the accidental EA tech stack — a patchwork of tools chosen by everyone except the person who actually has to hold it all together.
But here’s the truth: your stack isn’t just a collection of apps. It’s infrastructure. It shapes how effective, strategic, and calm (or chaotic) you are. Done well, it amplifies your value. Done badly, it drains it.
This week we’re taking a deep dive into how to think about your EA tech stack, what an ideal version might look like, and how to run a proper audit to make sure your tools are serving you — not the other way around.
What Do We Mean by “Tech Stack”?
In the engineering world, a “tech stack” is the layered set of technologies used to build a product — from coding languages to hosting platforms. For assistants, the concept is the same: it’s the layered set of tools that power your day-to-day.
Think of your stack like a house. The foundation is email and calendar. The walls are your communication channels. The rooms are your project tools, knowledge bases, and file systems. The roof is automation and security. When all the pieces fit together, you’ve got a strong, weatherproof home. When they don’t, you’re constantly patching leaks.
The Layers of an EA Tech Stack
No two assistants will have the exact same stack, but most will need to cover these layers.
1. Core Communication
Email & Calendar: Outlook, Gmail, or equivalent. This is your ground zero.
Messaging Platforms: Slack, Teams, or Google Chat. The danger here is redundancy. If your company insists on using more than one, push for clarity: which one is “official”?
Tip: Set rules of engagement with your exec. (E.g. urgent = text, non-urgent = email, collaboration = Teams.) Don’t let every channel carry every type of message, and make sure you know how to reach them when it’s business critical.
2. Scheduling & Meetings
Calendars: Office 365, Google Calendar.
Booking Links: Calendly, Google scheduler, Outlook FindTime.
Rooms/Desk Booking: Envoy, Robin, Condeco.
Pain Point: Many assistants end up double-checking calendars across multiple systems. The more you can consolidate into one source of truth, the smoother life gets.
3. Project & Task Management
Platforms: Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday.com, or even Excel.
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