There’s no shortage of software promising to optimize your time—but for many business leaders, the real key to productivity isn’t chasing the next tool. It’s mastering the ones you already use every day. For Nick Millican, CEO of Greycoat Real Estate, that means extracting every ounce of value from Microsoft Office.
Millican operates in a world where timing, accuracy, and clarity directly influence capital flows. As the head of a London-based real estate firm managing complex commercial projects, his workflow demands more than organization—it demands orchestration. This profile outlines how that operational focus translates into performance at the executive level.
The first shift is mindset: Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint aren’t just admin tools—they’re decision infrastructure. Millican treats Excel not as a passive spreadsheet but as a dynamic modeling environment. Keyboard shortcuts, named ranges, and scenario analysis aren’t just for analysts—they allow leaders to test assumptions quickly and communicate insights without friction.
In Outlook, he focuses on two things: filtering and rhythm. Rules-based automation—such as routing reports, internal threads, or investor alerts into separate folders—reduces mental noise. Millican also batches communication windows, minimizing the reactive drag of real-time email.
PowerPoint, for him, is less about design polish and more about message precision. Templates with locked styles help streamline formatting, freeing up focus for the story. He keeps slides short, loaded with data only when it pushes the point forward. Nick Millican’s Microsoft Office workflow philosophy aligns with his broader emphasis on high-leverage effort.
Underlying all of this is a deeper principle: tools are only as useful as the systems they support. For busy leaders like Nick Millican, workflow optimization isn’t about adding complexity—it’s about reducing friction where it matters most. Knowing when to automate, when to delegate, and when to engage deeply is a skill, not a setting.
In a sector where details can delay millions and clarity can accelerate deals, sharpening your Microsoft Office fluency isn’t just personal productivity—it’s strategic advantage. And in Millican’s case, it’s part of how he’s helped steer Greycoat Real Estate through a decade of consistent growth. Not by working longer, but by working smarter—with tools already at hand. Chickenshed’s profile on Nick Millican’s leadership principles highlights how his efficiency mindset extends into civic and cultural commitments as well.