In the interest of being more efficient, I wanted to share some resources I’ve used recently that have helped me run better meetings and send focused emails.
1. Run more efficient meeting. I try to respect everyone’s time by scheduling 30 min meetings and sending an agenda. The agenda is very clear about what the purpose of our time is. The first 15 minutes are reserved for typically making decisions. I also try to keep the number of folks invited to the meeting limited to less than 5.
2. Take better notes (like Bill Gates). I break my notes into actionable tasks with people’s names assigned to them, open questions and decisions. I also try to share those notes the same day of the meeting.
3. Shorter emails. Nothing breaks my heart more than a long ass email. I like my emails short and to the point. The purpose of the email should be clear: a) “FYI”, b) “you’ve been delegated a task”, or c) “help answer this question”. Similar to meetings, I like less people on the thread.