8 things startups can do early on to optimize for focus & productivity:

1. Synchronous meetings only for p0 and p1 items

All meetings should be 25 minutes by default with the ability to extend by 15 minutes if necessary.

Each meeting should have a clear agenda that outlines its context, asks, action items, etc.

Meetings should be brief & impactful
2. Asynchronous for everything else

- Stand ups
- Project demos / updates
- Design / Eng handoffs
- Documentation walkthrough

A simple flowchart for meetings:
3. Strive for 90% focused work / 10% meeting & sync time

- No meetings on Tues & Thurs
- Encourage turning off Slack & distracting notifications
- Track your time to better understand your distractions
- Buy your team a copy of Deep Work & Getting Things Done
4. No recurring meetings

Recurring meetings are a productivity killer. Try to avoid them when possible.

Instead, assess whether a follow-up meeting is needed at the end of each meeting.
5. Short sentences > Long paragraphs

We often spend too much time drafting the perfect Slack message or tend to over-explain ourselves over email.

Encourage succinct communication whether it's through words, emojis, or a @loom recording.

https://t.co/gK1dNUvznn
6. Keep a simple work stack at the beginning

A stack that *just* works:

- Slack: keep # of channels at a min.
- Loom: async updates that require visual & voice
- G Docs / Notion: documentation & tasks
- Whimsical: visual documentation
- Gmail / Superhuman: external comms. only
7. Keep a flat hierarchy

Giving out vanity titles "CxO, VP of X, etc" early on makes you come off less reputable & can also be detrimental when hiring senior leadership.

If everyone in the org is considered equal, your teams' willingness to lean in & share––feels more welcomed.
8. Limit your distractions as a Founder

Avoid conferences. Avoid podcasts. Limit your use on social media.

Your time is better spent at your desk and/or with your team.

More from Startups

1/ If you want to find out what is in the Y Combinator S19 batch, @Golden has compiled (using public signals) a near complete list of truly exciting companies.

If we are missing any or you want to help improve the data you can edit the topics.

https://t.co/9QGLiEPsn3


2/ Here is the direct public query if you want to check it out:

https://t.co/aqb8qYN4y9

[Note: no off the record cos are in here unless they have been publicly launched already]

3/ Also, here are 2,000+ other YC companies we have generated information

4/ We used the Golden Research Engine to generate this information, which you can find out more about here and ping me if you want a

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THE MEANING, SIGNIFICANCE AND HISTORY OF SWASTIK

The Swastik is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon. Swastik has been Sanatan Dharma’s symbol of auspiciousness – mangalya since time immemorial.


The name swastika comes from Sanskrit (Devanagari: स्वस्तिक, pronounced: swastik) &denotes “conducive to wellbeing or auspicious”.
The word Swastik has a definite etymological origin in Sanskrit. It is derived from the roots su – meaning “well or auspicious” & as meaning “being”.


"सु अस्ति येन तत स्वस्तिकं"
Swastik is de symbol through which everything auspicios occurs

Scholars believe word’s origin in Vedas,known as Swasti mantra;

"🕉स्वस्ति ना इन्द्रो वृधश्रवाहा
स्वस्ति ना पूषा विश्ववेदाहा
स्वस्तिनास्तरक्ष्यो अरिश्तनेमिही
स्वस्तिनो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु"


It translates to," O famed Indra, redeem us. O Pusha, the beholder of all knowledge, redeem us. Redeem us O Garudji, of limitless speed and O Bruhaspati, redeem us".

SWASTIK’s COSMIC ORIGIN

The Swastika represents the living creation in the whole Cosmos.


Hindu astronomers divide the ecliptic circle of cosmos in 27 divisions called
https://t.co/sLeuV1R2eQ this manner a cross forms in 4 directions in the celestial sky. At centre of this cross is Dhruva(Polestar). In a line from Dhruva, the stars known as Saptarishi can be observed.