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/ Tuesday was my last day as CEO of @CircleUp. I’ve been CEO since starting the co. in 2011 with my co-founder @roryeakin.

This is a thread about what happened, why and my emotions about it. For more detail:

https://t.co/vYImcm1bTM

Much of this I have never talked about.

2/ My goals: I hope it helps founders feel less lonely than I did. Little public content about the challenges of transitioning exists, but I longed for it. I’m not here to provide a playbook- just to share my experience. Hope it might build greater empathy.

Here goes….

3/ Why: When I tell people that I’m transitioning to an Exec Chairman role their first question is always: “why?” Short answer: co. pivot + fertility issues + health issues + a false sense that grit was always the answer = burnout. Long answer: is longer so hang in there with me

4/ Over a 12-18 month period that ended in late 2017 I ran my tank far beyond empty for far too long. You know that sound your car makes when it’s sputtering for more gas? It was like that. Worst year of my life. Since then it has felt like bone on bone.

5/ Here is what happened:

Professionally: pivoting a Series C company was a living hell in and of itself, as I’ve talked about before.

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