THE ONE THING

1. How to Kill 40% of Your Meetings

Meeting bloat is still the number-one drag on focus.

A multi-company study from MIT Sloan Management Review found nearly half of companies cut meetings by 40% by instituting two no-meeting days per week, with gains in productivity, autonomy, and satisfaction.

Here’s how to implement the 2 no-meeting days in your organization:

1. Name the two days.

2. Mass-cancel recurring meetings on those days.

3. Whitelist true exceptions (customer emergencies, regulatory reviews).

4. Enforce a “docs-first, async-first” rule for status and decisions.

5. Revisit metrics (focus time, cycle time, sentiment) after four weeks.

PERSONAL UPDATE

2. Writing a New Book about a One-Word Secret to Life

Two years ago, I started writing something I wasn't sure I'd ever finish.

It began as a single word, one I kept returning to whenever life got complicated. It’s a word that contains the answer to almost everything.

I've never written about this before. But I've thought about little else.

If you're curious, click here and you'll get the book for free when it’s published (I'm looking for early Amazon reviewers).

Here's the introduction.

This is a little teaser.

Again, If you're interested, click here and you'll get the book for free when it’s published (I'm looking for early Amazon reviewers).

PRESENTED BY

3. Speak the Email Instead of Typing It

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WORDS I LIKE

4. Steve Jobs on the Most Important Job of a CEO

Watch the full video of him talking about the importance of hiring the right people here:

THE 80/20

5. An 80/20 Tip You Can Apply Today

Here’s a low-effort, high-impact tip you can use with your team today:

• What: End every meeting with this simple question: “Who owns what by when?”

• Why: This prevents vague action items and ensures accountability

• Example:
  ❌ “Let’s follow up on this next week.”
  ✅ “John will send the revised proposal by Tuesday at 3 PM ET.”