6 Rules for Insane Productivity

Avoid large meetings

Large meetings waste valuable time and energy.

• They discourage debate
• People are more guarded than open
• There’s not enough time for everyone to contribute

Don’t schedule large meetings unless you’re certain they provide value to everyone.

Leave a meeting if you’re not contributing

If a meeting doesn’t require your:

• Input
• Value
• Decisions

Your presence is useless. It’s not rude to leave a meeting. But it’s rude to waste people’s time.

Forget the chain of command

Communicate with colleagues directly. Not through supervisors or managers. Fast communicators make fast decisions. Fast decisions = competitive advantage.

Be clear, not clever

Avoid nonsense words and technical jargon. It slows down communication. Choose words that are:

• Concise
• To the point
• Easy to understand

Don’t sound smart. Be efficient.

Ditch frequent meetings

There’s no better way to waste everyone’s time. Use meetings to:

• Collaborate
• Attack issues head-on
• Solve urgent problems

But once you resolve the issue, frequent meetings are no longer necessary. You can resolve most issues without a meeting. Instead of meetings:

• Send a text
• Send an email
• Communicate on a discord or slack channel

Don’t interrupt your team’s workflow if it’s unnecessary.

Use common sense

If a company rule doesn’t:

• Make sense
• Contribute to progress
• Apply to your specific situation

Avoid following the rule with your eyes closed. Don’t follow rules. Follow principles.