We all strive for striking a balance between work and home. It may seem like an impossible feat. But, it is possible if you’re organized and have established clear boundaries. The best way to achieve these goals may be to separate your personal calendar from your business calendar.

Use the right calendar.

The first step you need to take is to find the right calendar that meets your specific needs. Ultimately, this comes down to deciding if you want to go paper or electronic — or both.

Although it may seem outdated, going old school does have its benefits. For starters, it gives you a quick visual reminder of what needs to get done since it can be placed on your wall, fridge, or desk. It also limits electronic notifications from distracting you, helps you better remember essential information, and allows you to record additional detail. Best of all, you can keep your business calendar at the office and your personal calendar at home. That may not sound like a big deal, but’s a simple way to establish boundaries between your personal and professional lives.

There are also some drawbacks to relying on a paper calendar. Most notably, they’re not as accessible as online calendars. As a consequence, you aren’t able to view or manage your calendars whenever and wherever you want. That can lead to forgetting to add important dates or events or creating some scheduling conflicts. You may respond to a social invite even though you’ve already committed to a work obligation.

Additionally, it’s much more convenient to share an online calendar with others. Most calendar apps allow you to share your calendar through email or an embedded link. Unless your colleagues, friends, or family are in the same location as your paper calendar, they can’t see when you’re available and when you’re not.

Choosing the right online calendar.

If you decide to use an online calendar, pay close attention to the following areas:

• User interface. Your calendar should be easy to use and a tool that you’ll want to use.
• Integrations and sharing. Can the calendar be shared with others? And, if so, can it be shared with seamlessly? Does it integrate with apps that you frequently use?
• Features and recommendations. Make sure that it has the features you specifically need to keep your life organized and productive. And, what online calendars do those closet to you use?

Determine what to include and leave off your calendar.

Once you’ve found the right calendar tool, you now have to determine what information you want to add. The reason is that if you add too much information, your calendar will become cluttered and unmanageable. As such, here are the items that you should place in your calendar:

• Downtime like work breaks and vacations.
• Date-specific appointments. These could include meetings, doctor’s appointments, social engagements, birthdays, and due dates for a work assignment.
• Tasks that you frequently struggle with, such as exercising, challenging projects, and administrative tasks.
• Learning new information and skills.
• Networking opportunities inside and outside of the workplace.
• Monthly themes that align with larger goals and projects.

On the flip side, here are the things that you should not put onto your calendar.

• Meetings that serve no purpose or that do not have an agenda.
• Standing or back-to-back appointments.
• To-do-lists items that are automatic, mundane, or vague. There’s no reason that you should add “brush my teeth” to your calendar.
• Excessive notes. There’s nothing wrong with adding important information, like the names of meeting participants for example. But, if you want a bio on each attendee, you’re better off putting that data in a separate document.
• Other people’s priorities that prevent you from achieving your own.

Use color-coding.

One of the most potent and effective ways to organize your calendar is by assigning a specific color to a particular task or event. This way you can quickly glance at your schedule to see how your time is divided.

You can use any colors you like to represent all of your appointments, meetings, events, or tasks, but I’m a fan of chakra color-coding.

There are seven “chakras” that represent the wheels of energy following through the body. By assigning the appropriate colors that match specific energies, you’ll have a more balanced and stress-free day. So, you would color-code your calendar as follows:

• Red represents all of your work-related tasks.
• Orange would be used for creative or passion projects.
• Yellow for anything that improves your life like exercise or learning.
• Green is reserved for personal activities like going out with your friends.
• Blue indicates activities that give you a chance to express yourself, such as writing or social media updates.
• Indigo would be for anything that deserves your complete attention and focus, like your most important task of the day.
• Violet, or white, is an additional color that you can use however you like.

Create multiple calendars.

Some people prefer to only create one master calendar. This strategy is more convenient than switching between several different calendars and more accurate with fewer errors. It also avoids scheduling conflicts which means less rescheduling and disappointed people. It’s much easier to stay organized with your plans.

At the same time, putting too much information could mean that your calendar becomes cluttered and more difficult to manage. It also helps avoid back-to-back appointments and tasks. And, perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t allow colleagues and clients to see what you have planned outside of work since you’re not sharing your personal calendar with them. Or, let everyone see your information and quit worrying what anyone thinks about what you’re doing.

The good news is that pretty much every leading calendar app allows you to create more than one calendar easily. It should be noted, however, that you’ll only be able to create new calendars through your web browser and not the app.

• Creating multiple Google Calendars
• Developing more than one Apple Calendar
• Building multiple Office 365 Calendars
• Creating different Yahoo Calendars

Keep your personal and professional lives separate.

Finally, if you truly want to separate your personal life from your professional, it’s vital that you establish boundaries. Secure perimeters mean keeping your private life private — and work life stays at work. For example, you don’t want to schedule personal responsibilities when you’re supposed to be working. Sometimes this is unavoidable when there’s an emergency. But you aren’t supposed to pay your bills, make personal phone calls, or run errands while on the clock.

Additionally, to enrich your personal life, create and stick to “office hours” so that work isn’t cutting into your personal life. For instance, if you’ve already made dinner plans with your best friend or committed to going to your child’s rehearsal, then you shouldn’t plan to attend a work event at the same date and time or respond immediately to work-related messages.

Everyone has attempted to multitask at some point in their life. Maybe it started when you were attempting to watch TV and finish schoolwork in your younger years, or attempting to talk on the phone while finishing up an important report. Multitasking is a way that we try to get more out of the time on our Calendar. Here’s what science says about multitasking.

Multitasking might be your favorite way to forge through your daily tasks. The logic is flawless. Accomplishing two things instead one thing is always better. Or is it? If it takes you twice as long to accomplish the two tasks at once, is it really a good idea? Let’s find out what science has to say about the feasibility of multitasking.

What is multitasking?

Before we discuss whether or not humans can handle multitasking, let’s define the word. Multitasking is attempting to do or more things simultaneously. Unlike segmented amounts of time for a task, such as half an hour interval, multitasking is attempting to complete two or more things at the exact same time. If you are dividing your time between tasks and focusing on one thing at a time, then you are not multitasking. But, there are ways to get more done in a day.

Can humans multitask?

Unfortunately, science seems to agree that humans simply cannot multitask. Although the idea of multitasking sounds amazing, only a very small percentage of the population can actually do it. You might still disagree and believe that you are an effective multitasker. However, the science behind the conclusion that multitasking is inefficient is everywhere. You might be able to multitask but it is costing you productivity.

What Science Says About Multitasking?

The human brain seems to be set up to handle one task at a time. It is impossible to change the way our brains are set up, so it is better to accept reality and avoid multitasking. If you choose to multitask, then you are costing yourself time and efficiency that you cannot get back.

Split attention

Dividing your attention between two separate tasks is almost never a good idea. Best-case scenarios, you have half of your attention on two separate tasks. Worst case scenario, you are unable to focus on either task and take extra time to complete both. Not only does multitasking affect the overall amount of time it takes to complete tasks, but it can also lead to a poor quality product for your efforts.

Time costs

When you attempting to multitask, you are switching back and back between tasks. Multitasking equates to losing time while you switch back and forth. As you continually shift your focus between tasks, you are forced to lose your concentration on one task and transfer it to the next. Incrementally, you can accomplish things by returning your attention to a single task enough times. The time lost in between tasks can add up.

You may be able to save time by focusing on one task, completing, and finally moving on to the next task. If you choose to forgo multitasking, then you will be able to focus on a single task until it is complete. Through this concentrated effort, you will be able to finish one task in a timely manner and then move on to the next task.

Difficulty focusing on a task

As you work through your tasks, you may notice that you have difficulty focusing on a particular task as you continue to jump between tasks. When you break your concentration and switch tasks, it can make it extremely difficult to refocus your attention. Although it is different for everyone, interruptions can cause you to lose your focus and prevent you from completing a task in a timely manner. Figure out how to motivate yourself each day on your big tasks.

One study found that it tasks an average of 25 minutes to fully return to a task after you have interrupted. If you think of the switching between tasks as an interruption, then you may have a better grasp of the lost productivity. The constant interruption from one task to another can cause a break of focus that is difficult to restore.

Are there exceptions?

Yes, according to one study, around two percent of people were able to multitask effectively. These supertaskers are actually able to complete two tasks simultaneously without a decrease in their effectiveness. The other 98% of people were unable to multitask at all. It is fairly likely that you are in the 98 percent of people who cannot multitask. However, a select few are able to perform multitasking with ease. You may believe that you are a “supertasker” but do not allow yourself to be deceived by your own brain. It is very likely that you cannot multitask well.

What about the easy tasks?

Of course, there some easy tasks that you are capable of completing simultaneously like watching TV while folding your laundry or listening to a podcast while cleaning your house. Simple things that do not require too much of your brainpower to complete on their own are usually easy to lump together.

However, any tasks that require focus should be done individually. A good example is texting while driving. Unfortunately, this is a way that many people multitask. Studied have shown that drivers that text cause accidents similar to drunk drivers. Any task that could put your life at risk is not a task that you should attempt to multitask.

Any task that requires focused attention should be done without a competing task. For example, you should avoid completing important work assignments while working on another task. Even if the competing task seems simple, like talking on the phone, it is capable of taking your attention away from the important assignment. It may take you longer to produce a subpar version of the assignment if you continue to multitask.

How to remove multitasking from your Calendar

You should consider removing multitasking from your Calendar. The science is clear: humans cannot multitask effectively. Unless you are a “supertasker” then it is time to quit your multitasking habit. If you’re skeptical that multitasking less will help you to accomplish more, — then just try it for a few weeks. Maybe you are one of the two percent who actually can multitask? However, you might be surprised how much more you are able to accomplish without multitasking compromising your productivity.

It’s long been known as a fact, that productivity at work plummets during the summer — especially in July and August. A study by Captivate Office Pulse found that during the summer, productivity decreases by 20 percent. Additionally, attendance drops by 19 percent and work turnaround time increase by 13 percent.

There are several reasons why this is the case. The most obvious is that a lot of people are taking vacations during this time of year. Even if you’re still hustling, employees, investors, vendors, and clients might be out of town. It’s tough to get things done when decision-makers are out of town.

Another culprit is the weather. Most of us can’t focus when it’s nice outside. Since we’d rather be outdoors, we get more distracted. Research from the Harvard Business School backs they claim up. They found that crummy weather conditions, like rain, encourage us to be more productive since we aren’t getting cognitively distracted.

Moreover, we get distracted by FOMO. We see a friend relaxing on the beach, and we focus on how awesome that would be instead of working. There’s also the weather. When it’s too hot, it’s harder to make decisions and humidity makes lose concentration. As a result, we crank up the AC. But, when it’s too cold, we tend to make more errors.

So, yeah. Summer doesn’t just slow you and your business’s productivity; it can put you in a slump. Of course, there some ways to prevent this from happening. For example, shifting your priorities, having meetings outside, and shaking up your routine. But, fighting against this all summer can be exhausting. Instead, use this lull to your advantage and become productive during your summer slump.

1. Catch up on some reading.

I don’t have to tell you just how vital reading is. While I do read daily, there are times when I don’t get to learn as much as I would like. But, thankfully, I can always count on the summer to catch up on books and even industry publications.

The best part about reading is that you don’t have to catch up on reading. Reading can always be a part of what you do. Read something light if you wish to, during a long weekend or vacation. Or maybe — heavy reading should be done right now? What works best for your learning? Because the office is usually a little less hectic, I’m able to read in my office during breaks throughout the day.

2. Learn something new.

Just like reading, learning is essential for entrepreneurs. Make time for this piece of your life. Of course, a lot of us are way too busy to stop what we’re doing to make this something we do daily. However, since there’s some downtime right now, it’s the perfect summer activity.

What you want to learn is entirely up to you. But, it should be something that will help you grow as a person. You may choose to improve by learning a new language, how to play a musical instrument, or enhancing your existing professional skills. Other options would be to get out of your comfort zone and to explore your city or trying out a new productivity technique.

3. Schedule more lunch meetings.

I’m a big fan of lunch meetings. I’ve found that there aren’t as many distractions and there’s more flexibility with time. Most importantly, it allows you to spend valuable one-on-one time with clients, prospects, and employees. Spending one on one time is particularly true if you want to build a relationship with a new networking contact.

Additionally, it’s the perfect excuse to get out of the office for a bit. And, if you pick up the check, there’s no better way to show your appreciation.

If lunch meetings aren’t always an option, then consider walking meetings. Or relocate a team meeting from the conference to a park. Doing so will spark creativity and help keep everyone in good spirits.

4. Volunteer.

Volunteering is another activity that we should do more often. It doesn’t just make the community better; it also gives you a chance to strengthen your skills and network. And it just makes you feel amazing.

Let’s say on Friday afternoons you and your team help build a community garden or teach a class for free. You could also mentor or coach aspiring entrepreneurs. Or, speaking of coaching, see if any local sports teams need coaches or someone to raise money for them.

5. Focus on your body.

Last winter, I neglected my health. I wasn’t exercising as much and eating like crap. Going into the new year, I wanted to focus on my body. Of course, that’s still a juggling act between all of my existing obligations and battling the elements.

While I’ve been able to follow through with this goal, I’m going to kick it up a notch. With a little more free time, and the desire to get outside as much as I can, this summer I’ll be focusing on eating healthier, exercising daily, and meditating. Using a calendar for scheduling will ensure I accomplish my goals. Eating right, exercising, and meditating will give me the energy and stamina to be more productive, while also reducing the amount of stress in my life.

6. Strengthen your leadership skills.

Being a founder doesn’t automatically mean that you’re a natural-born leader. A lot of entrepreneurs struggle with this day in and out. However, this is the perfect season to change that around.

During the summer, enhance your leadership skills. That sounds broad. So, I suggest getting some feedback from your team to see which areas you should focus on. For example, if you need to improve your communications skills, then seek out advice through books, podcasts, webinars, or Ted Talks. Record yourself during a meeting to see your performance — I did this and found that I spoke too quietly. Check out productivity hacks backed by science.

7. Re-organize your work environment.

You would be surprised at all of the stuff you accumulate over time. If left unchecked, this can create a cluttered and disorganized environment that is blocking you from being productive. So, send your spare time tossing out items you no longer need and organizing your files. And, don’t forget to clean out your inbox as well.

After you’ve cleaned and organized your workspace, you might want to re-organize it as well ultimately. You may find that the new layout is more functional. And, sometimes changing things gets those creative juices flowing.

8. Attend industry events.

I can’t tell you how many events I’ve not attended because I’ve been so swamped. But, if you have some free time this summer, then that’s when you should attend as many events as possible.

Not only will this get you out of the workplace, but it’s also a chance for you to learn new information or become aware of the latest trends. There’s also plenty of networking opportunities as well.

9. Spend more time getting to know your team.

How many times has an employee asked if you have five minutes to chat, and you respond that you’re “too busy?” That excuse doesn’t fly right now. And, whether you realize it or not, getting to know each other will be beneficial for everyone.

When you get to know your team, you’ll be able to motivate them better and inspire them since you’ve built a relationship. Also, it shows your team that you have a genuine interest in your employees. As such, they’ll be more engaged and loyal to you and the business.

10. Tackle your deferred project list.

I think we all a list of items that we’ll get around to eventually. Even if they’re important, we tend to forget about our listings when they’re not urgent. Take the time to reconsider your lists and deferred projects. Update all account information and get price comparisons done on insurance providers. In other words, get all the smaller projects out of the way that have been bugging you

If you don’t cross these items off now, then when? And, if this list continues to grow, then it will become too overwhelming to address. Go ahead and set some time aside to get these tasks done and over with finally.

11. Think about your future goals.

“Unhook from the minute-to-minute, day-to-day franticness and give yourself some space,” David Allen, author of the popular book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, told Forbes. “Lift your head up and look at the longer horizon. What would you like to have accomplished? What do you want your life to look like a year from now or even five years from now?”

Since the office is quieter and you aren’t as busy, you can finally answer those questions. And, you can start making plans on how you will achieve them.

12. Take a vacation.

Finally, don’t forget to have some fun this summer. And, for most of us, that means getting out of Dodge and going on a vacation.

Everyone, including entrepreneurs, need to step away from work occasionally. It will clear your head, alleviate all of that stress, and help you develop fresh ideas. Along the way, you may also learn and partake in new experiences. It also allows you to spend quality time with friends or family.

If you can’t go on an exotic vacation, then plan a weekend getaway that’s within driving distance. And, there’s always the staycation where you stay home but unplug for a couple of days. Whatever you do, take the time to enjoy yourself this summer so you can come back refreshed.

According to the report, “The State of the Remote Job Marketplace” from FlexJobs, 3.9 million Americans — or 2.9 percent of the total US workforce — now work from home at least half the time. FlexJobs is also predicting that one-third of employees will work remotely within the next decade. But, not everyone is built for remote work; find people who are.

Technology made the freelancing and remote employee possible. The arrangement is beneficial for both employees and employers.

Those with flexible work options are more productive and healthier both mentally and physically. Additionally, remote work reduces employee turnover, saves businesses an average of $10,000 per year in real estate costs (employees save around $5,240 in expenses), and it’s more eco-friendly.

At my company Calendar, most of my team works remotely. While we’ve all enjoyed the benefits listed above, I’ve also noticed that I have access to a deeper talent pool, while my team enjoys a healthier work-life balance.

While there are still challenges — it’s not the easiest of tasks to manage a remote team — having a remote team is an ideal solution for me. But, that’s also because I surrounded myself with a team that is cut out for remote work.

How can you tell if a potential employee can handle working virtually? Here’s how you can find out.

Look in the right places.

There are hundreds of websites and job boards where you can find remote workers. But, not all job boards are equal.

For example, Fiverr is a great place if you’re on a tight budget and need work as a voiceover for your podcast. But, if you need a developer or social media manager, you need to look at more quality websites. These sites typically only showcase talented workers who have unique skills.

I would suggest trying out UpWork, WeWorkRemotely, Toptal, and Flexjobs to start your search.

Don’t forget to tap into your network. I’ve found some of my best team members just by asking for referrals from people that I trust.

Create job posts that attract quality, remote workers.

Let’s say that you want to post a job opening on a site like Toptal. You want to compose a job posting that not only excites potential candidates but also separates the top remote workers from the rest.

For example, I’ve seen new businesses looking for freelance writers on a site like Freelancer.com. They simply want to get lots of content on their new website. Because they don’t have a ton of money, they’ll hire writers who aren’t the greatest because they don’t charge much money per hour. If they were looking for full-time content writers, this definitely wouldn’t fly.

So when creating your job post make sure that you clearly state how much the worker will be paid, what your expectations are, and the minimum requirements and qualifications you want.

Also don’t forget to include links to your website, articles that mention your business, and any other relevant information about your company, such as what you do and who the founders are. This is a simple way to prove that you’re a legit business only looking for the best-of-the-best.

Screen your remote worker candidates.

Now that you’ve got some applicant showing interest in joining your business, it’s time to screen the potential employees. This not only ensures that you hire people who can successfully work remotely, but it also guarantees that you’ll find people who will fit in with your company’s culture.

• Consider the characteristics you want in an employee. For remote workers, keep a lookout for those who are self-motivated, disciplined, highly responsive, and possess strong communication skills. It also doesn’t hurt that they have previous experience working remotely.
• Use several different interview methods. When I interview potential employees I start with an email and then schedule a brief 10-minute call on Skype or Zoom. The email is testing their responsiveness and written communication skills, while the Skype call gives me a better understanding of their personality.
• Ask the right questions. This will provide you with the right information you need to determine if the candidate can work virtually. Skillcrush has a list of 18 questions you should ask during a remote job interview, such as “How do you schedule your day?” “How do you prioritize tasks?” and  “How do you use technology throughout the day?”
• Check out their social profiles. LinkedIn is a great resource to learn more about the candidate’s past work experience or identify references. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provide insights into the individual’s personality.
• Assign a task. As someone who has freelanced previously, you never want to work for free. However, if someone is applying for a top-notch gig, they won’t mind a little homework since they understand that this showcases their skills, as well as proves that they can meet a deadline and work independently.

Review samples and references.

Even if you’ve assigned a little task for a potential employee to complete, you still want to look over samples of their work — which could simply be a link to their online portfolio. This way you can be certain that their specific work will meet the needs of your business. You should always ask for a couple of samples when they apply for a job.

On top of samples, ask for at least two references. You can then ask these references if the person was able to meet deadlines, understand directions, and submit high-quality work. You could also inquire about their communication skills and if they were willing to attend virtual meetings.

If you’re nervous don’t make a full-time commitment.

If you’re still on the fence about hiring remote employees, you can always hire someone to complete a one-off task. It’s perfectly acceptable on services like UpWork to do this. I would say freelancers and other virtual employees wouldn’t be opposed to this either since it gives everyone a chance to see how the assignment goes before committing to a long-term relationship.

Remember, you’re looking for someone who isn’t only skilled, but who can also meet a deadline, work independently, and gels with the culture of your business. For the remote worker, they want to be sure that they can work with someone they get along with as well.

After starting a new business, you’ll need some way to spread the word about your existence. Marketing involves improving your brand recognition and visibility while attracting new clients. Most entrepreneurs turn to digital marketing. It’s an accessible way to market and advertise your business. Your success in this area isn’t a guarantee.

If you want your business to be successful, you’ll need to think about the efficiency of your marketing strategies. In other words, how much are you getting compared to the time and money you’re investing? Doing this calculation is called your return on investment or ROI. It’s affected by many factors, including the strategies you choose and how you execute them. Most marketers focus almost exclusively on how much they are paying versus how much they are getting in new revenue. But, tt’s also essential to think about how you’re managing your time.

What steps can you take to make sure you’re marketing your new business as efficiently as possible?

Understand Your Goals

First, it’s crucial to identify and understand your goals. Obviously, marketing and advertising are all about raising awareness and attracting new customers. But, what are you specifically trying to achieve, and what are your highest priorities? For example, is it more relevant to you to increase brand recognition, or is it better to get new paying customers as soon as possible? A new source of revenue can play a significant role in which strategies you choose and how you execute them.

You’ll also need to think about your timeline. Some marketing strategies have a very high ROI. These strategies are useful for a wide range of businesses, but they take a long time to develop—sometimes months to years. Other strategies take effect immediately. Sometimes, they guarantee traffic to your site or new leads. Yet, they tend to be much more expensive. What balance would be most appropriate for your business? And, is a short-term or long-term focus more important for you?

If you don’t understand your goals initially, you won’t be able to come up with an effective marketing plan.

Work With an Agency

Thanks to the abundance of content on the Internet, it’s possible to learn the basics of how to market a new business on your own. However, for most businesses, it’s better to work with a digital marketing agency.

According to Crown Media Tech, “Agencies have access to more resources than the average business owner can gather on their own. It’s the only way to make sure your campaign funds are being used efficiently.”

Digital marketing agencies tend to have access to many different niche experts. Rather than hiring a generalist or tracking down a network of your own niche specialists, you can rely on the specialists within an agency. Digital marketing agencies tend to have extended networks. They also have more flexibility when it comes to workloads and service provision. Then, you’ll never have to worry about shortfalls or gaps between availability and needs.

Even more importantly, marketing agencies tend to hold themselves accountable to high standards. They want to keep you as a client. If results are lackluster, they’ll usually go the extra mile to troubleshoot the campaign and make things right.

The flip side is marketing agencies usually cost a few hundred to several thousand dollars a month to employ. The cost depends on the services you’re using. Compared to the results you get, this is still cheaper than what you’d pay for an in-house team.

Learn What You Can, When You Can

Even if you’re delegating most of your marketing work to an external agency, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about marketing and advertising. The crucial knowledge about marketing will help you make recommendations for your campaign. It will also be useful for evaluating new angles to try. You can get a critical lens through which you can understand your agency or employee actions.

Start With One Core Strategy 

If you’re trying to manage your marketing strategy on your own or if you’re coordinating with a small team, start with one core strategy for your campaign. The core strategy doesn’t have to be your only strategy. But, it should be the focal point of your campaign.

In terms of how to market a new business, a core strategy is beneficial for several reasons:

• Specialty expertise development. If you and your team are focusing almost exclusively on one strategy, you’re going to learn at a much faster rate. Over a period of weeks to months, you and your team members will grow to be much better versed in this strategy. Then, your expertise will start paying off.
• Noise reduction. If you’re new to the world of marketing analytics, focusing on one strategy will help reduce noise in your measurements. You won’t struggle to figure out which of your sub-strategies is having the most impact on brand recognition. Instead, you can focus on the effects of your core strategy.
• Min/maxing. In most marketing campaigns, it’s better to spend a lot of time and money on one, high-quality strategy than to distribute those funds amongst multiple, lower-effort strategies. In other words, this is a focus on quality over quantity. By starting with one core strategy, you can give it your full attention instead of half-heartedly pursuing a dozen strategies simultaneously.

Establish a Clear System for Communication 

Much of your marketing success will be dependent on your ability to communicate your ideas and collaborate with others. The principles of communication applies to most situations. Whether you’re meeting with an agency regularly to discuss new ideas and provide direction, or you’re coordinating with a team of writers to ensure your content is relevant.

For starters, establish a clear hierarchy and a precise arrangement of responsibilities. Who is responsible for organizing and coordinating meetings? Which marketing items require your approval, and which ones can be managed independently? You’ll also want to decide which mediums are most appropriate for each type of communication. For example, in-person meetings tend to be counterproductive, primarily when a group email could have accomplished the same goals.

The idea here is to improve the level of transparency and the clarity of communication between groups while minimizing the time spent communicating those ideas. Much of your communication is going to depend on the abilities of the individuals in your network. You may have to mentally translate, as they may not be able to express their ideas and needs as concisely as possible.

Experiment and Make Cuts

As you become more comfortable with your marketing campaign, start to experiment with how you market a new business. That could mean gradually incorporating new marketing strategies with which you’re unfamiliar or trying new angles with your existing focal strategy. Either way, experimentation is all about trying new things, measuring their outcomes, and keeping the angles that work.

It’s easy to become complacent with a marketing strategy. If it’s earning you decent results, you’ll be inclined to keep it running as-is. However, this blinds you to the possibility that there may be a different angle or different combination of strategies that can easily outperform it.

It’s also essential to cut consistently underperforming strategies. You may feel inclined to keep a strategy around indefinitely because you worked hard to understand it, or you’ve already invested so much in the “how-to.” This action is known as the sunk cost fallacy. In some cases, it’s best to cut your losses and move on with something else.

General Productivity Habits

If you’re trying to accomplish more in the marketing and advertising space, you can also focus on strategies designed to improve your bottom-line productivity in general. For example, you could invest in an app (or multiple apps) designed to increase your productivity. You could spend time physically exercising or meditating in the morning, clearing your head, and readying you for the day ahead. A different tactic is to invest in a better project management app or a task management system. Then, you can enforce new rules in how projects and tasks are assigned.

Another strategy is to develop a better hierarchical system for prioritizing your own responsibilities during the day. There isn’t a right or wrong way to approach this since different strategies will have varying levels of effectiveness on different individuals. However, it’s vital to give multiple ideas a shot. Then, see how your productivity is affected.

Practice How to Market a New Business

Marketing a business efficiently isn’t the result of a binary decision; you can’t flip a switch and suddenly start spending your time and money in a highly efficient way. Instead, it’s a gradual process. You’re going to make lots of mistakes as you try to better understand your business and its target demographics, but every mistake you make will bring you closer to an “ideal” setup.

Be ready to fail and ready to learn from your errors. As long as you’re actively trying to improve and make things more efficient, you should be able to succeed.

Conferences can be a great way to connect with people in your industry, build real relationships, and even grow your business. It’s the perfect place to meet new people who are in a similar situation, and there are often many opportunities to learn new tactics and strategies. But how doe you stay productive during a conference?

As with all networking events, you’ll want to get the most bang for your buck. You also want to stay productive and get something accomplished while you’re at the event. Expect your schedule do be all over the place during a conference.

Tips to manage time and stay productive during a conference.

Have Someone Handle Emails and Urgent Messages

You probably won’t have a ton of access to email while you’re away at a conference. Sure, you’ll have WiFi, but do you want to be logged on and responding to emails and questions the whole time? Probably not.

Instead, ask someone from your team to handle emails and urgent messages to keep things flowing. Work ahead so that critical deadlines are met and use a detailed auto-responder to help with emails.

Include essential links and FAQs in your auto-responder so that people emailing you during the time you are out of town — can take basic steps on their own. With essential links, your clients can schedule a future call with you or communicate with your assistant.

When you return from the conference, you’ll be grateful that you have a more manageable workload and inbox situation.

Don’t Just Sit in Sessions All Day

Don’t get me wrong; conference sessions can be super helpful and eye-opening. However, you can watch presentations at any time thanks to webinars and YouTube videos.

What you can’t do often is interact with a wide variety of people all at once. Take advantage of the opportunity to chat with people and build connections.

Add a few critical sessions to your itinerary and take good notes. Remember that some conferences will allow attendees to review recordings of the sessions so they won’t miss anything. Setting your schedule up to attend meetings and connect with more people in person will help you stay productive during a conference.

Meet People on the Way

Don’t underestimate the opportunity to meet people at every stage of the conference. You may want to introduce yourself when you’re volunteering, waiting at the elevator, or in line at the hotel restaurant.

Strike up a conversation with people and learn more about what they do and what they’re looking for at the event. Who knows, you may be able to work with them in some capacity in the future.

Also, if there is an expo hall, be sure to network with the vendors seeing as how they likely sponsored the event. It never hurts to know credit sponsors and build relationships there.

Set Up Meetings and Coffee Dates

If there’s someone that you want to meet at the conference, take advantage of the opportunity and set up a meeting or quick coffee date with them. You don’t have to sit together for hours, but just a 20-minute chat can make all the difference.

Sometimes conferences can be overwhelming and so busy that it’s hard to sit down with someone one-by-one. The best thing you can do is email people in advance to get on their calendar and meet up.

That way, you ensure that a connection is made and you can follow up after the event with the next steps.

Take Breaks When Needed to Stay Productive During a Conference

As an introvert, I often need time to take breaks and rest at long networking events like conferences. Don’t push yourself too hard, especially if you’re getting tired, overwhelmed, or groggy. Retreat to your hotel room for an hour or two and take a nap, check emails, or do something to revive your energy.

If you have light work to do, you may even find it helpful to check emails and complete short solo tasks. Taking time off to refuel will allow you to stay productive during a conference and avoid burning out too soon.

Realize that you can’t do everything and be everywhere during the experience and prioritize your time and energy.

Go to Bed at a Reasonable Time

Sure, some great connections can be made at night or during evening events, but you don’t want to overdo it. It’s essential to wake up at a decent time so you can start your day off strong and get enough sleep that you feel energized.

Try a Walking Meeting

Running around from one place to the next during the conference? It can be super busy but if you want to chat with someone, try a walking meeting or a quick catch up.

If the person you want to talk to is headed somewhere, offer to walk with them and strike up a meaningful conversation. A quick connection can be a great way to get questions quickly answered, get a new lead, or offer some help from your end.

Overall, conferences can be a great way to learn new things, catch up with old friends, and make new contacts. Being able to manage time well and stay productive during a conference is still vital. It’s not a vacation. Conferences can be quite expensive, so you want to make sure you get the most bang for your buck

It’s common to find yourself trapped in a two-hour meeting, discussing irrelevant topics and losing sight of your day. However, if you do them correctly, meetings can be productive, to-the-point and engaging. While it can be a struggle to check off all three of these things, a number of companies are getting creative in the ways they approach making meetings less boring.

Ways to Make Meetings Less Boring

From Pixar’s “Note’s Day” to Buffer’s “Masterminds,” check out these seven out-there ways companies are revamping their meeting methods.

1. Note’s Day

It’s no surprise that one of the most creative companies in the world also has some of the most creative internal strategies as well. In order to keep employees engaged and create an open dialogue of idea-sharing at every level, Pixar created “Note’s Day.”

On Note’s Day, the entertainment company puts things on pause in order to facilitate company-wide brainstorming sessions. On this day, Pixar employees gather in small teams to share ideas and discuss relevant issues and company challenges. Leaders from various departments drop into other teams’ meetings to understand and hear the varying viewpoints.

2. Goalfest

When it comes to reaching goals and tracking performance, it can be tricky to find an effective method. However, cloud computing platform DigitalOcean discovered its own way of doing so: “Goalfest.” In an hour-long meeting once a week, the small team at DigitalOcean joins a shared Google Spreadsheet, where they each set and share their goals for the following week, and publicly score how well they did on achieving the previous week’s goals.

Not only is this a good way to keep employees accountable for their work, but it also opens up discussions for improvements, recognitions, and challenges.

3. Masterminds

At social media management company Buffer, their program “Masterminds” has been one of the forces behind their happy and effective workforce. Because the Buffer team works entirely remotely, the company came up with a creative way to connect employees.

Dubbed Masterminds, the internal program pairs up two team members who provide regular support and advice to each other. The pairs connect once a week and typically share their progress and achievements, as well as their top challenges and setbacks.

4. Talks at Google

It’s not always about bringing people together within a company—sometimes bringing influential figures and industry professionals in is also a surefire way to boost employee morale and engagement. At Google, the tech giant launched its own speaker series for employees called “Talks at Google,” where it invites a variety of guests to speak on a range of topics.

Whether you’re a Google, a million-dollar startup, or a six-person team, bringing in influential speakers and resources outside of the company is a great way to keep things fresh and innovative within the company. Suddenly, your team sees meetings as less boring.

5. Hackathons

Hackathons have become highly popular amongst today’s startups and tech companies. Now, they are a way to make meetings less boring, too. Businesses have started to organize company-wide hackathons where employees collaborate intensely on tech-related projects over a certain period of time. Facebook has become particularly famous for its hackathons.

In fact, they are basically a part of its DNA and one of the network’s oldest traditions. Facebook holds hackathons throughout the year, and they have not only become a great way for employees to interact and work together, but a plethora of beneficial things have been invented as a result of them like tagging friends in Facebook comments and “Liking” friends’ posts.

You don’t have to be Facebook to host a hackathon either. Today, a number of tech companies are hosting their own hackathons, discovering the abundance of benefits that come out of them, from teamwork and relationship-building to new products and innovations.

6. Moment of Zen

Amidst all the chaos, Poll Everywhere manages to find some balance in attempting to make meetings less boring. At the end of every internal meeting, the tech company has a “Moment of Zen” where they take time, as a group, to learn something new or reflect on their day. At this time, leaders will share inspiring quotes or stories and team members will discuss wins and highlights and give compliments to their co-workers.

7. The Swear Jar

No one likes a two-hour meeting that was scheduled to be 30 minutes. Lost time from meetings is a common phenomenon in the workplace. The team at Tripping.com found a fun a solution: using a stopwatch, anytime a meeting goes over 30 minutes, the person who called the meeting must put $5 into the company’s “Swear Jar” (AKA happy hour fund).

Are you ready to make meetings less boring? Grab one or more of these tools now!

You just launched a business. It’s exciting, exhilarating, and nerve-racking all-at-once. I would even go so far as to say that it’s one of the most exceptional experiences in your life. Can you maintain those feeling day-in-and-out? Well, no, but here’s how the smartest entrepreneurs keep from losing momentum.

Entrepreneurs Keep From Losing Momentum

Between setbacks and doing the same tasks over-and-over again, you can eventually lose that momentum. The good news? It’s not gone forever if you do the following to keep that momentum going.

“Why?”

Your alarm goes off at 5:15 am. Maybe the weather isn’t pleasant. You’re not feeling 100 percent. Your startup has had better weeks. What’s driving you to get-out-of-bed and tackle the day head-on? If you answered “money,” then it may be time to reevaluate whether or not you have it in you to continue the entrepreneurial journey.

There are many reasons why we start our own businesses, like being your own boss. Yes, money does a play role. However, successful entrepreneurs should always ask “why?” Try to be clear on your why — it helps.

Why did you start your business? Why do you wake up before everyone else every morning? Why do you keep forging ahead when everything seems to be going wrong? The answer? You know your purpose.

Take a moment and discover your own “why” whenever you feel like you’ve gone off track. If you need help getting back on track, ask the following questions:

• What makes you feel alive?
• What are your natural strengths?
• Where can you add the most value?
• What are your core values?

The answers help entrepreneurs keep from losing momentum.

In the words of the German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche, “He who has a why can endure any, ‘how.’”

Some say, “set the bar low.”

Think about all of the advice you’ve been given or have read. I bet one of the most common has been that you dream big and shoot for the stars. While there’s some truth to that, sometimes you have to set the bar lower, or at least think in different terms. The goal is to get there — not demoralize yourself.

If you say that you’re going to lose 50 pounds, there’s an excellent chance that you won’t achieve that goal because the ambition is stated in those terms. Instead, you’ll follow-through if you commit to doing five minutes of cardio and five pushups a day.

According to Stanford University researcher B.J. Fogg, that’s because if you want to develop a lifelong habit, it’s more effective to start with small and simple adjustments. As we begin successfully making progress, we’re more driven and confident of keeping going.

As Steve Jobs once said, “That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

Celebrate success.

At the same time, making progress in small ways don’t always make it appear like we’ve established that much of a difference. It may not seem entrepreneurs keep from losing momentum by using this technique. There are times when it looks like we’ve hardly made a dent. But research from Harvard University shows that recognizing these small wins is the key to productivity and happiness.

To get started, first identify the wins you want to celebrate. Typically, this is by identifying measurable “wins” that are aligned by your core values — for example, earning a specific amount of five-star reviews on Yelp because of your outstanding customer service. If so, then reward your team with a pizza party or night-out-on-the-town.

I like to review positive customer feedback and share it with my team. It’s a simple but powerful way to show that our hard work is recognized and appreciated.

Keep the body going.

You’ve probably heard this a million times. You need to make your health a priority. But, there are several excellent reasons why you should exercise every morning:

• Gives you more energy, stamina, and endurance to power through the day.
• Boosts your immune system.
• Puts you in a better mood.
• Relieves stress.
• Sharpens your cognition.

Besides exercising, don’t forget to eat a well-balanced diet. It’s pretty challenging to be productive when you’ve just consumed a triple-bacon cheeseburger with fries and shake for lunch. Instead, eat foods that boost your energy and focus, such as almonds, salmon, kale, and eggs.

And, make sure that you get six to eight hours of quality of sleep each night. You can’t keep the momentum going when you’re yawning all day.

Keep a “did it list.”

Calendaring you to-do-lists come in-handy. But, research has found that seeing your progress and how much you’ve accomplished will inspire you to keep pushing forward. That’s why you should start creating a “did it list,” or at least have a place you can check tasks off.

With a “did list” you’re not only able to view your accomplishments, but they can also be used to review and reflect on your year when you are establishing your new goals.

Build a great team.

Paul Allen wrote in an article titled Microsoft’s Odd Couple that, “Bill never wanted to lose talented people. ‘If this guy leaves,’ he’d say to me, ‘we’ll lose all our momentum.’”

Put your ego aside for a moment and realize that you can not succeed alone — no matter how intelligent or talents you are. You need to surround yourself with others who can help enhance your skills and compensate for your weaknesses.

Don’t forget to have fun.

“Fun is one of the most important — and underrated — ingredients in any successful venture,” Richard Branson wrote in “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership.” “If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.”

Final Thoughts on How Entrepreneurs Keep From Losing Momentum

Of course, there are days when that doesn’t seem like the case. But, instead of harping on these setbacks, make being an entrepreneur as enjoyable as possible by trying out the following:

• Make the activities used to achieve your goals more fun, like using gamification, writing an “eff yeah” list, or creating a vision board.
• Change how you think by thinking more positively and developing a growth mindset. Gratification, reflection, and being in the present are great places to start.
• Give yourself a small reward after you’ve achieved a small goal.
• Delegate tasks that you either don’t enjoy or are not skilled at.

By doing so, you’ll be able to illustrate how entpreneurs keep from losing momentum.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you may not be the best at calendaring your day. Technology is moving at breakneck speed, and we’ll have tool advances to enhance our time usage along with new and advanced advice. For now, schedule your day this way to increase calendar productivity.

Create your daily plan the night before.

The first place to start when scheduling your day to increase calendar productivity is by actually planning your ideal day. Best, for me, is to prepare the night before. This way when you wake-up, you know exactly what your day is going to look like and where you’re going. You’ll be less sidetracked by minor emergencies or indecisiveness.

There’s no right or wrong way to map-out your day, but here’s what you may want to include:

• All of your appointments, phone calls, and meetings for the day.
• The top three priorities that you want to complete, or make progress-on, by the end of the day.
• Take time for self-care, such as exercise, meditation, or learning something new.

When planning your day, make sure that you’re realistic. You may have ten items you consider as “priorities,” but you most likely will not accomplish all of them. Some people feel disappointed because they didn’t accomplish everything on the to-do-list.

Once you’ve narrowed down your top three priorities, jot down the practical action steps that will help you cross these items off on your to-do-list. The list can help you remain focused and ensures that you have everything you need for the day.

With your daily plan in order, you can go ahead and schedule it into your calendar.

On a final note about your evening routine: You may want to consider the timesaver of preparing your meals and clothes for the next day. Laying everything out the night before can be done at the same time. Ideally, you can do all this on a Sunday night or a couple of days in advance. The forethought saves you time and decision-making energy.

Jumpstart your day with a morning ritual.

A morning routine encourages you to get into the right flow as soon as you wake-up. It sets up your mind and energy so that you’ll have a productive day. Best of all, you’re not wasting energy thinking about what you need to do. It’s automatic.

While everyone has their own ideal morning routine, here’s what you should add to your morning routine if you want to have a productive day:

• Wake-up before everyone else so that you have time to yourself without being disrupted.
• Drink a 16 oz glass of water (I drink a bottle) upon awaking. Then after your morning routine, grab one more of these drinks, so that you remain hydrated throughout the day. Don’t lounge through this drink — just chug it down — and be done.
• Avoid your phone and use this time for deep thinking and reflection.
• Exercise so that you have the mental and physical energy to power through the day.
• Consume a healthy breakfast. Like exercise, this will keep you mentally and physically sharp.
• Read for around 15 minutes so that you learn something new or keep up-to-date about your industry.
• Meditate for around 10 minutes. It can help improve your ability to focus.

Eat your frog first thing in the morning.

Mark Twain once famously said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

Since then, time management experts have embraced this idea. The idea simply means that you should tackle the most important or challenging task first thing in the morning. Believe it or not, science backs this up.

According to Dan Ariely, a Duke University professor of psychology and behavioral economics, people are usually most productive within the first two hours after becoming fully awake.

“One of the saddest mistakes in time management is the propensity of people to spend the two most productive hours of their day on things that don’t require high cognitive capacity (like social media),” Ariely wrote during a Reddit AMA. “If we could salvage those precious hours, most of us would be much more successful in accomplishing what we truly want.”

So let’s say that you wake up at 6 am. You should identify your frog and schedule it into your calendar at eight or nine am at the latest. No exceptions — okay unless you get off-track. If you get off track; use your trusty “I’m getting back on track mojo.”

After you’ve eaten that frog, you’ll have a sense of relief. I think of it as “logging in on life,” and “powering-up.” These mental images give a great start to the day — then you can devote your remaining energy to soft tasks like answering emails for an hour. OR, if you’re having a great day — decide, “today I’m going to dive into my productivity-hacks.”

Schedule your days in blocks.

When planning your daily tasks, use time blocking. Block out specific times to accomplish specific tasks in your calendar. For example, you could block out nine to 11 am to eat your frog. The calendaring and the blocks allow you to know precisely how you’re going to use your time and the time frame to complete each task.

According to guru Cal Newport:

“Sometimes people ask why I bother with such a detailed level of planning. My answer is simple: it generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40-hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure.”

To get the most out of time blocking you should schedule 90-minute chunks of undistributed work. You’ll turn off notifications on your phone or computer and possibly placing a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door.

Since our office is open — we have specific cues for code. No earphones mean. “okay to bother, I’m on a soft task.” The white earphones mean “approach with caution.” The noise-canceling headphones mean, “stay the hell away; I’m busy.”

Why 90-minute intervals? The human brain can only focus on a task for 90-120 minutes. A 20-30 minute break is needed afterward for the brain to recharge so that it can focus on the next job.

Batch same-type tasks together.

When filling-out your calendar, start batching tasks together. As explained by Amanda Abella in another calendar article, “Batching refers to a productivity hack where you only focus on similar tasks. For example, if I have to take meetings, I’ll take them all the same day. If I have several articles to write for clients, I will do that all the same day as well.”

“The idea is simple. If you’re not jumping around doing different tasks, your brain doesn’t need to take the extra time to adjust.” It helps to remain focused on the task at hand and make your time blocks as productive as possible.

Don’t forget to schedule breaks.

It’s just not possible to be at peak productivity 24/7. You need to schedule breaks throughout the day so that your brain has time to rest and recharge. This way, when you jump back to work, you’ll be refreshed and refocused.

As Tim Ferriss wrote in The 4-Hour Workweek, “Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive, let alone thrive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance, all wax and wane. Plan accordingly.”

No matter the size of the company — meetings are a necessary evil. Meetings are where you and your team set a strategy, brainstorm ideas, gather team insights, and check the status of a project. But, founders should consider a companywide, “no meetings day.”

You already have a handle on the fact that your talent isn’t too keen on meetings either. Meetings often feel like a waste of time to your team when they are so busy. Particularly difficult on your team are, the status meetings, check-ins, regular team meetings and of course, those pesky update meetings.

Would your team rather watch paint dry than have a company meeting?

According to one poll, 46 percent of respondents stated that they would prefer to do anything else besides sitting in a meeting. What’s more, 17 percent said they would choose to watch paint dry, while eight percent reported that they would rather have a root canal.

But, it’s not just the employees who aren’t fond of meetings. A report published by Harvard Business Review found that over 70 percent of the 182 senior managers surveyed agreed that meetings are unproductive and inefficient. Respondents added that meetings prevent them from completing their own work (65 percent), partaking in deep thinking (64 percent), and missing out on other opportunities to bond with their team (62 percent).

As a result, more and more organizations are choosing to set a “No Meeting Days.”

Why you should consider a companywide, “No Meeting Day.”

To be fair, this isn’t a groundbreaking idea. The idea of having a companywide “no meeting day” has been implemented by many businesses over the years.

Here are a couple of examples:

• Since 2013, Asana has a company-wide rule “No Meeting Wednesdays.”
• After becoming CEO Aria Healthcare Kate Kinslow instituted “No Meeting Fridays.”
• Kelly Eidson, the cofounder of Moveline, has swamped meetings on Tuesdays or “Maker Days.”
• Tristan Walker, founder, and CEO of Walker & Company only schedule meetings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Why have these organizations, and many other organizations, decided to take a stand against meetings?

Dustin Moskovitz, the cofounder of Asana, writes, “The gist is that the “makers” suffer greatly from interrupting meetings in their flow time. Managers are generally used to having a schedule-driven day — so it seems easier for them to throw a disruption into somebody else’s calendar,” the memo reads. “Makers also do this to each other.”

Kelly Edison tells Fast Company that the Tuesday, “‘Maker Day’ is a day where the goal is for people to be productive with a big problem they are trying to solve.” Edison adds, “People in the [product] team can work wherever they want and don’t have to be accessible to anyone but themselves.”

Tristan Walker says that on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays “I try to take zero meetings so I can get work done. Tuesdays and Wednesdays it’s usually back-to-back-to-back meetings.”

Between project management software, automation, and the fact that meetings waste both her personal and professional time, Amanda Abella writes in a previous Calendar article that she’s ditched team meetings altogether.

If you’re still not convinced, then consider that businesses lose $37 billion in unnecessary meetings every year, as well as:

• Between preparation, traveling, and attending a five-person meeting eats-up 53 hours and 24 minutes.
• 91 percent of meeting attendees admit that they daydream during meetings.
• Meetings also can add stress to employees. 73 percent are stressed because the meeting takes time away from their family. 64 percent mentioned that they are concerned about work piling up.
• According to Public Health England CEO, Duncan Selbie, “sitting in too many meetings can slow down metabolism and reduce the body’s ability to regulate sugar and blood pressure. This can lead to serious health concerns like obesity, diabetes, and cancer.”
• Your organization can boost productivity by 20 percent by eliminating meetings.

How to establish a meeting-free day every week.

It’s one thing to say that you’re going to implement a “No Meeting Day,” but how can you follow through?

The first step is to make a commitment.

Time coach and author of How to Invest Your Time Like Money, Elizabeth Grace Saunders, suggests, “To start, I blocked off every Wednesday on a recurring basis on my calendar. That way, when people used my online scheduling system, Wednesday simply wasn’t an option.”

Set boundaries.

Saunders adds, “Making a meeting-free day a recurring event instead of picking the day week by week increased my chances of setting boundaries and following through.”

Once you’ve decided to make the commitment, Saunders recommends that the next step is to, “Discuss your strategy with close colleagues and your boss. That conversation can include why you see this as an important part of your schedule. It also says what people can expect from you — not only in terms of meetings — but also in terms of communication. This clearly shows when you will (or won’t) be available on email. The goal is uninterrupted focus.”

With those first two steps out of the way, you should also consider scraping status meetings entirely. Instead, use project management software. Use communication channels like Slack, companywide newsletters, or even just a spreadsheet mounted to the wall work well. This way everyone remains in the loop and are aware of the status of projects without having to attend a pointless meeting.

There are still some meeting you must have.

Yes, there are still some meetings you must have. However, think about replacing meetings with something fun, such as a public outing. This way you and your team can still exchange ideas and information and bond with each other without being stuck in a conference room.

Conclusion

Finally, realize that there will be times when you still need to have meetings. This will include times such as when meeting with a potential client or kicking-off a new project. To ensure that meetings are highly productive, use the following tips:

• Send out an agenda at least 24-hours in advance so that everyone is prepared.
• Follow Jeff Bezos’ “two-pizza rule” — and keep meetings as small as possible.
• Clearly define the role of every attendee.
• Keep meetings short — ideally no more than 18 minutes.
• Enforce a “no cell phones” rule.
• Instead of sitting in a conference room or office, have a standing or walking meeting.
• Consider lunch meetings.
• Assign tasks at the end of the meeting.
• Send out a follow-up email.

If worse comes to worse, here is the best advice we can on how to run a meeting that doesn’t suck.