Modern management chronically suffers from too many meetings — and not enough time to get work done.

Middle management has suffered for decades under the heavy burden of too many meetings.

Meetings should support work; when they don’t, they become a time suck that wrecks productivity for companies and organizations. But the reason management is increasingly buried in meetings generally center on leadership wanting more control or believing (erroneously) that gabbing in groups clarifies and expedites.

However, Apple founder Steve Jobs observed the problem and knew what meetings to keep and which to cut. And he knew how to run them efficiently, according to Inc. Magazine.

Keep the invite list small — ideally, three to five people.
His reasoning? The more people you have in a meeting, the less productive it is. Too many voices become a sea of noise and it’s less likely you’ll get anything accomplished. In fact, Jobs famously declined an invite from President Obama to a tech meeting because, well, the guest list was too long.

Also, as you craft your invite list, know exactly what each person’s stake or role in the meeting will be. If they cannot or will not contribute, cut them. Anyone there for informational purposes can be sent a transcript or recording after the fact.

Keep the agenda short — no more than three items.
The goal here is focus. With more than three items on an agenda, you’re likely to get lost in a rabbit hole of unrelated topics and side conversations. It’s hard to know what conclusions to draw and what action items you have at the end when agenda items run amuck. Keep it short — and make sure all three agenda items are clearly connected to the core meeting purpose.

Keep the length to no more than 30 minutes.
You may think the substance of a given meeting demands a bigger time slot, but science tells us that largely ends up as a waste of time. Our attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s and our mental stamina is unable to sustain meaningful, analytical discussion for very long. If you keep meetings short (no more than 30 minutes) and parcel key pieces of information in digestible chunks (one- to two-minute segments), you’re more likely to leave the meeting with broad comprehension.

Sheryl Sandberg took this a step further, actually — she kept a lot of her meetings to 10 minutes.

There’s also the question of need. Do you really need to have a meeting? Ask yourself the following three questions; if the answer is no to all of them, don’t schedule one.

Does this meeting require feedback from others, or is it just informational?
If I do need input/feedback, is a meeting a more time-effective way to get it than a message or email?
Would a meeting provide anything that an email or message wouldn’t (such as in-the-moment feedback on problems that are constantly evolving)?
And finally, as a general note to CEOs just establishing business cadence, consider building a minimalist meeting culture. Following the “Rule of 3s,” keep this general guideline in mind: Management should aim to schedule no more than one minute of meeting time for every three minutes of work. In essence, no more than a quarter of a day should be spent in meetings.

https://www.inc.com/jeff-steen/steve-jobs-3-point-formula-for-leading-effective-meetings-was-brilliant-we-need-to-get-back-to-it.html

Never underestimate the power of a comprehensive financial plan to assist you in building wealth and achieving financial freedom.

Your financial plan is like a roadmap for you money. It’s your long-term guide to answer questions such as:

Will I have enough money to retire?

Do I have my expected health care expenses covered?

Once you have your financial plan laid out, following it becomes much easier. When you have a clear goal in sight, reaching it feels more achievable.

In order to help figure out how to set aside a significant amount of money for retirement, one first needs to get a handle on current spending. Set a plan, create milestones, and go after them relentlessly.

To help achieve retirement goals, it’s important for a person to understand a clear definition of needs as opposed to wants.

With inflation showing few signs of slowing down anytime soon, it is important to create and follow a financial plan.

https://trib.al/eFPyVFb

All the major stock market indexes are trading close to new highs, pushing valuations well above historical norms. The current price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for the S&P 500 is around 30—almost double the historical average.

It is getting challenging to find reasonably priced growth stocks in 2025. But, billionaires often use a mix of strategies and criteria when selecting stocks. Here are some common factors they consider:

• Company Fundamentals: They analyze financial metrics like revenue growth, profit margins, return on equity (ROE), and earnings per share (EPS) to assess a company’s financial health.
• Competitive Advantage: They look for companies with a unique product or service that gives them an edge in the market.
• Valuation: Stocks undervalued relative to their intrinsic worth are often attractive, as they offer potential for long-term gains.
• Debt Levels: A company’s debt-to-equity ratio is scrutinized to ensure it isn’t over-leveraged, which could hinder growth.
• Market Trends: They consider broader economic and industry trends to identify sectors with growth potential.
• Management Quality: Strong leadership and a capable management team are key indicators of a company’s ability to execute its strategy.
• Long-Term Potential: Many billionaires focus on companies with sustainable growth prospects and the ability to weather market fluctuations.

These criteria often combine with a deep understanding of the market and a disciplined approach to investing.