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The Effective Meeting Cheat Sheet

Templates, time limits, and facilitation scripts. Print it. Use it. End your meetings early.

1

Before Any Meeting — Send the 4-Sentence Agenda

Send this at least 2 hours before the meeting starts. Four sentences max.

  • Meeting: [Name of the meeting]
  • Outcome: [What needs to be decided or created]
  • Prep: [What each person needs to read or do before]
  • Rules: [Time limit, start time, tie-breaker rule]
2

The 25-Minute Default Timer

Change all meeting defaults to 25 minutes. Set a visible countdown.

  • Set a kitchen timer or use the Focus Dashboard timer on your second screen
  • The visible countdown creates urgency — nobody rambles with a ticking clock
  • Hard stop at 25 minutes. No "one more thing."
  • The 5-minute gap before the next meeting is your recovery buffer
3

During — The Decision Log

One person captures decisions in real-time. Read the log at minute 20.

  • Open a shared doc at the start of the meeting
  • Every time the group agrees on something, write it immediately:
  • Decision: [What was decided]
  • Owner: [Who owns it]
  • Deadline: [When it's due]
  • At minute 20, read the decision log aloud. Confirm alignment. End early if done.
4

Stand-Up Rule — Stay on Your Feet

When everyone stands, meetings run 34% shorter on average.

  • Physical standup = you will not ramble when your calves are burning
  • Remote calls: stand at your desk with camera on
  • No coffee, no leaning back, no comfortable posture
  • Shift the room's psychology from "let's discuss" to "let's decide"
5

After — The 3-Sentence Follow-Up (Within 10 Minutes)

Send this to all attendees immediately after the meeting ends.

  • Decisions: [One sentence on what was decided]
  • Actions: [One sentence on who does what by when]
  • Next meeting: [One sentence on next date and any pre-read]
  • If you can't summarise in 3 sentences, the meeting was too broad

Want the Full Meeting Toolkit?

The Meeting Toolkit includes 10 agenda templates, a cost calculator spreadsheet, decision log templates, meeting audit checklist, and email scripts for follow-ups and declining meetings.

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