Siemens CEO Roland Busch has 7 strategies for getting things done — including 2-letter emails

Roland Busch has a batch competing for his attention.

As CEO of Siemens, Busch leads much than 300,000 employees. He gets astir 200 emails a day, spends his afternoons successful back-to-back meetings, and travels truthful often that he estimates he flies astir the region to the satellite and backmost each year.

Busch told Business Insider in his caller Power Hours interview that his inheritance successful theoretical physics has influenced his attack to the complexity of his job. He tries to portion problems down to what matters and destruct unnecessary activity wherever he can.

That accuracy shows up passim his regular routine, which powerfully resonated pinch our readers. He keeps his emails short, doesn't schedule recurring meetings pinch his nonstop reports, and has developed rules that thief him support his routine, moreover erstwhile he's traveling.

We asked ChatGPT to pinpoint 7 of Busch's champion rules for getting things done. It turns out, different CEOs usage them, too.

1. Keep your inbox beneath 100 emails

Busch gets astir 200 emails a day, but he tries to support less than 100 messages successful his inbox astatine immoderate fixed time. Once the number climbs supra 100, he finds it harder to spot what really requires his attention. He responds to messages quickly alternatively than letting them heap up.

He's not the only Power Hours taxable pinch a strict attack to his inbox. Jim Holthouser, the CEO of GoTo Foods, told Business Insider that he describes himself arsenic an "inbox-zero person." Holthouser said that if he doesn't clear his email earlier bed, he doesn't slumber well.

2. Use arsenic fewer words arsenic imaginable successful your replies

Busch doesn't walk overmuch clip crafting elaborate email responses. Very often, his full reply is simply "OK" aliases "No."

He said his squad is accustomed to communicating this way. When he does request to nonstop a longer response, he sometimes dictates it while stepping done the office.

3. Don't schedule meetings conscionable to schedule meetings

Busch doesn't person recurring meetings pinch his nonstop reports. Instead, he asks them to travel to him erstwhile they really request him. Depending connected what's happening, that could mean gathering 5 times successful 1 week, aliases erstwhile successful an full month.

"I don't request to entertain people, and they don't request to entertain me," Busch told Business Insider. The statement intends meetings are driven by what needs to get done alternatively than by a opinionated almanac invitation.

Robert Rosenkranz, the laminitis of Delphi Capital Management, has a akin attack — he told america that he doesn't be unnecessary meetings and is speedy to cull demands connected his clip that don't align pinch his priorities.

4. Strip analyzable problems down to what really matters

Before becoming a business leader, Busch studied theoretical physics, and that training continues to style his decision-making.

CEOs routinely person to make calls without having complete information, he said. His attack is to "de-layer" the problem by separating its halfway issues from everything little important. Once he's identified the variables that really matter, he has a amended chance of making the correct decision.

It's a accomplishment he has had plentifulness of opportunities to practice. During his 32 years astatine Siemens, Busch said he was many times put successful complaint of turnarounds and troubled businesses — experiences that taught him that seemingly intractable problems yet get solved.

5. Eliminate decisions you tin dress up of time

Busch's efforts to region clash from his time statesman earlier he goes to sleep. His siren rings astatine 6 a.m., and he intends to beryllium successful the gym by 6:30 a.m., truthful he lays retired his T-shirt and shorts the nighttime before. When he wakes up, he conscionable puts them connected and goes.

Similarly, Walmart's main group officer, Donna Morris, told Business Insider that she sometimes starts deciding what she'll deterioration for the week arsenic early arsenic Sunday night. Liz Plosser, the erstwhile editor successful main of Women's Health, prepares her java the nighttime before.

6. Create a protocol for situations you brushwood complete and over

Busch travels extensively for his job, but he doesn't fto changing clip zones disrupt his routine. He's developed different rules depending connected which guidance he's flying.

When walking west, Busch tries to enactment awake connected the level aliases limits himself to a one- aliases two-hour nap. His extremity is to get tired capable to slumber done the nighttime successful his caller clip zone. When walking east, he tries to return a nighttime formation and slumber arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

Similarly, ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman told Business Insider that maintaining a strict regular while walking is 1 of his 3 life hacks for success. When he's connected the road, Lanman uses ClassPass to find workouts astatine gyms and studios successful immoderate metropolis he's visiting.

Avaline CEO Jennifer Purcell takes a much prescriptive attack to pitchy lag: She told Business Insider she asks ChatGPT to create a schedule telling her erstwhile to portion caffeine, nap, enactment awake, and get sunlight while traveling.

7. Find thing that forces your encephalon to time off activity behind

For each his attraction connected efficiency, Busch besides has a norm for switching off. During the week, his activity tin agelong precocious into the evening arsenic he catches up connected email, prepares for the adjacent day, and connects pinch teams successful different clip zones.

Recently, he returned to playing guitar aft putting the instrumentality down for decades. He said moreover playing for 20 minutes tin wholly alteration his mood.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck uses a strikingly akin strategy. Beck described himself to Business Insider arsenic an "active relaxer," meaning he needs to do thing to de-stress. His favourite activity is flying a helicopter. When Beck is flying, he said he has to unopen everything other retired and ore connected what he's doing.

While Busch's guitar is considerably little stakes, it useful for a akin reason: The activity demands his afloat attention.