Topley’s Top Ten – January 9, 2020

Author

Matt Topley
January 09, 2020

1.Index Funds $10 Trillion.

Index Funds Power through $10 trillion in assets

Source: Financial TimesFrom Barry Ritholtz The Big Picture   https://ritholtz.com/ 

2.With Iran Situation and Impeachment…Junior Gold Miners +46% from Summer 2019 Lows

GDXJ Junior Gold miners the most aggressive risk on play for gold

Group has not broken out above 2016 highs yet

3.Junior Gold Miners vs. Large Gold Miners Breaking Out…Signal of Bigger Rally?

Twits note Gold miningjunior-to-senior ratio now breaking out from a decade-long resistance – “A perfectprelude for a precious metals bull market”

From Dave Lutz atJones Trading.

4.2020 Earnings Estimates.

5.Grid of Economy for Last 3 Decades.

Mill Creek

Mill Creek Capital

6.The Market Definitely Does Not Need “Investor Confidence to Go Higher.”

(1 Feb 2019)  “As you can see with the chart, the global(investor confidence) index dropped to a record low which indicates massivede-risking”

Cal Thomas Top Down Charts

 7. Follow up From Yesterday’s Article on the Drop in Cancer Rates.

Cancer Drugs Market All Set To Reach USD 161.30 Billion By 2021

8-9.10 Key Tax Breaks Thru 2020

A recent spendingpackage signedinto law by President Trump on December 20 retroactively resurrects and/orextends several key tax breaks through 2020. It also provides tax relief forvictims of federally declared disasters. Here are ten breaks that can benefiteligible individuals.

From Don Riley Wealth EnhancementGroup

10.How to Keep Meetings Focused, Efficient, and Productive

Gettingback into “work mode” after a break isn’t always easy, but with a few creativestrategies, you can optimize the use of your team’s time.

By 

After a long stretch ofholiday celebrations and vacation time, it’s not always easy to get back into “work mode.” When you haven’t sat ina meeting for a week or two, regaining focus and gettingback in the groove can feel like a challenge. That’s why it’s important tostart with small, realistic Microsteps to protect andprioritize your time.

We asked our Thrive communityfor the innovative strategies they use to keep their own meetings productiveand  efficient — and their suggestions are inspiring. Which of these tipswill you implement?

Establish a 30-minute cap

“We have a few guidelinesthat help optimize our time together as a team. We try to keep meetings to 30minutes or less. It helps regulate debates, and challenges the group to endearly. We also find that meetings are most effective when everyone is standing,and team members high five or clap to celebrate decisions made. It’s an instantmotivator!”

—Kareen Walsh, CEO andmanaging consultant, Greenwich, CT

Designate one day for internal meetings 

“We have a slightly differentapproach than most companies when it comes to meetings and it’s called: lessmeetings. You gain productivity by cutting away the time you and your teamspend on unnecessary meetings. If your entire team is in a meeting, then no oneis being productive. We have set up our internal business meetings to Tuesdaysonly, and every meeting have a short agenda with at least two to three actionpoints per attendee, which we follow up on during the week by email, andfinally at next week’s meeting on Tuesday.”

—Brian Snedvig, CEO atJofibo.com, Aalborg, Denmark

Use a “minutes remaining” reminder

“We use ‘minutes remaining’reminders in our meetings. It helps us ensure that topics being discussed arealigned with what we’d like to spend our time on, so that we can end meetingson time with clear next steps.”

—Alyssa Swantkoski, executiveassistant, Denver, CO

Send out the agenda in advance

“I provide all the relevantcontent for the meeting a few days in advance. I also provide the reason forthe meeting, and state what needs to be accomplished beforehand, so everyonecan come prepared before we start.” 

—Valerie Nifora, Global 500marketing and communications leader, West Sayville, NY

Turn lunch meetings into walking meetings

“I’m constantly asked to sitdown for a quick lunch or coffee meeting, but I travel a lot, so my time in theoffice is something I need to protect. I try to keep the ‘meet and eats’ to a‘meet and move’ instead.  For me, it allows me to get a workout in, andfor the person who wants my time, moving and meeting means they’ll get to seeme sooner than if they waited for a spot on my workday calendar. There are evenstudies that show that moving while meeting allows the brain to solve problemsmore creatively!”

—Laura Gassner Otting,author, Boston, MA

Send out pre-meeting thought starters

“The best action I take tomaintain maximum productivity is putting aside a few minutes to send out apre-meeting note of what we’re going to review during the session.  Thisway, everyone shows up knowing what we’re going to cover, along with theestimated time it’s going to take. The idea is to have everyone show up readyto go with their thoughts and suggestions.”

—Brandon Schaefer, big dataspecialist, Philadelphia, PA

End with three takeaway questions

“I find the most frustratingpart of meetings is the feeling that everyone is wasting their time. To keepthings moving forward and increase productivity, I find it helpful to ask threespecific questions at the end of each meeting: ‘What did we just agree to?’‘Who is going to do it?’ And ‘When will it be done by?’ This way, everyone canleave with a sense of accomplishment and direction.”

—Al Roehl, executiveleadership consultant, Lexington, KY

Start with a “mindful minute” exercise

“I spent many years of mymilitary career feeling that certain meetings were a waste of time, and I vowedI’d flip the dialogue when I led my own team. As a commander, I introduced the‘Mindful Minute.’ It’s a way to cognitively prepare and strengthen theattention systems of everyone in the room during the first 60 seconds of themeeting. We start with six deep breaths to improve focus and clarity, and theyact as an anchor for mental push-ups. The whole meeting afterward becomes morecalm and action-oriented.”

—Jannell MacAulay, Ph.D.,keynote speaker and consultant, Salt Lake City, UT

Review last week’s action items

“We begin each meeting byreviewing action items that were assigned last week for a progress check. Thisstrategy sets the tone for the meeting by allowing us to dive in right away,and celebrate any achievements that have been made in the last week.”

—Alyssa Swantkoski, executiveassistant, Denver, CO

Try emailing first

“Before I set an agenda for ameeting, I check to see what can be accomplished with email first, and thenwhat still needs to be discussed in person. This ensures I’m not wastinganyone’s time. It also helps to have someone in the meeting keep track of timeso I can be diligent about getting through each item.”

—Marla A. Parker, Ph.D.,educator and consultant, Los Angeles, CA

Break down tasks into actionable goals

“A good exercise to cut awayany unnecessary and boring meeting content is to ask yourself, ‘Can we breakdown a complex task into one actionable goal, and then follow up on it at thenext meeting, next week?’ Asking this question helps keep the meeting conciseand actionable.”

—Brian Snedvig, CEO atJofibo.com, Aalborg, Denmark

Open with gratitude 

“Starting a meeting with apause for gratitude keeps meetings human-centered, and demonstrates toattendees that leaders see more than to-do lists and agenda items. Gratitude isshown to reduce unproductive, unpleasant, or toxic emotions. Therefore, bystarting with gratitude, we are creating the conditions that allow our meetingsto be more conducive to learning, growth, productivity, efficiency, and focus.”

—Marissa Badgley, M.S.W., founder,trainer, and consultant, New York, NY

Try a breakfast meeting

“Getting back into theroutine of working can be a monotonous task, which is why it’s important forcompanies to ease employees in. I find that holding breakfast meetings, oroffering any form of beverage and delicious little bites can help, even if itis simply having lunch together to make individuals feel a part of a team andthe organization. Food is a good way of socializing, and it allows team membersto ease back in, and improve focus.”

—Belynder Walia,psychotherapist, RTT

practitioner and mindfulness coach, London, UK

Keep the room tech-free

“To keep meetings focused,ban phones, iPads, and laptops. Also, state the duration of the meetingbeforehand and stick to it. As the chairperson, keep to time; ideally, youshould have a timetable and stick to it!”

—Susan Heaton-Wright, impactpresence and speaking trainer, Hertfordshire, UK

Select attendees mindfully

“To ensure a great meeting,it’s important to have the right people in the room. As JimCollins wrote in his seminal book on Leadership, From Good To Great, it’sall about getting the right people on the bus. So whoever is calling themeeting needs to ensure that the right people are at the meeting. Talk withthem beforehand to make sure they can attend, and state the agenda beforehand.”

—Paul Adam Mudd, executivedirector and company secretary, UK

Do you have a tip that keeps your teammeetings focused and productive? Share it with us in the comments!

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—Published on January 6, 2020