Dropbox co-CEO has just shared the simple rule he follows for when to turn down a meeting

Meetings can be a tremendous distraction for corporate professionals, often consuming valuable time and leading to unproductive conversations. In response to this issue, business leaders are increasingly establishing boundaries around their schedules to ensure they dedicate time to high-priority tasks. Dropbox co-CEO Ashraf Alkarmi follows a straightforward approach to decide whether to join a meeting or not.

"I focus on things that I can make substantial progress on during that quarter," Alkarmi explained in an interview with Business Insider. He uses five key goals to prioritize his time effectively within the cloud storage company, valued at $7.3 billion. Alkarmi shares his objectives with his team—including his chief of staff and administrative staff—to keep everyone aligned with his priorities.

During the first quarter, he concentrated on reducing customer churn and made significant strides in improving the company's performance. Alkarmi relies on the task management app Trello to stay on track with his quarterly goals. This method allows him to filter out meetings that do not align with his primary objectives, ensuring that his time is spent on meaningful progress.

Other CEOs have adopted similar strategies to protect their time and focus. Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan has implemented a policy of keeping his calendar clear every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon to avoid unnecessary meetings. Nvidia's Jensen Huang prefers to minimize frequent one-on-one meetings and instead collaborates with his team on broader projects.

Airbnb's Brian Chesky has set early morning boundaries for meetings, starting only after 10 a.m., aligning with his personal preference for creativity in the evenings. These approaches reflect a growing trend among CEOs to prioritize efficiency and protect their working hours from interruptions.