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

Roland Busch.

Siemens Roland Busch, the CEO of Siemens, manages a complex schedule with over 300,000 employees worldwide.

He simplifies problem-solving with skills he built up through a background in physics.

He doesn't waste time writing emails; very often, his entire reply is simply "OK" or "No." Roland Busch has a lot competing for his attention.

As CEO of Siemens, Busch leads more than 300,000 employees.

He gets about 200 emails a day, spends his afternoons in back-to-back meetings, and travels so frequently that he estimates he flies roughly the distance to the moon and back each year.

Busch told Business Insider in his recent Power Hours interview that his background in theoretical physics has influenced his approach to the complexity of his job.

He tries to strip problems down to what matters and eliminate unnecessary work wherever he can.

That philosophy shows up throughout his daily routine, which strongly resonated with our readers.

He keeps his emails short, doesn't schedule recurring meetings with his direct reports, and has developed rules that help him maintain his routine, even when he's traveling.

We asked ChatGPT to pinpoint seven of Busch's best rules for getting things done.

It turns out, other CEOs use them, too.

1.

Keep your inbox below 100 emails Busch gets about 200 emails a day, but he tries to keep fewer than 100 messages in his inbox at any given time.