My best hack is separating preparation time from meeting time completely – I never try to think deeply during a call. All board reading, analysis, and framing happens in protected blocks earlier in the day, so that when I’m actually in a meeting, I’m fully present rather than half-reading a document live. I also prioritize by asking one question: what happens if this waits a week? If the answer is nothing serious, it moves down the list immediately. That single filter cuts through most of the noise and keeps my attention on what genuinely carries risk or consequence.