Ex‑Meta leader Martin Ott says Mark Zuckerberg taught him to work smarter. At his $1B tax app he enforces strict meeting and email rules.

# Background

Ott says the most important takeaway wasn't a lesson about scale or speed. It was a practical approach to how to use working hours effectively: focus on high‑impact tasks and avoid the assumption you must be on 24/7. As Ott put it: "It is making sure that you're not about 24/7 constant on, but being deliberate."

# Concrete practices at Taxfix Ott has built workplace rules and personal routines designed to protect focus and prevent burnout.

• Structured day: He plans his day deliberately so meetings are limited to those where he can add value.
• Scheduled communications: He drafts Slack messages and emails early but schedules them to send at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. so colleagues aren't disturbed during personal downtime.
• Protecting team boundaries: By avoiding late‑night pings, he aims to preserve recharge time for employees and maintain long‑term performance.

# Personal routine that supports the approach Ott keeps a consistent daily routine that supports focus and resilience. Typical elements include:

• Wakeup around 5:30 a.m., 30 minutes of reading, followed by exercise (running by a lake).
• Periodic meditation for mental health, though he admits practice ebbs and flows.
• Drafting messages or prep work early in the morning but delaying delivery so they arrive during work hours.

# versus burnout Ott rejects the idea that constant crisis mode or 24/7 availability is the path to sustained high performance. He frames company life as a marathon, not a sprint, and says maintaining performance over time requires preserving people's energy and preventing burnout.

He emphasizes leaders must model this behavior because protecting team members matters: employees who are constantly "on" burn out faster and can't sustain high performance.

# Why these steps matter for leaders and teams Leaders who limit meetings and protect off hours reduce interruptions and encourage focused work. Scheduling communications to land during normal work hours helps set clear expectations about availability. Prioritizing the one most impactful task each day reduces busywork and increases measurable progress.

# Bottom line