If you don’t like attending business meetings, then you’re not alone. Much like going to the dentist, attending a business meeting is an unpleasant necessity, an experience that no one looks forward to but everyone must endure all the same.

Employees and employers alike tend to dread meetings, and why wouldn’t we? We’ve all had to take time out of our busy day to sit through what ended up being a disorganized bore, where whatever information ended up being established could’ve been sent in a group email and saved us all the trouble. Obviously not all meetings are this bad, but knowing the potential is there is enough to make even the most optimistic entrepreneur shudder and groan, especially if you have to attend more than one.

The higher you are up the ladder, the higher your chances of having to sit through several meetings in a short time period, be it within the same month, same week, or even same day. For a proactive person like myself, there are few things more frustrating than meeting with one team or department after another, sitting through (or delivering) so many different papers and presentations and progress reports, only to finally finish and feel as though you spent the entire day going over work instead of actually getting any done.

However, over the years I’ve learned a few techniques to help make meetings easier, both for myself and my teams. Following this list of simple Do’s and Don’ts has allowed me to boost efficiency and streamline what would otherwise be tiresome and tedious meetings, which is why I’ve decided to share it with all of you.

The next time you have a meeting, just remember:

DON’T allow the meeting to take place without a precise agenda. Plan out what you want to go over, allot how much time everyone involved has to make their presentations or discuss the ideas that have been put forward, and above all, stick to the plan. Avoid letting people break off into tangents or dwell on a topic so long that other topics get ignored, instead, take notes on whatever extra topics get brought up and hold separate meetings to deal with or develop them.

DO ask all participants to come prepared, providing them all with the schedule you prepared as well as lists of whatever materials they will be responsible for. In order to ensure a smooth process, it’s imperative that all participants take the meeting as seriously as you, bringing whatever it is they require at the time they will require it. If someone arrives late or forgot something important and has to go retrieve it, this will slow everything down and impede everyone’s efforts. Take note of those who commit such offenses, then meet with them separately to explain why their behavior is detrimental and go over what consequences will result if they do not properly contribute in the future.

DON’T let your meetings exceed 35 minutes in length. I mentioned before how no one looks forward to sitting through a drawn-out slog, which is why you should see to it that your meetings are accomplished as quickly as possible. That’s not to say you should rush, a short meeting that fails to properly cover a topic is even more wasteful than a meeting that goes on too long but completely covers whatever was intended to be discussed. Instead, be sure to carefully organize what you want to go over and allot how long it will take to do so, this will prevent time from being wasted and allow you and your time to apply whatever conclusions you came to as soon as possible.

DO keep detailed notes from the meeting and see to it that they are shared with everyone at the end. While a successful meeting should have everyone engaged in whatever’s being discussed, even the most active participants can end up forgetting things by the end. Having a proper schedule will aid immensely in directing the conversation and focusing attention on important topics, but having someone take notes will ensure that no details are forgotten, which is especially important if participants get so involved in exploring ideas that they lose track of what they went over. Recording what was explored and then distributing those details to all involved afterward ensures that the time was well spent.

DON’T let any participants of the meeting walk away without being clear on what was decided and what their roles are moving forward. Never assume that everyone else reached the same conclusion as you, it’s all too easy for participants to make their own decisions in their heads but fail to express them to the group, resulting in people missing important details or taking different ideas on how to proceed afterward. When distributing the notes at the end of the meeting, be sure to include a list of what everyone’s roles will be and how they are meant to apply the information that was gained, that way no one can claim ignorance. If the meeting ended with the consensus that someone in authority must review what was discussed and come to a decision at a later time, then make sure that the deadline is firmly established and everyone is made aware of it, that way the date will neither slip by nor catch anyone off guard.