Jamie Dimon Does This in Meetings. I Didn’t — Until I Realized It Was Costing Me Big

Jamie Dimon doesn’t bring his phone to meetings.

The CEO of the trillion-dollar firm, JPMorgan Chase, said recently that he keeps his phone in his office during the workday, turning off all notifications except texts from his three daughters. When someone needs to reach him urgently, they call his office. During meetings, if he sees someone staring at an open screen, he tells them to close it, calling the behavior “disrespectful.”

For Dimon, it isn’t about control. It’s about something we’ve lost in the age of constant connectivity: presence.

I learned about the importance of being present, both at work and in my personal life, the hard way. Prior to the pandemic, I had all the hallmarks of success: running a highly successful, global organization; a loving family and a career that allowed me to share the stages around the world with icons like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson. But I was also burned out, disconnected and running on empty.

One of the patterns I had to break? The illusion that I could do multiple things at once and do them well.

I tried to lead meetings, but my mind was thinking about getting to the airport on time or responding to follow-up messages about an earlier meeting. At home, I was on my phone, distracted and disconnected from my family. I was physically there, but I wasn’t present. It made me miserable and my loved ones feel neglected.

At work, my staff followed my lead. We believed we were being effective by juggling multiple things at once. When I would look up during a meeting, half of the team was on their phone, while the rest tried in vain to accomplish even basic meeting objectives.

What we failed to understand and what science has since proven again and again is that the concept of multitasking is a myth.

Related: 5 Simple Productivity Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

Your brain can only do one thing at a time

The human brain is incapable of completing more than one cognitive task at a time.

Responding to an email while listening to your colleague’s presentation. Reviewing a contract while participating in a video call. Writing a report while monitoring your inbox. These aren’t things you can truly do simultaneously. Instead, your brain rapidly switches back and forth among competing tasks, resulting in what’s known as a “switch cost“.

Studies show people almost always take longer to complete a task and make more errors when switching tasks than when they focus on a single task at a time. Research also shows that trying to rely on “multitasking” can, ironically, lead to a 40 percent drop in productivity.

According to neuropsychiatrist Dr. David Vago, “Every time you switch tasks, your brain pays a toll. Those tiny lapses add up to hours of lost clarity and connection. Attention is the most intimate energy we have. When we give it fully, we transform distraction into purpose.”

You know the feeling. You’re talking to your child, and they’re scrolling on their phone. You know instantly they aren’t really hearing you. Your words are competing with the endless scroll.

If that’s the experience at home, imagine what it looks like in a business setting.

When your CEO sees you glancing at your phone during a meeting, what message does that send? That the meeting isn’t important. That their time isn’t valuable. That whatever’s on that screen matters more.

Or picture pitching a client who keeps checking their watch notifications, eyes darting down every few minutes. How confident do you feel about closing that deal?

It’s hard to realize at the time, but your divided attention communicates louder than your words. In an era where everyone is overwhelmed by information and starved for genuine connection, presence can become your competitive advantage.

Leading through presence

Dimon explained that not having his phone on hand means he’s fully present and “100% focused” during meetings, as opposed to being distracted and “thinking about other things.”

That level of focus doesn’t just benefit him. It transforms the culture of the entire organization.

When you, as a leader, model presence, you give permission for everyone else to do the same. You signal that the work you’re doing together in that moment matters more than anything happening outside that room. You create space for deeper thinking, better questions, and more creative solutions.

Here’s what I’ve learned about building a culture of presence:

1. Set the tone from the top

Start your next meeting by putting your phone away, visibly. It sends that signal that the meeting is important and you’re there to hear from your team. It’s a small gesture with enormous impact.

Your team will mirror your behavior. If you’re checking messages, they’ll feel entitled to do the same. If you’re fully present, they’ll rise to match that standard.

2. Manage your connectivity

In an interview with CNN, Dimon said if someone sends him a text during the day, he probably won’t read it. He’s not avoiding communication, he’s being strategic about when he engages with it.

Instead of checking email and messages hundreds of times a day, designate specific times for this work. Maybe it’s 20 minutes at the start of your day, 20 minutes after lunch and 20 minutes before you leave. During focus time, close those windows entirely.

Developing the self-discipline to laser focus on a single task for 20 minutes can dramatically improve how much you accomplish.

Related: Being ‘Busy’ Isn’t Helping You Be Productive — 5 Tips to Become Truly Efficient at Work

3. Model deep work

When you’re working on a complex problem or strategic initiative, eliminate distractions entirely. Turn off notifications. Close unnecessary browser tabs. Put your phone in another room if necessary.

This isn’t just about productivity. It’s about demonstrating that certain work deserves undivided attention. Your team will notice, and they’ll start protecting their own focus time.

The fulfillment factor

The irony of our hyperconnected age is that we’ve never been more disconnected from what matters. We’re available to everyone and fully present for no one.

Presence isn’t just a productivity strategy. It’s a path to fulfillment.

When you stop fragmenting your attention across a dozen inputs and start giving yourself fully to the task, the person or the moment in front of you, something shifts. Work becomes more meaningful. Relationships deepen. You stop feeling like you’re always behind and start feeling like you’re exactly where you need to be.

Dimon comes prepared to meetings by doing the pre-reads in advance and giving the event 100% of his focus, stating that if he couldn’t give his full focus to his work, it would be time to move on.

That’s the standard worth aspiring to. Not perfection, but presence. Not doing everything at once, but doing one thing fully.

You don’t need to overhaul your entire work style overnight. Start with one meeting. One conversation. One task where you commit to being fully present.

You might be surprised by what you’ve been missing. And you’ll definitely be surprised by what you’re capable of when you’re fully present for it.

Jamie Dimon doesn’t bring his phone to meetings.

The CEO of the trillion-dollar firm, JPMorgan Chase, said recently that he keeps his phone in his office during the workday, turning off all notifications except texts from his three daughters. When someone needs to reach him urgently, they call his office. During meetings, if he sees someone staring at an open screen, he tells them to close it, calling the behavior “disrespectful.”