Why (most) meetings are a waste of time
Early in my career, I loved meetings.
I believed a stacked meeting calendar signaled professional importance. I’d bemoan to colleagues, “Ugh, I have six back-to-backs today!” while secretly smiling at my self-perceived status. I naively believed I must be special if I was invited to so many meetings.
Two decades later, I know better. I was neither important on the organizational chart nor did my opinions matter that much. A calendar full of meetings now depresses me. It means scrambling from one conference room or Zoom call to attend another; running to the bathroom or wolfing down a meal in the few minutes in between; enduring someone reading their slide deck as if we’re illiterate; bad jokes and puns disguised as small talk or levity in serious discussions.
Most meetings are a waste of time, and few can discern their merit. At Lenovo, to encourage fewer meetings (while also promoting higher productivity), the human resources department distributed a decision tree printed on a card to help employees decide whether a meeting is necessary or could work better as an email, phone call, or instant message chat.
I pinned that card to my cubicle and, years later, its principles still guide how I organize my calendar, avoid meeting fatigue, and stay productive.
Meetings are a ruse to avoid doing work.
A workday full of meetings can make it seem like one is busy. In reality, most meetings take you away from the work that you’re accountable for. It’s easy to sit in mindless meetings while avoiding a challenging project or looming deadline. Don’t mistake meetings for productivity.
When A Meeting could be an email, Instant message, or call.
I am a fierce protector of my time. I prep my calendar at least two weeks in advance, checking where scheduled meetings can be handled another way or shortened, where they would otherwise interfere with my week’s work plan and need to be rescheduled, or where there’s not enough information to warrant a connection and it should be postponed. I ruthlessly delete time sucks and replace them with alternative ways to share information or make decisions.
An agenda and notes, or the meeting didn’t happen.
A huge problem with meetings is a lack of preparation and structure to make the time worthwhile. Agendas help attendees prepare for the conversation and understand what decisions need to be made. After-meeting notes synthesize the conversation, document required actions and deadlines, and provide future reference if a question comes up or a project goes awry. Without an agenda or notes, it’s as if the meeting never happened, and you risk having to attend another meeting on the same subject.