This week’s post is deliberately short and sweet; I hope you embrace my suggestion and share it with all your fellow meeting participants.
As you begin to return to the office, you may find your meeting schedule even more challenging than working from home. Your “commute” back to your desk, the break room, or your next meeting room is likely longer in an office than at home. This means even less time to collect yourself before the next round, which is key to being fully present.
One simple change we can each make is to shorten the length of our meetings. Instead of 30 and 60-minute meetings, schedule 25 and 50-minute meetings. Microsoft and Google both have settings that will do this automatically. I’ve created a short video walking you through changing Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar settings.
Next, you’ll need to enforce the new norm. Having shorter meetings on the calendar is a great start, but it doesn’t help if people continue to use the extra time. When you kick off a shorter meeting, remind everyone you will be adhering to the earlier end time.
I encourage you to change this setting right now. Then, share this post with your colleagues. If you are a leader, share it with everyone you lead and ask them to make this the new norm. This small change can significantly impact employee well-being and job satisfaction. Let’s do this!
For more tips on improving meetings, see my Meeting Maximization post.
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