1 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and hours are more 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to change 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: your meeting default time. A surprising number of people automatically 6 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: schedule meetings for sixty minutes. By changing this at least 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: two thirty minutes, you force people to justify any lengthier requests. Ultimately, 8 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: this can save a ton of time. In a perfect world, 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: I think all meetings would be scheduled for the exact 10 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: amount of time dictated by the agenda. If you've got 11 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: twenty three minutes of stuff to cover, then the meeting 12 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: will be twenty three minutes long. Unfortunately, electronic calendars make 13 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: this pretty difficult, and there are enough advantages of electronic 14 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: calendars that people tend to go along with their settings, 15 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: which means that meetings happen in intervals of fifteen minutes 16 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: and almost universally in thirty or sixty minute chunks. Now, 17 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: it might seem that setting the default to sixty minutes 18 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: is wise, after all of stuff takes less time. Great, 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: you now have open space in your schedule. Setting a 20 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: sixty minute default will naturally limit how many meetings can 21 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: get scheduled per day and probably keep you from running 22 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: behind in a way that a schedule packed with thirty 23 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: minute meetings just won't. But here's the problem. People have 24 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: a funny tendency to take the scheduled time as what 25 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: they should aim for. I have been in a great 26 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: many meetings in life that could have taken five minutes. 27 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: But since someone booked the conference room for an hour, well, 28 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: does anybody have anything else to discuss? How about we 29 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: go off on a tangent on office fridge policies. The 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: meeting could end, but it seems weird to end someone's 31 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: sixty minute meeting at five minutes in, and so people 32 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: don't or they don't focus because hey, they've got sixty minutes. 33 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: If you set the default to thirty minutes, though, or 34 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: if you're brave fifteen, you change the dynamic. People can 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: certainly ask for more. And if you set the default 36 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: at fifteen minutes, trust me, most people will ask for more, 37 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,959 Speaker 1: but they'll have to say why. They'll have to argue 38 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,919 Speaker 1: that there is enough material to justify changing your default, 39 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: and that makes it mildly more likely that people will 40 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: think through the agenda or they will do their best 41 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: to cover the material in thirty minutes instead of sixty minutes. 42 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: And if it can be covered in thirty minutes, well awesome, 43 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: you've just made the meeting fifty more efficient, right there. 44 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: I have argued in past episodes of my various podcasts 45 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: that people should set the default at twenty minutes or 46 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: forty minutes, both of which have some real benefits over 47 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: thirty years. Sixty minutes most obviously, they're shorter, they're reachable 48 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: from the norm, but force a bit of a trim. 49 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: But since I know most organizations with electronic calendars won't 50 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: do this, consider this episode to be your nudge to 51 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: default to thirty minutes instead of sixty minutes. You'll still 52 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: have plenty of hour long meetings, trust me, you will, 53 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 1: but probably a few less of them, and that's generally 54 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: a good thing. In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks 55 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. 56 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: The New Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio. 57 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 58 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your favorite shows.