1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: tip is that you are not a middle school student 4 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: changing classes, so don't go passively from thing to thing 5 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: in your schedule without focusing on what each meeting accomplishes. 6 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: One of the most frequent concerns I hear from listeners 7 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: is that their workdays are consumed by back to back meetings, 8 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: so there's no time to get their actual work done. 9 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: They become like middle schoolers changing classes, going from your 10 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: one o'clock to your two o'clock, to your three o'clock 11 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: to your four o'clock things that have just appeared on 12 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: your schedule and that you have no say over. I 13 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: underst stand that frustration. It boggles my mind how much 14 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,199 Speaker 1: staff time businesses are willing to spend on meetings without 15 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: considering the actual return on investment. If you are an 16 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: organizational leader, do a time audit and figure out how 17 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: much time your team is spending in meetings. You may 18 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: be able to cut this time significantly by being a 19 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: bit more judicious on how long meetings are, who attends, 20 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: and whether any given meeting is actually necessary. But If 21 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: your organization's meeting schedule is not up to you, you 22 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: still can be intentional about your own participation. It can 23 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: be easy to acquiesce to a calendar full of meetings 24 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: that you didn't schedule, so you wind up tramping through 25 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: a day like a middle school or changing classes. But 26 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: that may not help you accomplish your core work. So 27 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: here's a few ways of avoiding it. First, to the extent, 28 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: you can be selective about what appointments you make. Just 29 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: because you received a calendar indentation doesn't mean you need 30 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: to go to the meeting. Could someone else from your 31 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: team go, Could you just read the minutes? Does this 32 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: topic need a meeting at all? Or could you handle 33 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: it through email or within the context of another existing meeting. 34 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: If you are new to your company or junior, you 35 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: may have less ability to decline a meeting or delegate it, 36 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: but you may still be able to avoid some meetings 37 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 1: by accomplishing their goals before the meeting is supposed to happen. 38 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: For instance, if the meeting purpose is to start planning 39 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: an orientation for new program participants, and you send a 40 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: draft agenda for the orientation before the scheduled meeting, the 41 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: project leader may decide you don't actually need to meet 42 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: after all, or you might be able to address the 43 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: topic of a planned meeting during your regular one on 44 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: one meeting with your boss and then avoid the other meeting. 45 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: In addition to being choosy about which meetings you attend, 46 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: I also recommend being intentional about what the times you 47 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: schedule meetings for. Maybe you aim to schedule meetings in 48 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: the afternoon or at the end of the week so 49 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: you can leave mornings or the beginning of the week 50 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: for deep work. There are also ways to make the 51 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: most of the meetings you do go to. If you 52 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: are leading a meeting, create an agenda circulated in advanced 53 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: so everyone arrives prepared. If someone else is leading the meeting, 54 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: request the agenda in advance offered a draft one if 55 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: nothing seems forthcoming. If nothing else, your agenda will make 56 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: the meeting more useful. For every meeting you do go to, 57 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: think through what you need to get out of it. 58 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: After all, the purpose of gathering people is to change 59 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: something in the world, So what should be the outcome? 60 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: What questions do you need answered, What action steps need 61 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: to be planned? Think about who else be at the meeting. 62 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: Is there anything you need to touch base about during 63 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: and immediately after the meeting? Make notes for yourself and 64 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: communicate with anyone else you need to about next steps. 65 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: You may be able to complete some action steps within 66 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: the scheduled time for the meeting itself. That can leave 67 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: at least some time open in the rest of your schedule. 68 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: The big idea here is that going passively from meeting 69 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: to meeting does nothing for you or your employer. You 70 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: need to make sure you're using meetings to advance your 71 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: own and your team's goals. Otherwise you are just changing 72 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: classes passing the time rather than doing something with it, 73 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: and time is just too valuable for that. In the meantime, 74 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 75 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. 76 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach 77 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast 78 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, 79 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 80 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.