WEBVTT - When should you schedule meetings?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about when to schedule meetings that you

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<v Speaker 1>know won't be particularly pleasant. You know they have to happen,

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<v Speaker 1>but you also don't want to have them consume more

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<v Speaker 1>mental space than necessary. This topic was suggested by a

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast listener who wrote in that my most productive time,

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<v Speaker 1>like most people's, is in the morning after breakfast. She

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to preserve that time for focused work, and so

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<v Speaker 1>her inclination was to schedule most meetings for the afternoon.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem if she knew the meeting would be rather intense,

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<v Speaker 1>she found herself thinking about it all day. She wondered

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<v Speaker 1>if it might make sense to just get it over with.

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<v Speaker 1>But if I schedule meetings in the mornings, I worry

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<v Speaker 1>that I am spending my most productive time in meetings.

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<v Speaker 1>It was quite a quandary. In general, her inclination toward

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<v Speaker 1>afternoon was sound. People tend to show up at meetings

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<v Speaker 1>that are on their calendars, even if they're tired, but

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<v Speaker 1>they won't do their best focused work on big projects

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<v Speaker 1>at two thirty pm, So it's important to consider the

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity cost. If you schedule a meeting at ten am,

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<v Speaker 1>people might be slightly sharper, but they may not make

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<v Speaker 1>progress on their bigger projects. If the meeting happens at

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<v Speaker 1>two pm, on the other hand, they'll be able to

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<v Speaker 1>do both. So my suggestion was to continue stacking the

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<v Speaker 1>meetings in the afternoon. But she could do a few

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<v Speaker 1>things to minimize the mental cost. First, she should make

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<v Speaker 1>sure that there was plenty of prep time built in.

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<v Speaker 1>During this prep time, she could rehearse anything that might

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<v Speaker 1>go awry in the meetings, and the prep time would

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<v Speaker 1>also provide a palate cleanser between individual and collaborative work. Second,

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<v Speaker 1>since she knew the meetings would be intense, she should

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<v Speaker 1>put them as late as possible so that when she

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<v Speaker 1>was done she could just stop. So maybe she could

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<v Speaker 1>prep it two, schedule meetings at three, four or three

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<v Speaker 1>or whatever the time required. Then in normal times, go home.

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<v Speaker 1>In social distancing times, log out of zoom and open

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<v Speaker 1>the wine. And finally, if the knowledge that meetings are

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<v Speaker 1>coming up distracted her, maybe she could just set an

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<v Speaker 1>alarm for fifteen minutes before her prep time so she

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't need to think about it. Or even look at

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<v Speaker 1>the clock until it's time to go. That way, she

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<v Speaker 1>could really get into the flow on individual work. She

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't need to worry about the clock. She could just

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<v Speaker 1>focus on what was in front of her. So, if

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<v Speaker 1>you've got intense meetings, can that are if there's a

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<v Speaker 1>way you can maximize focused work and be in a

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<v Speaker 1>good mental place to deal with them. I still think

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<v Speaker 1>scheduling meetings in the afternoon is the way to go. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>you're not getting them over with, but if you plan

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<v Speaker 1>your day right, you don't need to in the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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