Not every meeting requires a meeting, skip the chit-chat, have an agenda and maybe go for a walk… here are 10 life hacks for meetings that have helped me be more productive.
Johannesburg, South Africa (29 August 2022) – We have to have meetings, well, for some things. But sometimes, we can find ourselves in meetings, to discuss meetings or meetings that don’t have an outcome, so I’ve jotted done some “life hacks” that have helped me be more productive in (and out of meetings).
1. Only attend meetings if you really have to. I know that sounds ridiculous, but how many times have you been in a meeting and thought to yourself… this could have been an email or a phone call? Ja, this brings me to my next point.
2. Not everything requires a meeting… or even an answer. Many years ago, someone told me that they replied to every email. Every single one. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong, but the reality is (for me) that not every mail, message or meeting requires my input. On a busy day, I can get up to 60 press releases… most sent to a large group of media, with the hopes that 1 or 2 will publish it. If I had to respond to every one of these, then I would spend my life replying to emails and not actually working. Sam goes for meetings… sometimes we can find ourselves in a cycle of going to meetings and not actually getting work done. So no, not everything deserves your time.
3. Respect people’s time. Don’t message “work-stuff” or call before 8 am or after 4 pm – unless it’s an absolute emergency. And don’t expect instant replies to messages or emails either. Sometimes, I read a message, digest the info, think about what to reply and then reply 2 or 3 days later. Or don’t. And that’s okay.
4. When setting up meetings, allocate an appropriate time for them. In the past, people believed every meeting needed an hour. This is a lie. Most need 20 minutes maximum. Get in and out. Say what you gotta say. Do what you gotta do.
5. Skip the chit-chat… unless it is a chitty-chatty meeting. Hi, how are you? Good? Okay, so what did you have in mind for this partnership?
6. If you are hoping for an outcome, send an agenda pre-meeting… or even an idea in the meeting request like, “Meeting to discuss potential partnership” or “Meeting to understand how you can help move our business forward” or even “Let’s have a chitty-chatty catch up”.
7. Write down a couple of points that you would like to stick to in the meeting and stick to them. Do not get sidetracked!
8. A couple of years ago, I moved all my meetings to Thursdays and Fridays. I know this is not possible for everyone, but I try to stick to it every week. That way, I can work from Monday to Wednesday, like really work and then dedicate the last two days of the week to meetings. It has been a game-changer for me.
10. Oh, this is a cool one… get out of the office, the coffee shop or the boardroom and plan a “walking meeting”. Head to a park, or even grab the pups and walk and talk. Not only will you get your “Discovery Points” for the day, but being outside does something amazing to the way we see problems (and craft solutions).
That’s it. Hope this helps you be more productive.
Okay. Love you. Bye.