Stuck in meetings all day every day? 🤯 It doesn't have to be that way.

It feels like everyone could use just a little more...time. More time to do the work (and not just talk about the work). More time to think. More time to pause, reflect, and improve. More time without meetings. We can’t go on like this day in and day out — can we?

In my latest article, me and my colleague Ali Randel talk about 9 causes of meeting overload and what to do about it:

1. Meetings never lead to clear decisions and next steps

2. Our meeting routine is non-existent

3. It isn’t clear who has the authority to make decisions

4. The priorities are murky

5. We have meetings that could have been emails

6. There’s no protected time in your schedule

7. You’re holding too many roles

8. The fear of missing out is too great

9. We’re still having meetings we no longer need

Read the article on LinkedIn

Links referenced in the article

To know what to say NO to, clarify what is Essential.

Draft even over statements to make explicit trade-offs so you know what to say NO to.

Hosting a weekly team meeting? Try the action meeting structure explained in this article.

Hosting a session to make a decision? Try integrative decision making described in this article.

We can learn from F1 - the best teams in the world - to use a well-designed operating rhythm.

Reduce unnecessary meetings by mastering sending asynchronous messages and video recordings.

Learn about organizational debt to identify meetings that were once useful but are no longer necessary.

Try to fit at least one 'walk and talk' in your schedule per day.

Learn how to propose an experiment to change a meeting to make your life better.

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will” — Greg McKeown

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. Let me know if you have any feedback. Take a look at previous issues and please forward this edition to whoever might be interested. To get in touch with me, simply hit ‘reply’.