Everyone struggles with endless meetings.
They are too many and not productive or efficient enough. And yet, it feels like a measure of performance: "Look how busy I am!".
Has anyone stopped to wonder why we keep doing this?
Is it really necessary? Tell me why it is and why you couldn't reduce probably 75% of your meetings. Come on, I'll wait.
...
I know it's not always your choice, and sometimes it's engrained in the company culture, as if talking to others in meetings "shows" you are working, unlike ,you know, actually getting work done.
What changed for me was joining a team with very few meetings and seeing that everything kept working. They were, wait for it.......productive.
Here's what they did differently:
Collaborate online and set limits.
Share files, boards, or whatever helps with keeping all files and documentation in one place - so it's easily accessible, whenever.
Keep status updates, updated!
Limit your meeting slots per week AND define at least one meeting-free day per week, so you can focus on deep work.
Reduce the time for standard meetings and share the agenda and expected outputs upfront.
There are tons of ways you can collaborate with your teammates so that everyone is in the loop and you don't need to be all in a room together! These are just a few ideas.