Techniques for Reducing Meeting Fatigue

Your calendar is quietly killing your career. The average leader spends 23 hours per week in meetings. That's 1,196 hours per year. Almost half your working life. And 71% of those meetings?  Complete waste of time, according to Harvard. Here's your playbook to take back control: 7 RULES TO CUT YOUR MEETINGS BY 50% 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ✅ Challenge every recurring meeting ⤷ Default to 30 minutes, not 60 ⤷ Test weekly → bi-weekly → monthly 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 ✅ Do the math: Hours × Salaries × Attendees ⤷ Share the real number with stakeholders ⤷ Watch priorities shift instantly 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 ✅ Cancel every meeting next week ⤷ Note what actually breaks ⤷ Rebuild based on reality 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 ✅ Your presence isn't always needed ⤷ Trust your team to represent you ⤷ Gain back focused work time 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰 ✅ "Could this be an email?" (Often yes) ⤷ Use shared docs for updates ⤷ Record key discussions 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗜 ✅ Generate quick meeting summaries ⤷ Keep decision-makers only ⤷ Automate the routine 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳, 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 ✅ Protect essential 1:1s ⤷ Guard your peak energy hours ⤷ Focus on decisions, not updates Hard truth: Your calendar isn't just time. It's what you'll achieve this year. It's your career trajectory. It's your life energy. Top performers don't just manage time. They defend it ruthlessly. What meeting will you cancel today? 👇 🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more frameworks ♻️ Share to help others reclaim their time

One of the hardest balances to master as a leader is staying informed about your team’s work without crossing the line into micromanaging them. You want to support them, remove roadblocks, and guide outcomes without making them feel like you’re hovering. Here’s a framework I’ve found effective for maintaining that balance: 1. Set the Tone Early Make it clear that your intent is to support, not control. For example: “We’ll need regular updates to discuss progress and so I can effectively champion this work in other forums. My goal is to ensure you have what you need, to help where it’s most valuable, and help others see the value you’re delivering.” 2. Create a Cadence of Check-Ins Establish structured moments for updates to avoid constant interruptions. Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a clear agenda help: • Progress: What’s done? • Challenges: What’s blocking progress? • Next Steps: What’s coming up? This predictability builds trust while keeping everyone aligned. 3. Ask High-Leverage Questions Stay focused on outcomes by asking strategic questions like: • “What’s the biggest risk right now?” • “What decisions need my input?” • “What’s working that we can replicate?” This approach keeps the conversation productive and empowering. 4. Define Metrics and Milestones Collaborate with your team to define success metrics and use shared dashboards to track progress. This allows you to stay updated without manual reporting or extra meetings. 5. Empower Ownership Show your trust by encouraging problem-solving: “If you run into an issue, let me know your proposed solutions, and we’ll work through it together.” When the team owns their work, they’ll take greater pride in the results. 6. Leverage Technology Use tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello to centralize updates. Shared project platforms give you visibility while letting your team focus on execution. 7. Solicit Feedback Ask your team: “Am I giving you enough space, or would you prefer more or less input from me?” This not only fosters trust but also helps you refine your approach as a leader. Final Thought: Growing up playing sports, none of my coaches ever suited up and got in the game with the players on the field. As a leader, you should follow the same discipline. How do you stay informed without micromanaging? What would you add? #leadership #peoplemanagement #projectmanagement #leadershipdevelopment

"I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow so that I can get all these tasks at work done, so I have time to have a call with you tomorrow." These were the words I heard during a call this week. My colleague was under so much stress of the tasks at hand that he took a vacation day to skip calls and focus on his work. But then he was getting pulled into yet another call. But who am I to criticize? I was on a vacation day, and here I was in the middle of a call for work.... This got me thinking about how many people are getting burned out at work. Too many people are feeling crushed by the burden of endless meetings (sometimes of questionable priority), emails, Instant Messages, and then of course, their work tasks. How do we start to claw back our time at work, and take control of our workday? Here are a few things I'm trying to do more to prioritize my time more effectively: ⏳ Triage your calendar for the next two weeks and prioritize the meetings. Try to claw back 20% of your time (a mere 1.6 hours per day). Consider three categories: 1) Urgent and Important - work it now 2) Important - can it be deferred or delegated? 3) Everything else - skip the meeting or cancel it ⏳ Block out three 30 minute blocks per day for emails, Instant Messages, and mental health. Emails and IM's are focus busters, so I'm trying to limit the times each day I respond so that I can stay focused the rest of the day: 1) Morning email and IM's block - some time early in the day 2) Lunch - and actually take a break to eat lunch and recharge 3) Afternoon email and IM's block - do this late in the day ⏳ Don't accept the monkeys other's try to put on your back! Too often someone comes to you with a problem. Do you say "let me check and I'll get back to you" or "here's who you can call to get your answer"? The temptation is to do the former, but now you've taken on another task, and given them an excuse to not get something done while they are waiting for you to address the problem. By graciously handing the monkey back to them, you save your schedule, and more importantly empower them to work independently. Do all of these tricks work all of the time? Nope. There's always something that comes up. But by opening up time in your calendars, you now have time to work in a few emergencies when they pop up! I'd love to hear your thoughts and tricks to take command of your own workday!

Anyone else suffer from meeting overload? It’s a big deal. Simply put too many meetings means less time available for actual work, plus constantly attending meetings can be mentally draining, and often they simply are not required to accomplish the agenda items. At the same time sometimes it’s unavoidable. No matter where you are in your career, here are a few ways that I tackle this topic so that I can be my best and hold myself accountable to how my time is spent. I take 15 minutes every Friday to look at the week ahead and what is on my calendar. I follow these tips to ensure what is on the calendar should be and that I’m prepared. It ensures that I have a relevant and focused communications approach, and enables me to focus on optimizing productivity, outcomes and impact. 1. Review the meeting agenda. If there’s no agenda I send an email asking for one so you know exactly what you need to prepare for, and can ensure your time is correctly prioritized. You may discover you’re actually not the correct person to even attend. If it’s your meeting, set an agenda because accountability goes both ways. 2. Define desired outcomes. What do you want/need from the meeting to enable you to move forward? Be clear about it with participants so you can work collaboratively towards the goal in the time allotted. 3. Confirm you need the meeting. Meetings should be used for difficult or complex discussions, relationship building, and other topics that can get lost in text-based exchanges. A lot of times though we schedule meetings that we don’t actually require a meeting to accomplish the task at hand. Give ourselves and others back time and get the work done without that meeting. 4. Shorten the meeting duration. Can you cut 15 minutes off your meeting? How about 5? I cut 15 minutes off some of my recurring meetings a month ago. That’s 3 hours back in a week I now have to redirect to high impact work. While you’re at it, do you even need all those recurring meetings? It’s never too early for a calendar spring cleaning. 5. Use meetings for discussion topics, not FYIs. I save a lot of time here. We don’t need to speak to go through FYIs (!) 6. Send a pre-read. The best meetings are when we all prepare for a meaningful conversation. If the topic is a meaty one, send a pre-read so participants arrive with a common foundation on the topic and you can all jump straight into the discussion and objectives at hand. 7. Decline a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with declining. Perhaps you’re not the right person to attend, or there is already another team member participating, or you don’t have bandwidth to prepare. Whatever the reason, saying no is ok. What actions do you take to ensure the meetings on your calendar are where you should spend your time? It’s a big topic that we can all benefit from, please share your tips in the comments ⤵️ #careertips #productivity #futureofwork

Updates should be in email/update doc. Not meetings. Meetings are for plans, actions, support, problem solving and action. If your meetings are mostly update focused. Cancel them. Create a template of the 'updates' you want and have it filled out weekly. Review it. If you have questions, make comments, respond back. Only meet if you need to actually discuss a plan of action to address, need to truly unpack/get clarity on the updates. Meet to brain storm. Meet to create. Meet to bond. But save yourself from countless hours of meetings that are just updates. Updates are for emails. Meetings are for action. Please.

How To Eliminate 90% Of Meetings (And Win Back 20+ Hours / Week): 1. Meetings Are Killing Your Focus The average employee is stuck in 5+ meetings per day. Meetings have risen by 70% over the past two years. And while you're in those meetings? You're getting pinged on Slack and email. That's killing your productivity. How do you fix it? 2. Create "Deep Work" Zones Deep work is where the true magic happens. Look at your schedule and find a 3 hour period every day. Completely block it off on your calendar. I recommend scheduling it for the beginning of the day. Your work gets done, everyone else's can wait. 3. Set Expectations Tell you're colleagues you're trying something new. You've noticed your focus and productivity taking a hit. As a result, you've created blocks for "Deep Work" from X - Y time during the day. If it's a true emergency, they can reach you via X channel. 4. Don't Stop At Deep Work People will scramble to meet with you after your deep work period. Don't feel guilty or succumb to that. Instead, offer alternatives. I have a 3 step process: - Offer email - Offer video - Offer a 10 minute meeting Let's break down each: 5. Push Back With Email Someone dropped a meeting on your calendar? Send them a politely reply saying: "Hi, I saw your invite but I’m currently working to finish [Thing] by [Deadline]. Would it be possible to send over a summary via email? I'll get you my thoughts ASAP." 6. Push Back With Video Email isn't gunna work for them? Offer up asynchronous video! I prefer Loom. "Totally understand that it's a lot to type out. Would it be easier to record a video explaining everything? You can use a tool like Loom!" Video makes people feel seen. 7. The 15 Minute Meeting Can't skirt the meeting? Send an invite for a 15 minute slot Ask them to send all relevant info ahead of time Ask for a tangible outcome for the meeting This saves you time, while ensuring the other person gets what they need too.

You can often tell from the moment a meeting invite lands in your inbox whether it’s going to be a waste of time: The “team update” where two hours are spent reciting what everyone did last week. The “planning meeting” that spirals into hashing out minutiae that should have been handled offline. The “brainstorming session” where the loudest voices dominate the room. Some of these you can decline, but others come from your boss, a key client, or a senior colleague. Saying no isn’t always easy. But if you don’t, your schedule gets eaten alive. Here are four ways to reclaim your time and ensure you’re only in the meetings that truly matter: Know which meetings are essential. The short list: those where decisions are being made, or where strategy is being set. That’s where alignment happens, and your presence matters. Relationship-building can also be a valid reason. But routine “updates” should be banished to email. Raise the bar for invitations. It’s too easy for others to book your time. Create friction by asking requesters to clarify: What’s the purpose? What’s the decision? Who else will be there? Why do you specifically need me? If they can’t answer, the meeting probably isn’t worth your time. Offer a compromise. If declining feels too direct, suggest alternatives. A quick phone call, an email update, or a postponed check-in often resolves the issue without draining an hour from your calendar. Make tradeoffs visible. If you must attend, remind colleagues that your time is finite. Frame it as a choice: “I’m heads-down on Project B—do you think it’s worth shifting my focus to attend this meeting on Project A?” Often, they’ll realize it isn’t. Meetings consume an average of 62 hours a month, and research suggests half of that time is wasted. The passive-aggressive coping strategy ofshowing up late, multitasking, or tuning out only perpetuates the problem. A better path is to set clear boundaries, elevate the standard for what deserves your attention, and protect your time fiercely. That’s how you shift from being buried in meetings to doing the work that actually moves the needle.

Friends - do you experience Zoom fatigue and wonder how to reduce the 'brain drain'? Interestingly, about 20% of the population are more likely to suffer from . . . . . . almost debilitating side effects from virtual meetings, particularly when the camera is on It's not that you are camera shy You may not have any problem speaking up However, even ONE virtual meeting makes your head feel 'heavy' Chances are you are (a) highly empathetic and maybe even (b) a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Zoom fatigue is more acute for those people who read others easier and experience more empathy - maybe you can even 'feel' what another person is feeling There is nothing wrong with you It is because your brain is processing more information per second than the average person Basically, your brain is getting more of a workout, espcially when your visual system is engaged 👀 Visual processing takes MUCH more energy than hearing > combine this with the fact that you are trying to process more data from that visual image (or images) . . . It can be exhausting!! Here are some top tips to help reduce the Brain Drain of virtual meetings. 1️⃣ Turn your camera off if it's not required for you to be on camera. 2️⃣ Look away from the screen and simply listen. 3️⃣ Pause periodically to 'feel' yourself in your physical space (it helps draw the brain back in). 4️⃣ If it's a long meeting (and you aren't needed constantly) - take a quick break and step away. 5️⃣ Practice deep, intentional breathing to help draw your mind back to your physical body. Whether you are in virtual meetings or busy working away in front of your computer screen >> breaks are critical for your health and your brain!! My client asked me yesterday: "How many breaks do you need to take in an average working day, anyway? I only take a break for lunch and when I go to the bathroom!" I said: "Your brain looses productivity and efficiency between 45 min - 75 min of activity." 💡 Taking 3 Brain Breaks a day is important! They only need to be for about 10 minutes It's important that you NOT look at your phone ... and do something that doesn't require much thought (Take a quick walk, daydream, stretch, meditate, or just breathe) This will keep you feeling more energized and more productive, even during a busy day! Also a bonus, it helps boost your #mindset and enables you to access your #zoneofgenius easier. Keep thriving!! 😊

Atlassian's latest round of research on teamwork focused on meetings, and (unsurprisingly) respondents said they feel drained on days with lots of meetings. I can 100% relate! My team has started replacing some of our information-broadcast meetings with Loom videos. I love that we can take in all those updates in half the time, but still get that human element of seeing faces and hearing voices. That said, I want to share a few ways I safeguard my energy levels on days when going back-to-back just can’t be avoided: 1️⃣ Walking meetings. It's so important to move your body and we don't do enough of that when we're Zooming-from-anywhere all day. (Tip: a treadmill pad under your standing desk lets you walk at work no matter what the weather is.) 2️⃣ Meeting hour boundaries. Find what time of the day works best for focused work (for me, it’s mornings), and try to schedule your meetings outside of those hours. 3️⃣ 5-minute breaks! There's a lot of context and content switching throughout the day. Give yourself permission to take a quick pause before starting your next meeting. There's lots more data and insights in the report! 👇

Some meetings feel necessary at the moment. Then you realize they weren’t. I’ve sat through more useless meetings than I can count. You know the ones... ⤷ Nothing gets decided. ⤷ Half the people aren’t paying attention. And it could’ve been summed up in two sentences. So, how do you know when to hit "Send" instead of "Schedule"? Here are 10 signs that meeting should have been an email: ✅ 𝗡𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲. ⤷ If no input is required and you’re just sharing info, type it out. ✅ 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. ⤷ That’s a speech, not a meeting. Send a summary instead. ✅ 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲. ⤷ Spare everyone and drop it in an email (or Slack). ✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. ⤷ If nothing has changed, why meet again? ✅ 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗱 “𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲.” ⤷ A recurring meeting with no agenda? That’s an inbox moment. ✅ 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁. ⤷ If your meeting is just a slide deck, attach it and let people read. ✅ 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. ⤷ If only 1-2 people are involved, have a quick chat or send an email. ✅ 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗗𝗠. ⤷ If the entire message fits in a chat, don’t call a meeting. ✅ 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. ⤷ If attendees are responding to emails or zoning out, it’s a waste of time. ✅ 𝗡𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. ⤷ If nothing gets done after the meeting, was it even necessary? 🔹 Meetings have their place, but so do emails. 🔹 If you’re calling a meeting, make sure it’s worth everyone’s time. What’s the worst meeting you’ve ever sat through? Drop it in the comments. 👇 📢 Tag a colleague who needs to see this!