This is the worst.
You’re energized and ready to make a solid dent in your to-do list.
You sit down with your hot cup of coffee and then this happens.
You look at your calendar and see…
Back-to-back meetings.
Really? All day!?
Panic comes over you.
Instead of getting excited about what you’ll accomplish in your meetings, you think about everything you won’t have time to work on.
Your day is full of opportunity yet, you feel dread.
Hate that feeling.
What if you could cut your meeting time by 25% every day? Or how about in half?
- What would you do with all that extra time?
- How much more actual work could you get through?
- How relieved would you be to see your calendar in the morning?
It is possible.
Your success lies in one simple tool.
A kick-ass agenda.
Not just a bulleted list of discussion points.
But a plan for the process as well as the content.
Here’s what I mean.
Alongside each bullet point on your agenda (btw, keep it to 3-5 points max.) include these two pieces of information:
- The time allocated for that point (5 mins, 15 mins, etc.)
- The person leading that point (Jim, Carol, Sam, etc.)
So it would look like this:
Agenda
- Discuss options for re-design: 15 mins.: Deirdre
- Discuss and vote on design firm: 10 mins.: Jackie
- Recap next steps: 3 mins.: Tom
It doesn’t take time to do this.
It takes intention.
Of course, you’ll have to keep ramblers on track, manage time accurately, and double down on your boundaries and communication muscles… (which I’m happy to teach you how)…
But… it all starts with a kick-ass agenda.
Create and follow one and you will minimize meeting time while maximizing results.
You will have more time in your day, for YOU, and your priorities.
You will stop thinking about what else you could be doing…and be doing it instead.
Xo,
Mridu
P.S. Want to get your whole team or organization to halve meeting time? I would love to train in your company.
Making meetings efficient is just one of the many ways I can bring less stress and more time to you and your teams.
Shoot me a message for us to discuss or to connect me to a decision-maker.
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