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Advice / Succeeding at Work / Work Relationships

7 Must-Reads for Anyone Who Hates Meetings (So Everyone?)

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You’re not the only person who’s left a meeting feeling like it was a colossal waste of your time. The good news? There are actually better ways to deal with them than just sucking it up and sitting through them.

That’s why I rounded up seven great reads about meetings that’ll hopefully make them more bearable (and less frequent):

  1. Know that hunch you’ve had that meetings are a waste of time? Turns out, they end up being unproductive because of multitasking or poor planning—so do your best to avoid that from the get-go.

  2. One of the best ways to reduce the sheer amount of time spent in conference rooms is looking at recurring ones and asking yourself a few key questions to determine if they’re worth it.

  3. Meetings are just one of many ways to communicate clearly with your co-workers. So, when you notice people getting lost in the conversation, asking clarifying questions can help everyone stay on track.

  4. And honestly, if you’re looking for good reasons to cancel, see if there are similar alternatives. Can instant messaging or a five-minute debrief accomplish the same goal?

  5. You know what’s the worst? Multiple back-to-back meetings. Make sure that never happens to you again by intentionally blocking out time in your calendar for yourself.

  6. Keep it short by never sitting down! Hold a standup meeting and let everyone give a quick update.

  7. And if it’s unavoidable to gather a large group together, you can take extra measures to make sure you’re not wasting any more of your time by sticking to a shorter time frame or setting specific agendas.