Break the Drudgery of the One-Hour Meeting Mold

Knowing how to schedule and run an efficient meeting can mean the difference between your employees feeling positively about their day or believing they are slowing wasting their lives.

You want them to have the former experience, so consider these tips, raised by venture capitalist Brad Feld:

Thirty-minute time slot: We’re still waiting for the book that traces the genealogy of the hour-long meeting time, but we all know it has become the default. How can every task that a business must accomplish take precisely an hour? Instead, try a thirty-minute time slot. Making more efficient use of employee time will make discussions more efficient and help everyone get on with their day.

Walking: If you’re sure a discussion will run longer than an hour with a particular individual, or simply need a more specific window of time, begin planning walking routes near your office. Studies confirm that moderate exercise stimulates thought centers in the brain, and if the meeting does run long, all you lost are a few extra calories.

Voice calls: Feld insists on always scheduling phone calls, unless they come from VIPs. Taking calls on the fly interrupts your work flow and runs against the current of digital communication platforms.

End early: By minimizing chitchat and keeping everyone’s focus, you can end most meetings at least five minutes early. Giving workers some bonus time will make them feel good and help them transition to their next task.

Meetings are deadly if they interrupt people’s work, explains Jason Fried in his Big Think interview. So consider scheduling them at the start or the end of the day: