Keep Meetings Clean

What wastes your time in your organisation? It's probably a tie between the multitasking and the meetings. Maybe the multitasking wins, but the meetings are a close second. The first way to stop wasting time in meetings is to keep your meetings clean.

If your meetings don't have agendas, minutes, and action items, why do you have them? Sometimes meetings are merely information dissemination events, which are either infrequent, or you can timebox. Don't have weekly serial status meetings. If you have them, I'll suggest alternatives in my next blog post. If you are subject to them, I'll suggest alternatives in my next blog post. Serial status meetings are deadly. Donuts don't help. Nothings helps. Don't have them. Don't participate. Say no to serial status meetings.

1. If you regularly attend meetings which do not have agendas, minutes, and do not have action items, you can ask for them, or start creating them. Yes, that's leading from the back of the room, but what's wrong with that?
   
2. If you do not need to be at a meeting, you can leave. You can decline the meeting at the invitation. You can decline the meeting when you discuss the agenda, and realize you don't need to be there. You can say, "Oh, if that's what's up for discussion, I don't need to be here. Let me know what you decide."
3. End the meeting 5 minutes before the hour. That allows people time for a quick bio break and time to get to their next meeting.
   
4. Be on time for meetings you accept. It's rude to be late.
   
5. Start your meetings on time and do not start the meeting over for people who arrive late. I once worked with people who agreed themselves to put a dollar in the kitty for every minute they were late to a meeting. Once a quarter they had a party with the money in the kitty. After one quarter, they were unable to have a party, because there was insufficient money in the kitty. And what happens when a senior person arrives late? Ignore that person. Remember, they put their pants on one leg at a time, too. Do not treat them as special, just because they arrive late.
   
6. Email agendas and any supporting material 24 hours in advance of the meeting so people have time to read them.
7. Email minutes within 24 hours of the meeting, so people don't forget their action items.

The first step towards not wasting time in meetings is to keep your meetings clean, so follow these steps to keeping your meetings clean. I'll rant and rave and suggest alternatives to serial status meetings in my next blog post.