3 Tips For Managing Too Many Meetings

Bossed Up

How many meeting invites do you get each week? If your company is like many American organizations, it’s probably too many. Recent research shows that 70% of all company meetings are keeping teams from completing their tasks. On top of that, a Harvard Business Review article reports that “Ineffective meetings that waste our time can negatively impact psychological, physical, and mental well-being.” Yikes!

In this episode, I share three steps that can help reduce meeting overwhelm. There’s no doubt that declining a meeting is easier said than done. Company culture and concern for professional relationships can make it anxiety-inducing to even consider clicking anything but that little “yes” box on a meeting invitation. But taking the plunge and beginning to question—and even turn down—unnecessary meetings can make a huge difference in your company as a whole.

Navigate the meeting acceptance minefield professionally by learning:

• What the research says about our inefficient attachment to meetings;
• Why it’s okay to ask for more information;
• How and when to decline delicately;
• How to put meeting reduction into practice with your team.

Related Links:

• Harvard Business Review article, “Dear Manager, You’re Holding Too Many Meetings” - https://hbr.org/2022/03/dear-manager-youre-holding-too-many-meetings
• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-art-of-gathering-how-we-meet-and-why-it-matters-priya-parker/588739?ean=9781594634932
• My LinkedIn course, “Asserting Yourself: An Empowered Choice - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/asserting-yourself-an-empowered-choice/why-being-assertive-matters
• Bossed Up Accelerator - Level Up - https://www.bossedup.org/levelup
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/