It seems like meetings have taken over the driver’s seat when it comes to shaping my work and intentions. I’ve been pondering whether I really have a decent level of control over my own job when my entire week seems to be swallowed up by meetings.
It’s like meetings have become the main event of each day, almost as if just showing up is all that matters.
As a ‘doer’ — this feels wrong…
Interestingly, this observation isn’t limited to my own experience. I’ve had chats with various teams from different organizations, and it’s surprising how some folks contribute just a sentence to these marathon meetings, yet they stick around for hours, occasionally unmuting themselves to say “just a few words” or laugh at someone’s joke.
On a personal note, my Calendar has practically turned into a meeting marathon, interrupted only occasionally by a lunch break that’s basically my “me time.” When I take a step back and look at my own day-to-day grind and that of my team, it dawns on me that our job, both as individuals and as a collective unit, is all about making headway. But the irony is, that meetings seem to be slamming on the brakes.
Now, don’t get me wrong — meetings themselves aren’t the bad guys here.
They’re actually pretty cool because they bring people together, whether it’s in person or virtually, and let us hash things out in real-time. Meetings should be extremely effective — meetings are perfect for making decisions and cracking complex problems. But here’s the catch: We have meetings when we don’t need them.