A Little More Prep Work Makes Meetings More Productive

Who loves meetings that last about 45 minutes longer than they should? I know I don't. As a worker bee, it's one of my biggest pet peeves, yet when it's my turn to run a meeting, I do no better of a job at staying on task. It's like when you're dieting and you go to the restaurant determined to order something healthy and somehow "onion rings" come out of your mouth as you're placing your order. You know better, but it's so hard to do better.

This New York Times article offers tips from various sources on how to make meetings more productive (and shorter) and less of a source of anguish. My favorite tip:

"Ask yourself, 'Why are you holding this meeting? Does the need for the meeting justify the investment of time and money?' Too often, meetings happen because they are the ‘weekly staff meeting’ or the ‘monthly sales review’ and ‘we always have them’ even when there is nothing significant to discuss.”