Strategies to Reduce Meeting Fatigue for Teams

I take a lot of meetings for work. By 3 PM, I was hyper-caffeinated and crashing. Not anymore ✌️ Here are a few tricks to finish the day with brain‑power (and patience) still intact:  1.  𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟱 𝗼𝗿 𝟱𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀. Outlook & GCal have the toggle. Built‑in buffers = built‑in oxygen.       2.  𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼‑𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮. If it can’t state a purpose in the invite, it probably shouldn’t exist.       3.  𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝟭:𝟯𝟬 - 𝟯 𝗣𝗠 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 “𝗻𝗼‑𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲.” That’s the natural circadian dip - use it for deep work or a walk.       4.  𝗖𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀. More than that and half the Zoom tiles are passengers.       5. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽. After 2 back‑to‑back calls, schedule a 10‑minute outside walk. Movement > more caffeine.       6.  𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 “𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱‑𝘂𝗽” 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. A standing or walking call each hour keeps posture fatigue away.       7.  𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗺/𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Async updates free entire afternoons for real problem‑solving.       8.  𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺. 16 oz every hour - trade for espresso #4.       9.  𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝟯𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽. Clears mental cache, prevents repetition.      10.  𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲. Delete anything recurrent that hasn’t produced value in 90 days.           𝗣𝗿𝗼‑𝘁𝗶𝗽: I let Sybill capture live notes & action items so I can stay fully present. Fewer keystrokes, zero context‑switching. Your 4 PM self will thank your 9 AM self for protecting its energy. Bookmark this list, test it for a week, and tell me how it feels. Anything you’d add? 👇

I got this interesting idea from Dr. Subhash Rastogi who is an educator, author, and ex Infosys. Dr. Rastogi is a friend of Jan Baan's too, which made me take notice. This post https://lnkd.in/eV2PwygG is about Dr. Rastogi consulting with younger members of his team to reduce dreaded "review" meetings from 5 grueling hours to 1 and substituting a pot-luck-lunch (PLL) to transform it from a "fear day" to a "fun day". Sweet. "PLL- Way to TRANSFORM ‘Most HATED’ Meeting into ‘MOST LOVED’ One.   During my 5 decades career, I often noticed that ‘Progress Review Meetings’ are most hated meetings among people. Given a choice, most members would like to escape this. I too faced this problem while working in Infosys, heading the Enterprise Solution Academy (ESA).   ESA always worked on 10-15 concurrent projects. These normally included finding new education needs, developing New Courses, leveraging technology for faster growth & effective delivery, creating ‘Optimal’ content for senior Executives etc. There were regular monthly ‘Review Meetings’, for 4-5 hours. Most of my team-members were stressed about preparing their presentations & and also making ‘excuses’ to defend themselves for missing targets. Things went on this way for a long time.   Then one day ‘Eureka’ happened (not in the Bath-Tub, though!), and things changed forever. I called all my 4 Team-Leaders along with 2-3 younger members. This was 1 week before the next Review. I told them that we must have 'reviews' with-a-difference, and make it a ‘Fun-Day', not a 'Fear-Day'. Could we reduce the 'actual' review time to just 1 hour? We should make the remaining 4 hours as Fun-Time. Finally, the idea emerged for making it a PLL (Pot Luck Lunch) Meeting, where each member, including me, will prepare one food item.   Some (male) members said they had never cooked any food in life, due to mothers' wishes. Some didn’t have kitchen facility. I was firm; so suggested to Google recipes that require no cooking and no kitchen. This will also help them to be a ‘supportive future-husband’. It was agreed, that all would bring some self-prepared ‘dish’.   Then the first new-type Review day (named PLL Meeting) came. Some members arranged tables and displayed recipes. OH MY! Hyderabad alone had 22 dishes. The key ‘review meeting’ was over in just 1 hour. Fun games and pot-luck lunch continued for 4 hours. Many members acquired new confidence that they can actually cook; some demonstrated their culinary expertise to colleagues. A couple of them were miserable too; were flooded with ‘practical’ suggestions/ support for next time. It was such a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE for everyone. Jan Baan used to say if you could have 1/2 the meetings for 1/2 the time, then you would have 1/4 the meetings! Brilliant.   Infosys HCLTech Tech Mahindra Vanenburg NITIE IIM Mumbai Alumni Association NICMAR University Larsen & Toubro

✅ If you've ever collaborated with me, you've probably experienced "Done Listed". ➡ It's a game-changer for those of us who struggle with #ExecutiveDysfunction and the burden of unfinished tasks. .... OH and the frustration "with meetings that could've been emails" --because we get things "done". ⁉ What is it? In every meeting or 1-on-1, we don't just discuss tasks and ideas, but we actually execute seemingly small tasks right then and there. It could be sending that email, making that quick call, scheduling the follow up meeting, looking up answers to questions, or codifying notes. By doing this, we reduce and ideally ELIMINATE the "to do" list that typically follows a meeting. 🤔 Why? 1️⃣ Immediate Satisfaction: A "Done List" is so much more satisfying and motivating. My sales team 1-on-1s were so much more impactful when we "done listed". 2️⃣ Clarity and Focus: As soon as you start thinking about "sending that email or booking that follow up meeting", you start to lose sight of the big picture. When things are "done listed" you reduce the mental clutter. 3️⃣ Beating Procrastination: Small tasks slip through the cracks because they are pushed off. If they are "done listed", they don't get forgotten. 4️⃣ Improve Team Unity: When you've "done listed" you feel productive and more united as a team or as collaborators. My goal was for people to leave my meetings with a sense of accomplishment. (One of my software partners made me a "Done Listed" t-shirt so "mission accomplished??" 😃 ) 🗒 Side note: You shouldn't "context switch" in order to "done list". Context switching is shifting from one UNRELATED task to another. Use Done Listing in a manner that complements your current focus during the meeting or 1-on-1. In fact, having "done listed" should help avoid context switching (the second biggest hindrance to effective #timemanagement) because you won't have those forgotten tasks pop into your mind hours later like "I forgot to send that document I promised." or "Darn it, who was supposed to schedule the follow up call?" BECAUSE THEY ARE "DONE LISTED". Woohoo!! 💡 You ready to get things "to done"? 🎉 👥📈 #ProductivityHacks #DoneListed #WorkSmarter

Struggling with endless meetings but seeing little progress? Let's cut through the noise with Real-Time Debriefs—a strategy that revolutionized my team’s productivity. 🕒 Forget about adding to your workload. This method is about leveraging the discussions you’re already having into moments of actionable insight. Quick debriefs post-interaction or meeting keep your team agile and forward-moving. Here's the tactical advantage: ✔Efficiency: Instantly capture and apply insights, eliminating the need for follow-up meetings. ✔Trust & Relationships: Foster a culture of trust with immediate, open feedback. ✔Problem-Solving: Tackle issues promptly, preventing them from escalating. Meeting Load: Dramatically cut down on unnecessary meetings, saving everyone time. This method has been a game-changer for us, respecting time differences and busy schedules, while ensuring our performance and teamwork stay sharp. Try this: After your next project or meeting, engage in a quick debrief. Share and solicit feedback immediately. Watch how it transforms team dynamics and efficiency. Real-Time Debriefs are more than a technique—they're about adopting a mindset of continuous, on-the-spot improvement. Dive in and see the difference it makes. #RealTimeDebrief #ProductivityHack #TeamDynamics #Gladtobehere #Leadership

These aren't just hacks. They show a deep appreciation for people's time, energy, focus, and the high cost of unnecessary mental context-switching. Each rule reflects respect for people. 1) The “empty chair” is more than symbolic. Keeping one seat open for the customer isn't just about empathy—it’s a design principle that keeps product and service discussions grounded in real-world value, not internal politics. 2) The use of AI tools isn't about novelty—it’s about reducing cognitive load. AI transcription allows participants to stay present instead of scrambling for notes, which improves both listening and memory. 3) The Maker-Manager distinction addresses a hidden source of organizational friction. Makers and managers operate on incompatible time scales. This rule doesn't just help meetings—it reduces burnout and increases satisfaction. 4) The “4-Bullet Update” is a thinking tool, not just a reporting one. It forces clarity: What’s done? What do I need? What’s blocking me? Where am I going? This structure improves performance even outside meetings. These rules reinforce psychological safety. A clear agenda, action memos, and small group sizes reduce ambiguity—one of the biggest killers of trust and productivity. Now read the list one more time with these insights in mind... 8 Rules to Run Effective Meetings 1. Follow the Two-Pizza Rule Keep meetings small enough to be fed by two pizzas (6–8 people). 2. Hold standing meetings Studies show standing meetings reduce duration by 34%. 3. Send a detailed agenda Before the meeting, state the purpose and desired outcomes for every attendee. No agenda means no meeting. 4. Keep one seat open At every meeting. This way, decisions will always consider the impact on the end user (h/t Amazon). 5. Use AI transcription tools Quickly capture key meeting points and action items. 6. Implement Maker-Manager Schedules Managers thrive on 30-minute blocks for decisions. Makers need 3–4 hour blocks for deep work—schedule afternoon meetings for makers to protect creative flow. 7. Use the 4-Bullet Update Update with 4 points: what was done, requested asks, current blockers, and future improvements. Save hours in recurring meetings. 8. Finish meetings with Action Memos Detailing decisions, owners, and deadlines. ----- ♻️ Like, follow, and repost if this resonates. Follow Travis Bradberry and sign up for my weekly newsletter. Thanks to Ben Meer for this excellent list. Do you want more like this? 👇 📖 My new book, "The New Emotional Intelligence" is now 10% off on Amazon and it's already a bestseller.

A recent article in Fast Company reminded me of something I shared on X last year (https://bit.ly/3Sy9Yua): At Hotel California, check-ins are at any time and checkout is impossible. Meetings at GitLab are the opposite of Hotel California. Meetings start :00 or :30 and end when they are done, but always leave time before your next one with speedy meetings (https://bit.ly/3SzwF11). At GitLab, we’re thoughtful about how we run meetings because, when done right, they are forums to increase efficiency, enhance collaboration, and drive results. Here are 10 ways to do remote meetings right: 1. Question whether the meeting should happen in the first place 2. Cancel unnecessary meetings  3. Make meeting attendance optional and record meetings to encourage asynchronous participation 4. Start on time and end on time with the “speedy meetings” setting in Google Calendar 5. Ensure every meeting has an agenda - or as I say, “no agenda, no attenda” 6. Document everything live (yes, everything) in the agenda notes 7. Use the right tools (Zoom, collaboration tools like GitLab, Calendly, etc) 8. Avoid hybrid calls (in-person and online) to level the playing field 9. Unique surroundings should be celebrated, no need to have your background look ‘professional’ 10. Empower team members to be the manager of their attention; it’s okay to work on other tasks if a particular portion of a meeting doesn’t apply to you

The easiest way to make your meetings more effective: Follow these 5 principles from Jeff Bezos. — 1. The Two-Pizza Rule Make sure the meeting attendees are few enough to be fed with two pizzas. This typically means no more than 8 people. Something to STOP doing right away: from today on, you’ll pledge not to invite team members out of courtesy or inertia. Every single meeting member has to have a crucial function for the topic, if not, save the time! Smaller groups: → Make decisions faster → Have more focused discussions → Spend less time tracking tasks and keeping everyone informed Only include people directly relevant to the meeting's objectives to avoid unnecessary distractions. — 2. No PowerPoint Presentations Replace PowerPoint presentations with shorter narrative memos: → Approx 4 pages of text → Properly structured sentences → A narrative or story flow around the problem They encourage deeper thinking and make the topic more relatable. And people are naturally more drawn to stories… Which makes this a GREAT way to help your team have a thorough understanding of the meeting’s core idea before discussions begin. This memo methodology is very well-known in Amazon and helps to set the tone and goal of the meeting, before starting to discuss the main challenges and solve problems. — 3. Start with Silent Reading Set aside the first 10-15 minutes of the meeting for everyone to read the narrative memos. In SILENCE. This is a great way to ensure everyone is equally prepared and informed. And leads to more productive discussions when the time comes. Make sure it’s completely quiet to aid your team’s focus on the content without interruptions or distractions. No one will read it as homework, so let’s just be realistic and pragmatic and read it together and get it done. — 4. Empty Chair Rule (I love this one) Place an empty chair in the meeting room to represent the most important person in the meeting: The CUSTOMER. This keeps their perspective top of mind and considered in all discussions. Don’t forget to remind everyone there to think about how decisions will affect customers. Keep their needs and interests at the forefront. Customer obsession is crucial for business success. So always be thinking from the customer’s viewpoint, even in internal meetings. — 5. End with action items "Good intentions don’t work. Mechanisms do.” Bezos mechanized his meetings to make sure they all ended with 3 things: - Assigned clear next steps - Action owners - Due dates When you build concrete, systematic processes, EVERYONE knows what they’re doing (and when). Eliminate confusion with clear actions. — If you follow these 5 rules in your meetings, you’re guaranteed more: - Efficiency - Understanding - Less boring meetings - Customer-centric decision-making Have you had enough of sh*tty meetings? — Found value in this? Repost ♻️ to share to your network and follow Ignacio Carcavallo for more.

We're seeing a new trend in corporate communications where meetings are scheduled to start 5 minutes 'late' (at :05) in order to provide breathing room. If this works for you, great! At Rumble, we recommend a slightly different approach of ending meetings at least 5 minutes EARLY. As a team, we succeed at this about 95% of the time, regardless of the client's culture, and the benefits are tangible. Here's how we do it and what everyone gets: 1. Start the meeting by announcing the intention to end early: Everyone loves shorter meetings so this creates group buy-in for staying efficient. 2. Always write an agenda: This facilitates shorter meetings by mapping out a clear beginning, middle and end. A well thought out agenda that's distributed in advance is best, but even if you scribble it on a take-out napkin 5 minutes before the meeting starts, it's better than nothing. 3. Take the win: If you booked an hour and only needed 30 minutes, don't drag the meeting out. No one is sad to get back half an hour in their day. The benefits of a communications culture where meetings generally end early can be very material. Meetings start on time, everyone is highly motivated to come prepared, and teams get more work done. Ending that first meeting early is a small step, but that's generally how culture change works. It happens gradually, but in the end the company wins back thousands of hours of productive work time and employees are happier. #corporatecommunications #internalcommunications

Anyone else suffer from meeting overload? It’s a big deal. Simply put too many meetings means less time available for actual work, plus constantly attending meetings can be mentally draining, and often they simply are not required to accomplish the agenda items. At the same time sometimes it’s unavoidable. No matter where you are in your career, here are a few ways that I tackle this topic so that I can be my best and hold myself accountable to how my time is spent. I take 15 minutes every Friday to look at the week ahead and what is on my calendar. I follow these tips to ensure what is on the calendar should be and that I’m prepared. It ensures that I have a relevant and focused communications approach, and enables me to focus on optimizing productivity, outcomes and impact. 1. Review the meeting agenda. If there’s no agenda I send an email asking for one so you know exactly what you need to prepare for, and can ensure your time is correctly prioritized. You may discover you’re actually not the correct person to even attend. If it’s your meeting, set an agenda because accountability goes both ways. 2. Define desired outcomes. What do you want/need from the meeting to enable you to move forward? Be clear about it with participants so you can work collaboratively towards the goal in the time allotted. 3. Confirm you need the meeting. Meetings should be used for difficult or complex discussions, relationship building, and other topics that can get lost in text-based exchanges. A lot of times though we schedule meetings that we don’t actually require a meeting to accomplish the task at hand. Give ourselves and others back time and get the work done without that meeting. 4. Shorten the meeting duration. Can you cut 15 minutes off your meeting? How about 5? I cut 15 minutes off some of my recurring meetings a month ago. That’s 3 hours back in a week I now have to redirect to high impact work. While you’re at it, do you even need all those recurring meetings? It’s never too early for a calendar spring cleaning. 5. Use meetings for discussion topics, not FYIs. I save a lot of time here. We don’t need to speak to go through FYIs (!) 6. Send a pre-read. The best meetings are when we all prepare for a meaningful conversation. If the topic is a meaty one, send a pre-read so participants arrive with a common foundation on the topic and you can all jump straight into the discussion and objectives at hand. 7. Decline a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with declining. Perhaps you’re not the right person to attend, or there is already another team member participating, or you don’t have bandwidth to prepare. Whatever the reason, saying no is ok. What actions do you take to ensure the meetings on your calendar are where you should spend your time? It’s a big topic that we can all benefit from, please share your tips in the comments ⤵️ #careertips #productivity #futureofwork

Stop putting people on the spot for their opinions during meetings. If they haven't spoken up, they might not be ready to contribute. People process information differently, and rushing them doesn't always yield the best insights. Here's a better approach: 1. Instead of singling out individuals, invite the group to share their thoughts. 2. Clearly communicate the meeting's nature (brainstorming, informational, announcement, etc.) beforehand so everyone knows what to expect. 3. If input is expected, provide the topic in advance to allow for preparation. 4. After the meeting, give time for participants to email or message their thoughts. 5. Make yourself available for post-meeting discussions, either in your office or via scheduled times. This might seem like extra work, but it's effective. I personally don't chime in unless I have something substantial to add, often finding my best ideas come later, once I've had time to reflect. Remember, not everyone operates the same way. Leading effectively means recognizing and adapting to these differences. I'll keep saying it: Tailoring your approach to individuals is key to successful leadership.