This is why your workday is always too short
Sometimes at the end of the day I look at what I should have done and wonder if my hours have evaporated. Why are there only three big tasks completed? Why am I the only one still working after six, while wine on the terrace would also be nice? Is there someone who secretly dumped more work on my plate? Time sometimes seems to dissolve where you stand and the biggest time thieves are: meetings.
Honestly: how often are you obligated to attend a meeting where you think you could just read the outcome in the minutes? Or do you shift back and forth in your chair during the last quarter because your mind is already on that pile of emails or your task list sits? Meetings are a kind of sinkhole where all those precious minutes, hours, and days disappear, especially the unnecessary meetings. Often your presence at a meeting is not needed at all. It's not just the meeting itself, but also the chit-chat and small talk beforehand and the drifting off in between.
How do you tackle something like this? First of all, start by choosing your most important priorities every day. Michelle Obama always does this, in addition to getting up at five in the morning, and look what it brings her. Tim Ferris, the man behind the book The 4-Hour Workweek, says that you should choose at least two but a maximum of three important tasks per day. You complete both of them before eleven o'clock, without reading your email in between. These are your focus hours. After that, you can tackle the other things. Therefore, it is important that you schedule that meeting, if it doesn't belong to those top priorities, later in the day. Otherwise, all your fresh energy goes into such a meeting and that's a shame. Furthermore, there is another solution: cancel that meeting.
Why would you attend a meeting where your presence adds nothing at a time when you have something better to do? I recently heard someone say that she is available for meetings for two half-days a week. For everything outside of that, she simply isn't. It may seem difficult to explain to a manager or CEO, but if you explain what it does to your precious time (which needs to be paid for), there is often understanding.
What also helps if the meeting really, really, really has to go on? Notify in advance how long you have time and start with the points that are relevant to you. This prevents drifting off and we all know that exists in the land of business meetings.
A girl laughing while holding a cup with a building in the background This way you prevent your inbox from taking over your day.
Source: Timemanagement
