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Next time you’re in a meeting pretending to listen while checking your email and wondering “why am I here?”, pull up your calendar instead and start clearing your schedule.

Here’s why…

Meetings take time, are expensive, and most meetings are unproductive:

• People spend an average 4 hours each week preparing for status update meetings
• Managers spend upwards 35% of time in meetings (50% for upper-management)
• 67% of meetings are considered failures
• 92% of people multitask during meetings

(stats courtesy of The Muse)

In a Harvard Business Review article, Making Time for the Work That Matters, executives who prioritized their most important tasks and dropped the rest found their desk-work was cut by an average of 6 hours per week and meeting time was cut by an average of 2 hours per week.  One executive was able to better use her time supporting her team; increasing sales by 5% over a three-week period.

By making a conscious decision about how we spend our time, we can cut out waste and focus on high-value (and more rewarding) tasks.  This includes personal time too , so think of volunteer committees and activities you’re involved with in addition to work meetings.

4 Meeting Alternatives

Collaborating with others is an essential part of getting things done, but can often be done more efficiently without a traditional meeting.

Try these alternatives instead:

• e-Publishing
  • With all of the online tools available, everyone can publish updates or share information.  Use a blog or wiki for ongoing updates about a project or department.  Email regular status reports to key stakeholders. Instant message with individuals and groups for quick and informal discussions.
• One-on-Ones
  • We’ve all been in meetings where 15 people take turns giving status updates.  While there is some overlap, there is also a lot of information that doesn’t pertain to everyone and is therefore a waste of time.   One-on-one face-to-face or online video chats can be efficient alternatives to group meetings.  Leaders and managers can gather information from individuals and share what’s important with the group.
• Collaborative Apps
  • Project and task management apps such as Asana, Wrike, and Basecamp offer a way for teams to collaborate.  Share ideas, solve problems, and get an accurate status update all within the app and all without a meeting.
• 15-Minute Stand-up
  • Take a note from Agile project management by holding daily stand-up meetings with your team.  These morning meetings are usually 5 – 15 minutes, don’t involve computers, and everyone is literally standing.  Ask and answer these 3 questions:
    • What did I accomplish yesterday?
    • What will I do today?
    • What obstacles are impeding my progress / where do I need help? –> most important

What alternatives to meetings have you used?  Share your thoughts below!