Batching meetings together

Meetings split your day so it’s worth trying to have as few breaks as possible by batching multiple meetings into segments of the day.

Context switching

While meetings are a necessary part of the job, the regular context switching between meetings and your core work can be a massive productivity drain. And the typical random scattering of meetings throughout the day does nothing for your ability to focus and make progress on the work that matters.

Even when you have a 30-minute gap between meetings, by the time you’ve been to the bathroom and made a cup of tea, you may have 15 minutes left. And so you might as well check Twitter.

When you’re in meeting mode, try to stay in meeting mode.

One strategy to minimise the disruption of meetings is to try to batch them together into defined segments of your day, rather than have them scattered throughout the day.

Benefits of batching meetings together

  • Less context switching: When you have several meetings spread out, you’re constantly having to switch mental modes between meeting prep/follow-up and your core work like writing, analysis, etc. Context switching will decrease your productivity and increase your stress.
  • Dedicated focus time: By grouping meetings together, you can reserve larger chunks of distraction-free time to focus on high-value work that requires sustained attention and deep thinking.
  • Less wasted time: We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of having random 30-60 minute gaps between meetings that are too short to start any meaningful work but too long to be truly productive. With batched meetings, you eliminate those awkward gaps of wasted time.

If you need to have multiple meetings during the day, try to batch them together. Spending your morning in meetings isn’t too bad, if it means your afternoon is free for scholarship.


Found this post useful? Stay connected with Head Space via the newsletter or blog, or share it with your colleagues on social media.


Comments

Leave a comment