Head Space

Calm productivity for academics

Tag: meetings

  • Walking meetings: A simple shift for busy academics

    Steve Jobs famously conducted important business discussions whilst walking around Apple’s campus, noting that that movement changes how we think. For busy academics struggling to find time for exercise and meaningful work, walking meetings offer an elegant solution that addresses multiple challenges simultaneously.

  • Academic stand-up meetings

    Academic stand-up meetings, borrowed from software development, offer a practical solution to meeting overload in universities. Participants stand and briefly answer three specific questions about progress, current work, and blocking obstacles. These focused sessions typically last 15 minutes maximum, creating valuable time and mental space for deeper meaningful academic work.

  • Lean Coffee meetings

    Lean Coffee meetings help create clarity of purpose in your meetings, boosting productivity and focus. Previously, I’ve talked about how meetings should enhance your productivity, not impede it. And I gave a few suggestions that might help to think differently about the need for meetings in the first place. But let’s say the meeting is…

  • Productive meetings are possible

    Meetings should enhance your productivity, not impede it. Be choosy (if you can) about the meetings you attend or schedule.

  • Use the time between meetings

    Use the time between meetings to make notes, schedule follow-ups, and list the tasks that are your responsibility to complete.

  • Jason Fried and David Hansson: Rework

    Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson challenges conventional approaches to work and management, advocating for a minimalist, practical mindset. By focusing on essential tasks, rejecting unnecessary meetings, and embracing constraints, the book empowers readers to maximise productivity and create a sustainable, impact-driven work culture.

  • Schedule your writing time

    Start your day by scheduling your writing time so that you make progress on the important, high-value work that is cognitively demanding.

  • Batching meetings together

    When you’re in meeting mode, try to stay in meeting mode by batching meetings together instead of spreading them across the day.

  • Fried & Hansson: It doesn’t have to be crazy at work

    It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson champions a “calm company” approach, where productivity doesn’t equate to relentless busyness. By minimising distractions, protecting time, and setting realistic expectations, the authors propose a sustainable work culture that prioritises well-being alongside impactful results.

  • Shorter academic meetings: Why less time means more impact

    Long, inefficient meetings have become normalised in academia, but they don’t have to be. Discover why most academic meetings can be completed in 30 minutes, and learn practical strategies to make your meetings more focused and productive. Transform time-consuming obligations into focused sessions that respect everyone’s need for deep work.

  • Structure your day with meetings

    Scheduling meetings at natural breaks can help ensure that the time ‘before’ and ‘after’ meetings are still productive.