Hands up if you get meeting FOMO

It's been a week for calls. New clients, existing clients, people seeking help, looking for answers and a common thread runs through all of the conversations.?

"We have no time"

"We are always in meetings"

"There are more meetings than ever before and I don't know when I'll get the work done"

"The culture needs to change to stop all these meetings"

This happened?to me (Quentin not Eddie) when I worked in a big organisation. I was at meetings all the time. Often having no clear role or responsibility, often saying little (this is how you know it's Quentin talking and not Eddie!) and often coming away with?no action. The meetings were, more often than not, talking shops that always ran over time (like paper never refuses ink, time never refuses one last opinion and counter opinion). I rarely came away with?any new information either. And so I stopped going to?a lot of meetings. At first I sent apologies. And then I just stopped getting asked. And there was zero negative impact on the organisation. No balls were dropped, no activities not completed. In fact more got done because?suddenly?I had all of this time to actually get on and do things that lead to real change. No one more senior made this decision. I did it myself and I reduced my meetings by a good 50%.?If I got it wrong and needed to be at something someone would soon tell me and I'd make sure I went to the next meeting for that particular thing. This happened once and once only.

And so if you have this problem I have one question. Who do you think is going to make the decision to reduce all the meetings you are at??

It's a question very few of those I talk to have asked of themselves. Their response, when asked, is often that they expect someone else, more senior, will come along and make the decision but until then this is how it is.?

And so I'm curious. When did we stop making decisions?for ourselves?in the workplace??When did we outsource?all of our working day to someone else??Because?this is a systemic challenge I'm careful what I say next because I don't want to make that person feel like it's their fault. But there is, I think, a time when we all have to step up, take responsibility?for ourselves and make some decisions based on the right answer.?

So I then ask them to think about a meeting that?burns a lot of time and isn't particularly useful. I use a slightly?adapted 5Ps #PET:

• What is the purpose?of the meeting?
• What are the principles /decision?points that will be made in the meeting?
• Who are the people in the meeting and more importantly?what is your role in the meeting (chair, decision?maker, expert voice, representative), or are you there to make sure you don't miss out on anything (I call this meeting FOMO).
• What is the process you will follow in the meeting? For example, are you providing?information/updates, are you needed to answer specific questions, are you a decision maker, what action will you have/take as a result of the meeting?
• And finally. The most important part. What does performance/success, for you, at that meeting, look like? What will you have achieved by attending? Or more importantly what won't happen if you don't go??

If the answer to that last question is nothing. Then ask yourself why you need to be there.?

If you organise?meetings you should probably do the same for those you invite. Are you inviting them so they don't feel left out or do they have an actual purpose for being there and if they're not?there what's the thing that won't happen? And if you do this well there will be people left out who might have meeting FOMO - so let them know why they don't need to be there. Let them know you are gifting them their time back.

Don't wait for someone else to decide how you spend your day. Make what you do purposeful?and lead to outcomes. You'll suddenly find you not only have more time, but will also have more energy and motivation to do some of the good stuff.

Competition time - let's see who can reduce their meeting attendance the most.