Please welcome the #MeetWho Movement

Ok, now that I have your attention with this headline, here's the thing that I've been hearing a lot about - a topic that has gone as viral as the virus itself (pun intended)!

Employees are burnin' up and burnin' out doing all these audio/video calls. From gloom and doom, it's now zoom and boom!

The flexibility to work remotely did bring plenty of excitement initially but organizing work and life in confinement have made temperatures soar a bit without even being infected. In the interest of some of my colleagues who are battling this daily, especially for those who are trying to balance their work schedules in a way that doesn't drive them nuts, I thought of laying out 4 ideas that could be helpful the next time they go all virtual.

Machines all over the world shut at night, so why shouldn't you?

Pick out a time where you know for sure that your brain has stopped processing any more information. By processing, I mean neither is your mind able to think well not is it able to tell your body to execute anything. There is also no shame in letting your colleagues know that you have peaked out. No one wants you to operate at half your potential, so stop proving to people that you can. Make sure you block your calendar to indicate 'time-out'. That way people won't crash into your family-dinner or a snooze party. You may assume that people won't understand you but trust me, your colleagues are a lot more empathetic (and not pathetic) than you give them credit for.

Decline and propose

This is the part I enjoy hearing the most from my friends. The conscience awakens inside us suddenly and it awakens a lot when choosing to decline or accept a meeting.

'Isn't it rude to decline a meeting invite?'| 'What will they think about me?' | 'Will this affect my image in the eyes of my manager?'

...Duh! Of course, it's rude to decline. Imagine if a person of interest asks you out. Sure, you could RSVP with a 'Yes' or a 'No' but you're sure as hell going to say 'Why' when you say 'No'. Is it only because its a person of interest and maybe that's why explaining why you can't make it, makes total sense? That is cheeky because I didn't hear conscience there at all.

Unfortunately, everyone in an office is a 'person of interest'. We work with them, bring them down, pull them up, have fun, just like family. So, the next time you decline a meeting, go ahead and decline but please do two things:

• Decline and say 'why', if you think you trust the person or the information well enough.
• Propose a new time so that you are seen as someone who is keen to meet but just can't make it at the original proposed time.

Don't follow everything your calendar tells you

Not every meeting lasts for 30 min or 1 hour. Sure, you could use the time to small-talk but you are then killing time, not making use of it. If you think some meetings won't take you more than 15 minutes, go ahead and book them. I know a colleague who told me, 'I feel shy booking a 20-minute meeting when it's not even a default setting on the calendar.' Again, 'what will people think of me?'

If you need quick decisions to be made or need confirmation or clarity on a couple of points, select a shorter time-window and you would do your colleague a huge favor by saving his/her time. Who knows, your colleague could even return the favor someday?

Don't run a 4 x 100 metre relay race on virtual calls

A big factor of 'burn' is that we firmly believe we are Zoom-Ninjas. End a meeting, begin another one, and another, and another...just bring it on.

Look at this schedule above that I have screen-shot for you. This is a school teacher's schedule I saw that gave me a nervous breakdown. This isn't a far cry from any of our work schedules by the way. What this does is, that it gives you no time and space to catch a breath. By the third call, you're going to wish that contracting COVID could be a better option than exhausting yourself out.

Try giving yourself at least a 20-30 minute break after a 60/90 min call. It will give you the opportunity to rock back, reflect on what was discussed, or maybe even spend 5-10 minutes cussing about everyone who did not agree with you in the meeting.

The jury is out

As I close my written-rant, please remember that these are only nuggets and not words of wisdom. This could be especially useful for all those starting out their careers or people who're trying virtual communication for the first time.

You could try them and see if they work. You may shine or you may stumble but the key thing is to give yourself a chance.

Otherwise, my friends, it's damned if you do and damned if you don't!