Zoomed Out? How to Handle Online Meetings Effectively.

For many of us, our working days have changed significantly, and in one particular way that may not be very good for us. People are now meeting online for everything from work to working out, but a large number of these meetings could have an effect on how we feel. I know that many people I am talking to are starting to feel drained, and some even suggesting a phone call rather than online meeting, to differentiate the experience. A big issue here is how we recover from meetings.

One of the main obstacles to recovering from meetings for me is the time it takes to switch from one point of focus (the meeting) to another (deeper, non-meeting work). After a stressful meeting, my productivity can be impacted as I try to deal with the resulting mental effect. Traditionally, I would have down time after meetings when I would be able to consolidate and arrange my thoughts on the tube, the train, or driving.

The consequence of this is that it can take longer to really focus on the next piece of work. If you then add in multiple meetings per week (I have 5 today), it’s possible that hours of productivity could be lost in a week. The real kick in the teeth is that that then forces you into working evenings and weekends just to get your actual work (emails..etc) done.

So, here are some ways I am going to try to beat this, and recover quickly when online meetings affect my mental and physical energy levels. Perhaps they could work for you.

1. Schedule strict meeting-free time periods in your day.

Reserve certain time periods (ideally your most productive ones) for deep work, and stick to scheduling no meetings during these time periods.

The simple act of scheduling meeting-free times in your calendar that are dedicated solely to this type of work activity can help you to get a better perspective. For me, it guarantees that I won’t be diverted into other activities that cause distractions and impact focus.

2. Reduce the time you spend in meetings.

You can reduce the time you and your team spend in pointless meetings by following a few simple rules:

• Format your meetings to be short and succinct, with an agenda consisting of only two or three salient action items.
• Only hold essential meetings. If the issue can be handled by chat or email, do it that way and then distribute the results to the wider team.
• Include only the people necessary to the planned discussion. Again, use email to distribute short conclusions and summarise decisions made to others.
• Provide a way to record the minutes for the meeting, either through technology or a separate individual.
• Finally, set hard-and-fast rules about meeting length. If a meeting is to last 30 minutes, it is over by 30 minutes and one second. No exceptions.

3. Self-debrief after a meeting.

Be sure to schedule a little debrief after meetings to help pinpoint both what’s going right and what can be improved. After each meeting, ask some probing questions, such as:

• Did I achieve what I wanted?
• Who participated? Who was relatively silent?
• Was there a significant degree of distraction, perhaps accompanied by side discussions?
• Did the main discussion get sidetracked significantly?

Also consider what went well. At what point were participants most engaged? What were you discussing and what exactly was going on then? Through these questions, figure out what worked and what didn’t, then use that information to tweak how you run future meetings to be shorter and more efficient.

4. Exercise regularly.

Research proves that regularly scheduled workouts help build mental strength and focus throughout the day.

Regular exercise and movement helps improve cognitive skills and focus in a number of both direct and indirect ways, including reducing inflammation, improving sleep and increasing the supply of oxygen to your brain by forming new blood vessels.

I like to run as often as possible, but for many people I know walking or cycling, as well as mind-body movement disciplines such as yoga and Pilates are really helpful.

5. Take regular breaks throughout the day.

I read recently that making a habit of taking a few minutes each hour to stand up, walk away from your computer, stretch and get water helps you maintain a stronger level of focus throughout the day. Disengaging for brief periods helps you maintain focus throughout your workday.

6. Don’t let meetings ruin your day.

Meetings can be essential for the success of your company, but right now, I think many of us are attending too many for a number of reasons. It is important to not be a slave to the software, and to see it as just one form of work.

7. If all else fails…

When the meetings are just dragging, and nothing is getting resolved, play this sound effect from your phone and you can give yourself a minute to reset, while you go and get that Amazon order…