How to Prevent Zoom Fatigue Before It Starts
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
So, you know what you need to do, right?
Right??
Hint: It’s not to make your workday longer by adding in breaks but keeping meetings intact!
It’s time to shorten your meetings!
I know it’s scary to be the one to speak out, to make a suggestion.
But I guarantee you that your coworkers will be into it.
You’ll have allies! Promise! How do I know this?
Well, have you ever heard anyone say:
“You know what I LOVE about my job? The fact that I’m in back-to-back meetings all day every day with no time to even pee!”
Want a little help getting the ball rolling?
- Use your native calendar to help you:
- If you’re using a meeting scheduler like Calendly, set your default meetings to be 20 or 25 minutes, 45 or 50 minutes.
Oh, you’ve done that? But no one sticks to it?
- Try saying at the beginning of each meeting:
- Then anoint someone as the timekeeper (maybe it’s you!)
- Remember to use the language of experimentation (instead of the language of change)! Everyone’s willing to experiment, but no one wants to change.
The only reason our meetings are 30 minutes or 60 minutes is because those are the standard calendar defaults. That’s it. These aren’t magic windows for perfectly timed meetings. So let’s rethink the defaults.
Originally published at https://www.alexishaselberger.com on November 20, 2023.
