My strategy to help leaders re -claim 10+ hours a week

Most leaders know the disappointment of wasted meetings. Long agenda, many participants and hours of waste Little. For a group of senior leaders whom I worked, this was not just a resentment. It was decreasing the strategy, reducing decisions and eliminating energy throughout the business.

In less than a year, we made their meeting half of their meeting. Each leader wins for more than 10 hours every week, and the organization becomes fast, clear and more accountable.

How it happened, and how can you do the same.

Related: Stop the meeting’s obsession: 19 ways to give importance to your meetings

Issue: Meetings control leaders instead of being in charge of leaders

The team was leading a complex global change in three areas. Their calendars were a wall with standing meetings, ketchups and repeated calls. People often go with unclear decisions, which leads to further follow -up meetings to decide that the first time was not resolved.

The result was time, slow decisions and the feeling that no one could move forward. The leaders were spending more time in management of meetings instead of guidance. Over time, even talented people were disappointed. Some people just began to stop the fake “focus time” to survive. Other people became silent, attended the meetings but very little because they are no longer sure that anything will change.

This loss of energy was just as harmful as time.

Step 1: Explain what the meeting deserves

We started asking a simple question: Does this really need to be a meeting?

There were many repeated calls because “We always have them.” This logic was never challenged. We cut off every meeting that was not linked to a decision, a problem that needed resolving or cooperating that was really benefited from direct debate.

The refreshments that can be written in writing were moved to a short weekly summary. Everyone received the same information, but they could read it in minutes instead of sitting on another call.

A senior manager later told me that it was the first time in the years when he could start his day by planning priorities instead of brakes for back -to -back calls. This change gave him a clear sense of further control and direction.

This step was cleansed for hours with the piety of everyone alone. It deliberately rejected the meetings, rather than the habits of the past.

Step 2: Keep the protector on time and attendance

Next, we set harsh rules.

Meetings for 30 minutes default. Long sessions had to be justified. Each meeting requires a clear lead that owns the agenda, kept the conversation on the track and confirmed the next steps.

Attendance rules also changed. Instead of big calls with every stakeholder, we just invited people who criticize the debate. If the input was needed later, it was requested for an offline.

This change reduced the group fatigue and increased accountability. Small groups made sharp decisions. The leaders also realized that it was not excluded to invite any meeting. It was respecting their time.

Related: Data doesn’t lie: Little meetings can make you 3x more results

Step 3: Make decisions standard

A hidden reason is that people go away without explanation. This lack of closure is the one that fuel the cycle of repeating conversation.

We introduced a simple “decision log” and solved it. The end of each meeting happened with three important things:

1. Decided

2. The identified owner

3. The next step

He took discipline, but once the team was adjusted, the decisions stopped roaming. Follow -up meetings because everyone knew who was responsible and when. Teams did not need to repeatedly review the same issue.

The decision also became a leadership tool. Leaders can review what is moving forward and what is stalling. This contract improved the accountability in full change.

Step 4: Track the win

We measured the meeting before and after that.

Leaders logged in their weekly times, and in weeks the difference became clear. By the end of 12 months, the meeting hours had a decrease of more than 50 %. On average, each leader is re -claimed for more than 10 hours a week.

The biggest win was not just time. It was energy. Leaders fell asleep and felt more worthy to focus on the task that in fact pushed the business forward. Many people commented that they eventually finished their week with a sense of development rather than tired.

One leader said she could eventually prepare properly for board debates because she had blocks of time again. Another joint that his team has trusted more in the process because decisions are no longer transmitted or disappeared. These were small cultural shifts that had a lasting effect.

The human aspect of fewer meetings

It is easy to think about the reduction as a game of data, but its benefits are very deep. With fewer meetings, the leaders got a place for thinking, planning and lead. They can show further presence in meetings that are left because they have not already ended.

It had an impact on confidence. People began to believe the process because they saw that the decisions were stuck and time was not wasted. This confidence caught the strength. Leaders are known for clarification rather than an endless conversation.

When people think their time is respected, they give more energy to the work. This cultural advantage is often more important than rescue hours.

From this experience, three lessons stood up.

• Treat time as a resource. If a meeting does not produce a price, it is priced.

• Keep strict guards around time and attendance. Meetings spread in the size you allow.

• Make standards on how decisions and seizures are made. Without it, meetings repeat themselves.

These are not complex ideas, but they need discipline. The leaders who apply them change not only their calendars but also their culture.

Related: Our meeting’s obsession is damaging our work and our fitness

What can you do now

See your calendar and ask yourself three questions:

• Which meetings are just out of habit?

• Which can be replaced with a short written update?

• Where do decisions make decisions forcing the conversation again?

Answering these questions honestly is the first step to cut the burden of your meeting in half and win the most hour of need.

Try to apply a change next week. Cancel a steep call that includes very low cost. Short the 60 -minute meeting to 30. End each meeting with a clear decision and the next step. These little shifts have given rise to confidence, and once you see the results, it is easier to apply major changes.

The point of cutting meetings is not to slash your calendar for it. The goal is to create a place for the task that is most important. When the leaders re -claim on their time, they have the ability to guide them with clarification, energy and attention rather than reacting to each demand.

Start with your calendar. Once you take charge of your time, every other part of your leadership is strengthened.