Don’t forget the small decisions
I am a big fan of calendaring these days. 15 to 30 minutes on Sunday allow me to keep track of the incoming and outgoing quite efficiently.
With that said, I noticed something when I started keeping track of the meetings and my lateness (by paying for everyone’s food/drink. If you want to remember something add a pain point). I realized that small decisions made after the meeting created more tardiness than any other decision.
- More than the train
- More than getting up late
- More than making sure I complete my habits
What is a small decision post-meeting?
It’s the little discussions that happen after the meeting finishes, after “closing remarks” that keep it going.
Some examples:
- Follow up details for the next meeting
- Clearing up misunderstandings
- Goodbyes
All of these things are critical to maintaining a relationship, and all of them quietly add a few minutes. It takes a meeting from 4 – 4:30 and makes it 4 – 4:45.
So, when scheduling a meeting, make sure you either:
- Establish boundaries before the meeting and state that there is a hard out earlier than necessary to get out
- Add padding to your schedule to account for it (if you didn’t set the meeting)
From the desk of Adam Thomas 