Good points – find a reason to not have the meeting.

I worked as a public servant for 5 years, They had meetings for everything. and NOTHING ever happened. It was crazy! Big waste of time. But because they had meetings they felt as though something was being achieved.

As a meeting facilitator, I of course have a few more thoughts to add. For now, just this one: Tim Ferriss’ rule of Canceling a Standing Meeting when you don’t need it is similar to my Rule #1 for any meeting: Find ways to NOT have the meeting in the first place.

Some stats say 54% of meetings result in no action! In that light, it’s best to consider that, though there are many “social” reasons to get together, there are likely better, less costly ways to achieve your goals. All it takes is getting clear on what you hope to accomplish and asking if there’s a way to get there without a meeting—the answer’s probably “yes!”

Thanks again for the insightful post.