Respect your time

Just like you tend to respect others’ time, you should respect your time as well, as when you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else.

Dick and Emily Axelrod, in their book Let’s Stop Meeting Like This, have the following recommendations:

Before accepting the invite, ask the following questions:

• Would your time be better spent doing something else?
• Is the meeting draining?
• What value are we getting out of this meeting?
• Is the meeting needed? Or will a chat be enough?

Know your role in meeting

• Investor: What can I do to achieve success?
• Beneficiary: What can I contribute? and what can I gain? Who am I here for?
• Bystander: Someone who hopes for something useful to happen in the meeting but does not contribute to the meeting’s success or do any work to gain benefit from the meeting.

Having clarity about why you are attending the meeting and what is expected of you, will help save your time and allow you to contribute effectively to the meeting. As Berne Brown said “Clear is kind”, this clarity will help you be kind to yourself.