My Personal Best Practices

Nobody enjoys meetings crowding their calendar. But as people leaders, we know they’re essential for keeping teams aligned and initiatives moving. The trick is making them effective, and that is where some smart strategies can make the difference. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few best practices that have seriously boosted my team’s productivity (and saved us all some sanity).

1:1s, The Untouchables (Almost)

If there’s one meeting I fiercely protect on my calendar, it’s the 1-to-1. These meetings are gold. They’re not just about project updates but about building rapport, establishing a working rhythm with each team member, and fostering trust. Think of them as your regular check-in on both the work and the person doing it. Unless there is a true emergency, these meetings stay put, excluding vacations. They’re too valuable to sacrifice.

These can also be valuable in onboarding, where you might hold a few weekly 1:1 meetings during the first 30 days for a new team member—then shift it back to a regular cadence.

Stand-Ups, Sweating the Small Stuff

For my teams, we organize around 3 to 5 priorities, contributing to and driving organizational goals. These stand-ups are your best friend for those quick updates and minor details that can clutter up a longer meeting. Keep them short, focused, and action-oriented. Within the scope of those priorities, what did you do yesterday? What are you doing today? What roadblocks are you facing? This frees up your primary work day-to-day to tackle more strategic conversations. It is also an early alarm if the scope or focus is slipping or obstructed.

Shaving Off the Excess Time, The 25/45 Rule

This is a simple but surprisingly effective trick: when scheduling meetings, try shortening the default 30- and 60-minute slots to 25 and 45 minutes, respectively. Youn would be amazed at how much this subtle change can impact productivity. It forces everyone to bring an agenda, be more concise, and, often, you’ll find you get everything done in that shorter timeframe.

Flexing with Purpose (Not Just Because)

Of course, sometimes a discussion needs more time. But make those extended meeting times temporary. If you consistently run over, it’s a sign you need to re-evaluate the agenda or meeting structure. Only accept the extra time as the new normal if you genuinely fill that time with work that moves the team and/or organization forward.

Asynchronous Follow-Up, a Meeting Time Saver

During meetings, actively look for items that can be handled asynchronously. Does someone need to gather data? Does a document need to be reviewed? Assign those tasks and move on. There is no need to keep everyone in a meeting while one person works on something they could do just as quickly (or even more efficiently) on their own time. There are numerous powerful tools to aid async efforts, from Slack and Teams to tools like Notion.

The Ultimate Act of Meeting Kindness

This is a personal favorite. Give back time when you can. If you’ve covered everything and there is still time left, end the meeting early. Seriously. It’s a small gesture that makes a difference. People appreciate having extra time back in their day, and it reinforces the message that you value their time.

The Bottom Line

When appropriately constructed, meetings are an integral part of business. They do not have to drain productivity. By implementing these simple strategies, you can transform your meetings into valuable tools for collaboration and progress. Give them a try—your team (and your calendar) will thank you.