Prior to my break, my work calendar was manic. Every day was full. Almost back-to-back with some kind of meeting. Some of this is as a result of our current fully remote working and the need to arrange a time for everything, even a quick informal catch-up. While some were definitely my doing – not wanting to let others down, saying yes to everything and uncomfortable with asking ‘do I really need to be there?’. For the previous six months, I had been blocking out regular ‘no meeting’ time, but others ignore it in a bid to find the most suitable time for all attendees. Although I do sometimes question whether individuals are aware of the ‘find a time’ functionality within group calendars? While contemplating my return to work in a couple of days I’ve come up with a few things that I’m going to try to impose.
- Say no more often – asking if I really need to attend and what will I bring to/get from the meeting?
- Protect my time better – stick to my ‘no meetings’ time.
- Make sure everyone knows how to use the ‘find a time’ feature’ in Google Calendar
- Plan in pauses, time to stop, reflect and think.
Time has always felt like an issue, there’s never enough of it etc. However, maybe the issue is more about how I have been using my time? With my new Stoic mindset, I should concentrate on the things that I can control and those which I have some, but not total control. I should not spend time on those things over which I have no control. This also plays nicely with the essentialist approach too.
Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash