As an entrepreneur or business owner, you should always be looking for ways to boost productivity, reduce wasted time and effort, and ultimately increase sales. As such, you may want to start planning not only what days you choose to have your meetings, but also what time. If you are expecting to discuss a number of complicated topics, you will want to avoid times of the day in which the attendees aren’t completely focused. As you know, it’s not always easy to work or even think too clearly on an empty stomach, and trying to work while you’re tired or not quite prepared for it yet can end up taking longer and is often even prone to mistakes. As such, to ensure optimal productivity in your meetings, you may want to avoid the following times of day:
Avoiding Sleepy Mornings
Early morning meetings have two distinct problems that aren’t always prevalent, but can reduce the efficiency and productivity. Firstly, before around 9AM, most people are still acclimatizing to the work place, shaking off the drowsy feelings from eight hours of sleep and getting back into the working mood. It’s an important part of the day, which is usually dedicated to planning the day ahead and ensuring you have the necessary tools to fulfill your goals. So, despite employees sometimes seeming like zombies in the morning, you can trust that at least most of them are simply powering up for the work to come. The second reason why early mornings are not ideal is because if the meeting is at 9AM, they either have to quickly prepare for it while planning out the day ahead, or prepare for it the afternoon before. As such, allow an extra half an hour for this to ensure your attendees are prepared, awake and ready to add value to the discussions.
Avoiding the Hungry Hours
At around 11AM, most people who enjoy a regular working routine will start to get hungry, which can be highly distracting to a productive mind. In fact, according to Quartz, a study has proven that even judges – whom we would imagine have the most rational minds – tend to make more rash and expedient decisions just before lunch time. Jonathan Levav, a business school professor at Stanford, believes it’s more of an unconscious decision so as to hurry up the proceedings and enjoy some much deserved sustenance. So be sure that you never hold meetings that require careful decision-making just before lunch, as both you and your attendees may not make the most logical and rational choices – despite having every intention of doing so. Similarly, after lunch time, people’s brains actually work at a slightly slower pace because some brain power has to be reserved for digestion. Despite it happening far away from your brain, digestion does actually make you think and work slower. Additionally, if you utilize video conference for business from a reputable brand like BlueJeans, some people may decide to try and eat while on the call, which can not only be rude but distracting – and thus reducing productivity. Therefore, avoid all times around noon to be sure your attendees, as well as yourself, can focus on the task at hand with all the brain power they have.
Don’t Wait Too Late
Towards the end of the day, many employees are finishing up tasks and planning or preparing for the next day. And because the end of the day is getting closer and closer, nobody wants to start a brand new project – only to have to stop shortly after. The exception to this, as shared by Fast Company, is if you want to hold a quick meeting to plan for a larger, more important one the next morning. In such a case, consider holding a standing discussion, in which everyone stands around to quickly discuss matters while ensuring it doesn’t take too long and become tiring. These can promote productivity and will stop anyone from talking for too long about unimportant matters. Alternatively, take the last hour or half an hour off and treat your employees to a coffee at a local café. The change in pace can be refreshing and your attendees can at least have a beverage or snack to look forward to before a quick discussion.
If you’re eager to hold more productive, efficient and effective meetings in your office, choose times of the day in which your employees are going to be wide awake, not thinking about – or digesting – food, and eager to add value to the discussion. For more great insights, equipment and services that can help you enjoy more efficient and impactful meetings, we at BlueJeans are eager to help. Contact us today and speak with our reliable and friendly consultants.
