This Kit Kat ad pretty much sums up people's workdays. When we worked in offices, there was a limit because only so many conference rooms were available. Virtual meetings get scheduled with abandon.
Here are a few tips on how to make meetings better.
Speedy Meetings
Google Calendar has a setting for Speedy Meetings. Instead of scheduling for an hour, meetings default to 50 minutes (and half-hour meetings to 25 minutes). A five- or ten-minute "passing period" between meetings allows for bathroom breaks and preparation time.
Daily Limits
Some managers set limits for the number of hours their direct reports spend in meetings. A maximum of 4-5 hours of meeting a day still allows for heads-down work to get done. (I'd push for individual contributors to have even fewer, if possible.)
No Meeting Days
One day a week is a No Meeting day. Practically, that means no one is allowed to put meetings on a coworker's calendar. If a quick meeting between two colleagues makes sense to move a project forward, both must agree.
Cut Everything in Half
If you have an hour-long meeting, can it get done in a half-hour instead? Schedule it for only half the time. If a standing meeting is weekly, can it be every other week instead?
Could This Be an Email?
Do you need the meeting at all, or could the information be conveyed in an email or asynchronous way?
No Agenda, No Attenda
Every meeting should have an agenda. It must contain the topics of discussion and the intended outcomes. Include the agenda in the meeting invite for easy reference.
Are there other tips you've discovered to make meetings better? Hit reply and let me know.