I'm glad I wrote last week's blog on throwing away your to-do list. I met a number of people, in the days following, who were all struggling with theirs. I simply directed them to the blog. It felt good to provide such simple advice that can have a large effect on the one thing we can't buy...our time.

So, to this week's gift. What can you STOP doing right now, that will save you bags of time?

Stop going to meetings that you don't need to be at!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend was visiting overnight. The next morning, before they left for work, they were talking about a dinner event they were going to attend with my wife that evening.

"I won't be there at the start of the event", they said.

"Why not?", my wife asked.

"I've got to go to a meeting and therefore won't leave work until a little later.", came the response.

I picked up on tone of annoyance in them having to go to the meeting.

If you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME!

"What's your role in the meeting?", I chipped in.

"I assume they need me for [details omitted for confidentiality reasons].", they said.

"You assume?", I said.

They paused and the conversation stopped pretty quickly after that as they had to leave to avoid the rush-hour traffic. Later that day, I got a WhatsApp message from them.

"I'm not going to that meeting anymore!"

On asking why, I received the following,

"Went and had a chat with James and the part he wanted me to discuss was a tiny fraction of the meeting. We talked the item through and I asked lots of questions and James came to the conclusion that I didn't need to attend."

We have grown to assume that just because someone invites us to a meeting, we need to be at it. My experience has shown me this is rarely the case. Others are very disrespectful of our time. Not because they are bad people. It's because they have just learned that people don't respect their time either. If they invite them, they pretty much always accept.

Respect your time, and others will start to respect it too!

Next time you are invited to a meeting (and this is even if it's your boss inviting you) ask yourself the following:

• What is the meeting supposed to achieve?

• What do they need from me?

• Can they get it from me prior to the meeting, without me needing to be there?

• Therefore, do I really need to be there?

Be careful if your reasoning for being there is because, "I need to know the outcome.". You can get that from minutes or a short update from the organiser at the end. There is always a fear of missing out (FOMO) that may convince you that you need to be there. Resist it.

If you're the organiser of a meeting, use the same questions:

• What is the meeting supposed to achieve?

• What do we need from each person invited?

• Can we get it prior to the meeting, without them needing to be there?

• Therefore, do we still need the meeting?

If you take this approach, people will love you for it. You will be saving them, and you, time.

In summary, STOP going to meetings you don't need to. They are a colossal waste of time if held when not necessary, with people who are unnecessary.

FOOTNOTE: For those of you who are saying, "I'm not going to challenge my boss on why he's inviting me to a meeting.", your boss has a duty of care to ensure you are contributing to the bottom line of your business. It's your role to challenge anyone who tries to waste your time, and the companies money.

More soon...enjoy!