Avoiding Meeting Overload
Alexander Djerassi asserts that the pressure to perform is high today, and meeting overloading is one of the most common ways to create stress and stress-related problems. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid meeting overbooking and overbooking-related stress. Here are five ways to avoid meeting overbooking and overbooking-related stress.
Plan the Calendar Well in Advance.
Most companies don’t give employees a specific start date for meetings. Thus, employees may show up to meetings initially scheduled to attend without realizing it.
If one wants to avoid meeting overbooked and overbooking-related stress, make sure they “book” their meetings well in advance. If one knows they will be meeting with a group of people, either in person or via phone or video, try to pencil the Meeting in your calendar. Doing so will ensure they don’t miss out on important information because they were at a meeting that they didn’t add to the calendar.
Research the Topic to be Discussed Before the Meeting.
Asking things like, “So, what’s the topic of today’s meeting” or “What’s on everyone’s minds” isn’t helpful when researching a topic. Instead, ask people who will be in the room whether they know the topic well or not. Since most people don’t know everything about every topic, ask people who you trust to be able to help you get a grasp on the topic.
Do the Meeting in an Environment that is not Overly Emotional or Stressed.
Overly emotional people show up to meetings with high levels of stress. Overly stressed people show up to meetings with high levels of anxiety. Both of these feelings are related to high cortisol levels.
If one wants to avoid meeting overbooking and overbooking-related stress, try to maintain a healthy balance between feeling joyful and fearful. When feeling like getting close to being too excited or too nervous, take a slow, deep breath, close your eyes, and remember to focus on the present moment. Doing so will help prevent overstimulation by the Meeting and have difficulty focusing on the tasks.
Look for Different Ways to Accomplish the Task in the Meeting.
In the case of a presentation to give or a report to prepare, it’s best to think about ways to make the task less stressful so that one can relax and focus on the content. Alexander Djerassi claims that When having trouble focusing, have the team members identify a few tasks that they can do to focus on them instead of the Meeting.
Take Regular Breaks During the Meeting.
Cortisol is responsible for one’s mood and energy levels. As such, increased stress levels can bring about higher cortisol levels in your body. If one finds themselves getting red-faced or out of control during a meeting, they should take a break. Since they are likely overthinking and projecting, taking a break will help them process information more effectively.
Conclusion
The pressure to perform is high today, and meeting overloading is one of the most common ways to create stress and stress-related problems. Stressed-out employees who show up to work due to overbooking or overbooking-related stress are more likely to show up to work in a second, are more likely to show up to work in a third and are more likely to show up to work in a fourth. In other words, meeting overbooking and overbooking-related stress are the same thing.