Standing Meetings

How much time do you spend in meetings each week? Are too many meetings hurting your health?

American workers report wasting nearly 3 hours per week in meetings. Nearly 50% of people report “too many meetings” as the biggest time waster at work. All of these meetings can have an impact on your waist as well.  Sitting more than 4 hours per day can double your risk of heart disease. Why not increase your productivity while doing something good for your heart?

Have a Standing Meeting!

No, not a meeting scheduled at the same time every week… a meeting where you stand up… the whole time!

The standing meeting was just one of the strategies Erika Napoletano shared in her Open Forum article on 9 Ways To Eliminate The Meetings From Hell, and it is a good one.

Think about it.

If you stand during the meeting, people are more likely to get right to the point, rather than blathering on.  If you stand, people are more likely to stay focused without access to laptops or checking their phones beneath the table top.  In addition, a standing meeting gets you up, out of your chair and allows your body a chance to recirculate blood that may have pooled in your legs during time at your desk.

International Productivity Expert Neen James also suggests you stand when someone enters your office or work space.  By standing, you’ll give the impression you are on your way out and encourage the visitor to get right to the point.  You are less likely to engage in chit chat and can easily exit to end a conversation that is a distraction.  Again, standing, and moving around, is a great strategy to fight the effects of sitting too much.

You could take things one step farther and have a walking meeting – give it a try!

Now it is your turn: Are too many meetings an issue for you? What are you doing to be more productive and more active at work? Let us know in a comment below. Thanks!