Overscheduled and Overwhelmed: My Battle Against Meeting-Mania

Meetings, meetings, meetings. As a CTO, my calendar gets jam-packed with what feels like back-to-back meetings from dawn to dusk if I’m not vigilant. Don’t get me wrong — I know meetings are critical. But as an introvert, too many meetings drain my energy and make me anxious. At times, I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of meetings. <h1>My Meeting Reality</h1> Let me give you a peek into my current meeting load. I have 3–4 standing project meetings each week with various teams. These span 2+ hours typically! That’s nearly 10 hours a week spent in project meetings alone. These project meetings are probably where I should focus my efforts. I’m considering delegating them fully to a colleague. I’d just read transcripts and notes afterward to stay informed. Many parts are better suited for asynchronous communication anyway. Though occasionally, hashing something out live does have value. According to a Harvard Business Review study, the average knowledge worker spends over 50% of their time in meetings. With back-to-back meetings, it’s no wonder I feel overwhelmed and unproductive. <a href="https://medium.com/@alexponomarev/overscheduled-and-overwhelmed-my-battle-against-meeting-mania-865a6c9ec731">Learn More</a>