TED Talk Tuesday #122: Work smarter, start with meetings.

Watching TED Talks is a popular pastime at CN&CO. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. This week’s talk was posted by Kurt. Here’s why he chose it:

We all love five meetings a day, the ones that go over the allocated time because most of us are talking for the sake of. The ones that when we leave, we think, what the hell was the point of that one. Meetings for the sake of meetings. Kidding. No, I am sure you hate unproductive meetings as much as I do. Not only do they waste our time, energy and money (because time is money right), but those meetings are also not actually healthy for you, read on to see why.

I have recently tried being a lot more productive than “busy” these days. A lot of it is planning, time management and sacrificing late nights or weekends to catch up, no matter where in the world I am. No, I am not getting it 100% right, but I have come a long way. I have also made a concerted effort to reduce those “‘meetings for the sake of meetings”and just getting to the point and getting things done.
I came across this TED talk, and while not always as easy, I think Nilofer Merchant has a few valid points, which I will be testing out.
After all, I can’t sit still anyway. 

“Nilofer Merchant suggests a small idea that just might have a big impact on your life and health: Next time you have a one-on-one meeting, make it into a “walking meeting” — and let ideas flow while you walk and talk.” Check it out here.

Click here for more Work smarter TED videos. Enjoy.