Do meetings make you unhappy?

Do meetings make you unhappy?? I read a fairly old article in The Guardian that stated that the amount and length of our meetings at work is one of the main reasons why employees are unhappy. It suggested that the more meetings one has to attend and the more time one spends in meetings, the greater the negative effects. Extensive articles and research done on the topic of meetings has resulted in countless tips to help run more productive meetings.

Are these findings still true? Why can meetings be so bad for productivity and happiness? Here are a few reasons:
• They break your working day into small time pieces, making productivity difficult
• They are usually update meetings vs. working/collaboration meetings
• They usually contain a low amount of information conveyed per minute
• They drift off subject easily
• They have vague agendas
• The facilitator did not sufficiently prepare

My days are usually consumed with meetings. Before you start feeling bad for me, I do this to myself. I usually schedule these meetings as a part of the various projects that I manage. How can I ensure I’m efficiently running these meetings, so I’m not making my team members miserable?

It’s as easy to be careless with words as it is to be careless when scheduling and using meetings as the main use of communication. I’ve seen a mnemonic used to determine and guide meaningful communication. The mnemonic is a reminder to t-h-i-n-k before you speak.
T- Is it true?
H- Is it helpful?
I- Is it inspiring?
N- Is it necessary?
K- Is it kind?

Could we use a similar mnemonic to remind us to think before scheduling meetings?
T- Is the meeting timely? Are you using exactly the amount of time you need? Why schedule a full hour when you only need 15 minutes?
H- Is the meeting helpful? Have you given the team the agenda and topics ahead of time to allow the team time to prepare?
I- Is the meeting informative? Is there information to share with the team that requires discussion or approval?
N- Is the meeting necessary? Can you send an email with the update instead of scheduling a meeting?
K- Does the meeting leverage the knowledge and skills of the team members?

Meetings have become our default in facilitating discussions and updates. But this communication method isn’t always best for all work and personality types. Some individuals need time to complete a thought or idea before they are comfortable sharing with the team. Others like to think out loud. This difference can change the dynamic in a meeting and lose input from some team members. Instead, try asking everyone to come prepared to discuss a planned topic in the next meeting. This simple change could facilitate a better discussion involving all team members.

I hear about meeting fatigue often and I do my best to be mindful of how I use others’ time. I’m interested in any techniques that you’ve used. Please share your experiences in the comments.