There is a point in time in the evolution of a company where it requires more meetings to get things done. Or so we are led to believe. But I'd like to challenge that and here's why:

Last week, I spent 8.5 hrs in recurring weekly meetings. Five of those hours were in 'status' meetings, where we all sit around and tell each other what we have been doing. That's time where managers are taken away from strategy and developers are hands-off-keyboard. The business is not moving forward.

My weekly breakdown of hours spent in meetings (from last week):

• Monday – 6
• Tuesday – 4
• Wednesday – 3.5
• Thursday – 4.5
• Friday – 2

That's over 20 hrs spent in meetings, where 3-10 people sit around a table for a presentation, discussion, or update. It's painful and unproductive. Most people don't participate and are actually on their blackberry. Terrible. Let's get rid of it all.

But 'we need to know what's going on, and share best practices' you say. Bull$h!t. Send updates by email and create a culture where people read and respect the status emails. Hold best practice sessions over lunch. Get comfortable with fast-format 10 or 15 minute meetings with singular and specific purpose.

If a meeting has to happen, follow the Scrum format where it is scheduled for 15 minutes, and everyone stands up. Round the horn once and done. Caterina Fake from Hunch (and Flickr) used to make people drink a 16oz glass of water at the beginning of a meeting (where everyone was standing), and as soon as someone needed a bio-break, the meeting was over. Get creative. More importantly, follow some rules. Marissa Mayer at Google has a few good ones. Those I use:

• Have an agenda and be prepared
• Keep time and segment longer meetings into sub-meetings
• Shut people up and table off-topics issues
• Be on time (still have trouble with this one…)

One question to ask yourself: Would my customers pay for this meeting? Would they want me spending thousands of dollars on status updates?

Others agree about The Death of American Productivity, Death by Meetings, and Killing Meetings.

Hopefully more companies can embrace the change and focus on delighting the customer, on delivering products and services, and keeping employees happy.

• The Axis of the Obsessed and Deranged [NYTimes]
• Have We Reached Peak Tuna? [Good]
• Urban Resilience [Seed]
• Biz Stone is Totally Tweeting This [Mother Jones]
• Infographic: Google's Cash and Culture [Fast Company]

After I found those articles, I got side-tracked and thought I'd share this week's five cool houses:

• The Cooper Residence by Randy Weinstein
• The Goodman House by Preston Scott Cohen
• The Glenwood Residence by Wernerfield
• House 11 by Dane Richardson
• The Grasshopper Momo House

• websites and technology that I am using and testing
• product development ideas and innovations
• NYC and west village culture and events
• travel, photography, music and design
• productivity and process

I'm looking forward to writing on weekly themes and sharing with you. Leave me some comments and let me know what you want to see.

/mm

Perhaps you are always wishing you could listen to a little Timothy Leary over morning coffee, like me? Well, now, thanks to the Internet Archives, you can.

Videos, lectures, and other content is available to stream, embed, or download

The 30 min documentary, the Psychedlic Experience, is one of my favorites.

Original site at http://www.timothylearyarchives.org/

I wonder who out there today is writing and thinking things similar to Leary – who is the psychological innovator of the 00's? Leave a comment with any reading suggestions!

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• The Timothy Leary Archives Now Being Hosted At The Internet Archive (laughingsquid.com)
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