Alas, these conversations were one big waste of time. I couldn't even claim that these sessions had some kind of team-building benefit as his beliefs were very disturbing and off-putting at times. I couldn't put an end to them—I wasn't his manager, and no manager seemed to find a problem with what was going on—but at least I didn't have to get sucked in. Thus, I learned to detect this situation and either bring the discussion back to something work related or to quietly go back to my desk.
Think about all the time that you have spent talking with coworkers about The Lord of The Rings; the newest comic book to be turned into a movie; which is better—Emacs or vi, Windows or Linux; or whatever else we geeks talk about. Were any of these discussions valuable? Sure, if you have a light amount of work, there is value to social discussions. But when they carry on for more than an hour?
I believe that most people don't even realize how much time they spend on this habit. Make a point of timing the next marathon conversation about why Babylon 5 was better than Star Trek. You'll be surprised at how difficult it can be to detect when you're in such a conversation and equally surprised at how long the conversaion can be.
Be conscious of these conversations. Get good at detecting when they have gone from quick discussion to time waster, and walk away.
Wasteful Meetings
We can often find ourselves deluged with meeting after meeting. That's OK if work is getting done, but learn how to detect when meetings are wasteful .
There are many kinds of meetings, but let's group them into two general types: status meetings and work meetings. Status meetings are just that: people reporting on progress on their aspects of a project. Work meetings are when people try to get work done.
It can be a waste of everyone's time if you try to problem-solve during a status meeting. If something can't be resolved quickly, pick a time for the involved parties to work it out—don't waste everyone's time. I find it useful to have that meeting immediately after the current meeting. People not involved can leave or drop off the conference call. Everyone is already together, so there's usually no scheduling conflicts to work out.
When I email an announcement of a meeting, I indicate whether it is a work or status meeting. This makes it clear what people should expect and puts them in the right mindset. It also makes it easier for the facilitator to cut off inappropriate discussions when they arise.
As a participant, I realized that I had an influence on whether the meeting was going to be a waste of time. Being on time significantly improved the meeting's efficiency. Being prepared (reading the material being reviewed, etc.) meant I wasn't dragging the meeting down. If I was presenting material, emailing copies to everyone a day early made other people better prepared (though that meant I had to be prepared a day early). I always send an email reminder about meetings 24 hours in advance. This reduces the number of people who arrive late or people who disrupt the meeting's effectiveness by not showing up at all.
Tips for Meeting Facilitators
Always send a reminder email 24 hours in advance.
Make it clear whether this is a status or work meeting.
List the full date ("Friday, Dec 2," not just "tomorrow").
List the time. If you work across time zones, list the time and time zone; don't assume people know your time zone. Better yet, include the time converted to all appropriate zones.
Include URLs to the documents people will need. Even if this is the third meeting about a particular document, keep including the URL. (Include the document as an attachment only when you have no other choice or when some members don't have access to your Wiki.)
Include a written agenda—a simple outline of the issues to be covered.
Show up five minutes early, or earlier if there is audio/visual equipment to be set up.
If you want people to show up on time, don't announce that the meeting starts at 2 p.m., announce that it starts at 1:54 p.m. People will show up to find out why it starts at such a strange time.
Always start on time. If people are constantly late, start on time and put the most important items first. Don't repeat the items for latecomers; tell them the info will be in the minutes. People will start coming on time. (They'll hate you, but they'll be on time.)
I learned to hold back from having side conversations. I realized that while I felt my witty comments were a gift to all who heard them, they derailed meetings more than I had realized; so, I learned to keep my mouth shut.
As WiFi technology became more pervasive, I found that I could IM my witty comments to just a friend or two, which satisfied my need to be heard without causing too much distraction. Finally, for meetings that were a complete waste of my time, but unavoidable, I could bring a laptop and get work done, keeping an ear open for the important bits. However, I did find that when I was doing this, it was polite to sit in a less visible spot, and it was OK to do this only if there was a large crowd of people.
Of course, work isn't the only place where we waste time.
Standing Around a Video Store Deciding What to Rent
Ever spend an hour walking around a video store trying to figure out what you want to rent? Do friends and coworkers often mention movies that sound great, but once you walk into the store you can't remember any of them? It happens to all of us.
There is a solution.
In your organizer, keep a list of movies that people mention. PDA users can create a note called "Videos." PAA users can put a sheet of paper under "V" in the A-Z notes section. Any time someone mentions a movie that you'd like to see, write it down.
Now when you enter a video store, open to that list and rent the first thing on the list. You'll spend more time watching movies and less time trying to remember their names.
Alternatively, there is a service called Netflix (http://netflix.com) that lets you rent DVDs by mail. Their web site lets you maintain a queue of movies you'd like to see. When you return a DVD, they immediately mail you the first available DVD on your list. Now, when a coworker mentions a great movie, you can log into the Netflix web site and add it to your queue. You can even add films that haven't been released yet. They'll float to the top of the list and you'll get them when they are released. That's perfect for all those "wait until it's out on video" recommendations.
The web site lets you rearrange the items on your queue. There are utilities for Windows and Mac that let you manipulate your list a little easier than you can from the Netflix web site—Netflix Freak for Mac OS X is very popular.
Watching Less Bad TV
Let me make one thing clear: I love TV. I'm not one of those elitists who goes around proudly announcing that they don't watch, nay, don't even own a TV. I think TV is great. In the last 15 years, it has gone from being a total wasteland to a wasteland filled with pearls. The problem is keeping the pearls and avoiding the waste.