Why Back-to-Back Meetings lead to Fatigue & Overwhelm

One of the aspects I often see among executive leaders is the deep feeling that there’s just not enough time in the day.

From the time of waking up, often times until dinner, their schedules are full.

While this on the surface may lead one to believing that it offers an enhancement in work productivity, I on the other hand believe that’s a highly inaccurate statement.

When we have back to back meetings with no time of rest or decompression in between, we set ourselves up to pull more and more energy from our reserve tank.

I’ll give you an example.

In a recent session with an executive of one of the top non-profits in the professional sports space, I asked how does a typical work day look for them.

They expressed that nearly from 8A – 4PM they are in back-to-back-to-back meetings nearly every hour (with a shortened lunch sandwiched in between).

I then asked how do you feel during the day, as well as in the evening when you’re completely done with your face-to-face Zoom meetings.

They quickly responded back… exhausted.

“I’m even tired right now during our session, to be honest.” They authentically shared.

I then offered a different perspective on the sheer amount of energy that is required during a meeting.

One, there’s listening.

Two, there’s neurological processes that are firing off in the brain to retain the information.

Three, there’s the stimulation of looking into the artificial light of a computer screen for hours on end.

Four, there’s taking in all the faces of the others who are present within the meeting (for those that are in group settings).

Five, there’s the whole sitting down piece, for hour amongst hour amongst hour (which our human bodies were not naturally developed for).

Six, then there’s the jumping from the end of one meeting, in order to begin a completely new one (without the space to truly integrate all that was shared or conveyed in the prior meeting).

If there are a couple minutes in between, then it may even feel like a rush to go to the bathroom or grab a quick drink, in order to somewhat settle into the following meeting.

Why do I mention all of this?

Because overwhelm and fatigue has an insidious way of creeping into one’s life.

What may be a pattern or structure that has been modeled for years (to the point where it’s just considered as a conscious normality), underneath it is a continual withdrawal from one’s energy management bank.

I like to think of ‘energy’ as being something that each and every one of us naturally have (in the essence of being a human being), however the level to which each person embodies is uniquely different.

Some individuals have boundless energy, where it doesn’t matter how fast they move (or much they load on their plates), they seem to handle it all in stride.

While it serves others to mindfully create a structure or daily rhythm that allows them free buffers of space and time of nothingness, in order to recharge and ignite their bodies and minds.

Frankly put, there’s only a small handful of individuals whom I’ve ever encountered that truly embody the former, as in my experience the vast majority of us humans really do need space and time decompress throughout the day (again, some of us even more than others).

So, with that, after spending some moments in reflection, this particular client and I created a plan for them to start giving themselves a minimum of 15 minutes of free time in between each meeting.

Allowing themselves the time to go outside and breathe in some fresh air, have sip of tea or prepare a new water, and maybe even go for a short walk to incorporate some movement into the body.

Though this may seem minuscule on the surface, developing a nice rhythm of embodying a variation of this in between each meeting, does two things:

1.     It enhances the overall energy bank (rather than pull away from it)

2.     It actually increases productivity (due to the brain feeling more energized and better able to truly focus throughout the day)

We’re all connected to technology more than ever (and frankly put, given the current affairs in the world, as well as many professionals personal preference), this is not going to change anytime soon.

However, more than ever now too, this is a time to create a life ecosystem that supports all areas within oneself.

One’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual essence.

The more aligned we are within our highest and most natural expression of energy, then the more we can show up in our professional work and relationships.

Our energy is at the foundation of our life force, and the level to which we can consistently create an impact within the world.

Now is a better time than ever, to evaluate your present energy levels, and what shifts are needed in order to proactively (and consistently) incorporate different tweaks to build it, rather than keep doing the exact same thing over and over and over again (which ultimately, continues to deplete it).

Cheers to you in choosing to intentionally slow down, reflect on 1-2 areas within the daily rhythm that may no longer be useful, and then committing to the process of holding strong boundaries in your integration of a new way of ‘being’ (which is ultimately the core essence and foundation of all the ‘doing’).

With Love,

Brandon

P.S. –

Tomorrow marks the last day of month number one here in 2022. Are you stepping into February with a clear, focused, and intentional plan that you’re excited to continue building from (or, if you’re being honest, the first month proved a bit overwhelming, to the point of you genuinely desiring to look into the possibility of what receiving ongoing support may create in both your personal and professional life)? If it is indeed the latter and you’d like to specifically explore that in more detail, you may set up a Personal Clarity Conversation with me to learn more.