While Daring Greatly

Share this post

Leave the meeting early, you know you want to

adamjwalker.substack.com

Leave the meeting early, you know you want to

Don't let them waste your time

Adam J. Walker
Sep 2, 2022
2
1
Share this post

Leave the meeting early, you know you want to

adamjwalker.substack.com

The other day I went to a "required" parent meeting at my kid's school. I walked in and sat down at 5:58 pm. At 6:00 pm, the person leading the meeting announced that we would wait to start the meeting at 6:10 pm to accommodate those running late. I had rushed to get there and made it a point to be early to the meeting, but he was rewarding people for running late. I was not happy.

The meeting started and went exactly as you might expect. The presenter talked through slides with information I didn't need to know or could have read in a simple email. As the meeting went on, my sense that my time was being wasted grew from irritation to agitation to annoyance.

Finally, at 7:15 pm, an hour and fifteen minutes after the meeting should have started, and an hour and five minutes after the meeting had started, I left. Was the meeting over? No. Did I have to stand in front of a bunch of people, make my way down a row, and then walk from the front of the auditorium to the back exit? Yes. Was leaving early like that a little rude? Maybe. But, I would argue that wasting my time is much worse.

empty chairs in theater
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

During that meeting, I realized I didn't have to be there. I didn't have to let this person waste my time. So, I went home to be with my family.

Time is something we don't get back. When someone isn't using their time well, that's their choice. But, when someone isn't using our time well, we can choose if we let that continue or not.

I left the meeting early, and I hope you will too.

This post first appeared on my blog, adamjwalker.com

Share


Did you know that nonprofits use podcasts for fundraising?

Want to know how you can use a podcast? Join us for a free webinar about it.

Sign Up Now


Great leadership reading from this week

  • What is ‘quiet quitting’? Gen Z is ditching hustle culture to avoid burnout
    This is an important article for every leader to read. I also made a video about why I think quiet quitting is a good thing. Check it out here.

  • Five ways to tell if someone is an expert, or just confident – from an actual expert
    Leaders sift through a lot of BS; I hope this helps with that!

  • Sit with your thoughts, not your devices
    Thinking can be more engaging and rewarding than we think. ;)


Other great reading from this week

  • Technology needs more buttons — and that’s why we love the Stream Deck
    I got a Stream Deck about a month ago, and I LOVE IT!

  • The 3-Step Method Mark Cuban Uses to Sort Through Over 1,000 Emails Per Day

  • The 10/30 Rule Gave Me a Cleaner Home, a Healthier Budget, and Made My House More Efficient
    Always go ten extra steps or 30 extra seconds to do it right. I love that idea!


My videos from this week

  • 3 ways to move toward asynchronous work

  • Quiet Quitting is a good thing, here's why

  • I was wrong about Richard Simmons

Check out my YouTube Channel


My Podcasts to check out

  • Tech Talk Y'all - My tech/comedy news podcast.

  • Real Pink - I host the national podcast for Susan G. Komen. If you want some inspiration or information about breast cancer, give it a listen.

  • While Daring Greatly - This is the podcast version of my live streams.


Do me a favor?

Did you find anything helpful or interesting here? Pay me back by subscribing to my YouTube channel and sharing it with someone. Thanks for reading!

1
Share this post

Leave the meeting early, you know you want to

adamjwalker.substack.com
1 Comment
Bobby Kircher
Sep 3, 2022

Thanks, Adam. I needed this reminder. There are times I will stay in a meeting or anywhere really because I feel like I need to "stick it out" or don't want to be perceived as rude, (which is me trying to people-please.) Time is precious and I could spend that time doing something more productive or better for my well being. Most of the time people don't care and if they do, it's none of my business.

Expand full comment
Reply
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Adam J. Walker
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing