Ayup. Another late post. You know what takes precedence over posting when you’re sick? Rest. In a completely unexpected move from me, I got about 10 hours of sleep to try and recover from this cold that’s been going around the office, and I’m happy to say that I’m mostly better!
But now, back to your regularly scheduled post!
It’s important to get your rest and have your A-game on whenever possible; you’ll never make it through the drudgery of life otherwise!
Ever been to long meetings that seem to drain you to the very core of your soul? Try a 3-hour meeting the first thing in the morning! For me, there’re three things wrong with this:
- I hate meetings
- I hate sitting still and just listening—it puts me to sleep
- I am not a morning person
While I can understand the importance of the meeting that we were in, for me, it was definitely a less-than-ideal situation! So being stuck at something I rather not be at (I always rather just get work done over attending a meeting to discuss the work), I can at least say that it would’ve been a lot worse if I hadn’t done some preparation beforehand to make sure that I could survive it!
1: If You’re Feeling Sluggish, it’s Time for a Stroll!
There’s no rule saying that you can’t get up and take a break from a meeting. There are rules of etiquette that’ll clearly outline for you that falling asleep IN a meeting is just bad form.
So if you haven’t gotten a chance to catch some Z’s, I think you need to get on your feet! Taking a walk (especially if it’s outdoors) can help get the oxygen flowing in the system, a temporary cure for the fatigue you’ll probably feel from sitting around for so long!
2: Fill Your Head with Ideas and Bring a Big Notebook
The art of keeping engaged in a meeting is taking good notes. Some meetings, however, will be on stuff you already know about or stuff that doesn’t affect you in the slightest.
Doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be taking notes, though!
The wonderful thing about notebooks is that you could be writing on just about anything and it just look like you’re taking notes on the meeting!
Does that mean that you daydream and fail to pay attention to what’s going on in the meeting? Nope.
Does it mean that you fail to do what it is that you’re paid to do and use time for your own personal gains? Of course not—it is a job, after all!
No, what you’re doing is multitasking—all those hours of lost productivity add up, after all—so if what you need to keep yourself alert is to keep your brain engaged through scribbling, then it’s time to scrawl your mind away!
3: Get Involved!
If you can’t escape and your head’s filled with fluff, you’re going to have to bite the bullet and get into the mix!
Hopefully, you’ve done your homework so you can ask intelligent questions or add something new to the conversation!
And if you can’t even do that (I’ve had my share of meetings where I’ve been told to be a “fly on the wall”—seen, but not heard)—you know what?
I’ve got nothing. That’s a meeting I wouldn’t want to be in.
Good luck, buddy!
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