Something I’ve learned over the last few years is if you can, end the day with a productive meeting. How many times have you been to a meeting that made little to no difference on your work or to the organization? Likely more than any of us care to admit. The problem with these sorts of meetings is not only are they a waste of your time, but they often leave you feeling drained and whether you realize it, have a negative impact on your productivity and mental acuity. In fact, I’m actually a fan of trying to reach a point where you have as few meetings as humanly possible.

Ending the day with a productive meeting, I’ve found, has the opposite effect. You’re left feeling that you’ve accomplished something, that things are headed in the right direction, and you feel energized – all at the tail end of what was likely a long day if yours are anything like mine.

-Alex