Covid-19 has forced a lot of unnatural things upon us. We are wearing masks, gloves and are fist-bumping more than shaking hands. One of my challenges has to do with back to back meetings with little time left to follow-up on action items from the earlier ones.
In this context, I was quite happy to see Microsoft's blog arguing for breaks in between meetings. They point out the following -
- Breaks between meetings allow the brain to “reset,” reducing a cumulative buildup of stress across meetings.
- Back-to-back meetings can decrease your ability to focus and engage.
- Transitioning between meetings can be a source of high stress.
I really like Microsoft's attempt to set defaults that shave five, 10, or 15 minutes off Microsoft Teams meetings to carve out breaks between conversations. I hope others follow their lead