Kind of, almost, missing meetings

Back in the day…

I’d pull into the parking lot at 8, grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria, and head upstairs to the office.  A few people were generally in early, I‘d poke my head into or over their cubicle and see how life was going, what news there was to give shape to the day ahead.  Coffee empty, I’d drop into my office chair and bring up the calendar

…which would be colorful and crowded.  Another day packed tight with meetings.

And at 5:00, I’d be surrounded by unfinished writing and unread papers and undreamt thoughts.

So one of the small pleasures of self-employment and virtual offices has been the near-total lack of meetings.

I probably have three meetings a week: they all involve making room reservations and driving at least half an hour each way.  With that commitment, we plan ahead, prepare materials, and make the most of the time.

The rest of the time, I communicate with my far-flung team by Skype and e-mail.  More flexible, less intrusive, and I can work contact around reading, writing, thinking, rather than the other way around.

I stay clear, coordinated, and transparent with everyone, almost every day.  As people add to the team, I add them to my circles.

and so the number of connections grows, exponentially.

No problem, I write a lot more e-mails, make a lot more calls,

but,

I’m starting to wonder if the occasional meeting might save a whole lot of pointless writing and calling.