How to have better (and fewer) meetings with your UX team

The definitive guide to more effective meetings from a Googler: Meeting cheat codes I know at 33 that I wish I knew at 23

Boring meeting (Image by author via Midjourney)

Meetings. We all have them, we all dread them, yet they are an essential part of any project. Meetings can either make or break your project, and unfortunately, they tend to grow in number over time, taking over your project, and breaking up the flow of individual contributors. But let’s not dwell on the negative. Let’s talk solutions. So, what can we do about it?

Here are 17 things I learned in my 5 years at Google about more effective meetings and how to foster more effective collaboration in your team:

1. Clustering-rule

To optimize productivity and minimize distractions, it can be helpful to cluster meetings together whenever possible. Rather than scheduling meetings sporadically throughout the day, consider designating certain times for meetings, such as only in the morning or early afternoon. Another option is to have completely meeting-free afternoons/mornings, allowing your team to have large, uninterrupted blocks of time to focus on their work without any interruptions. By clustering meetings and providing dedicated work time, you can help ensure that…