What do we want? MORE TIME! When do we want it? NOW! We see that most clearly as we move into a new year.

Reflection on 2017 shows us where our time went (work, kids, binge-watching Stranger Things) and where it didn’t go, but we wanted it to (exercise, learning Japanese, cleaning out the garage). There’s never enough time to check everything off the to-do list, especially at work. And the only thing more painful than not having enough time is helplessly watching as your precious time is wasted. For 2018, let’s tackle a huge time-waster for many employees: unnecessary meetings, which are bad for morale, bad for productivity, and if you’re the one holding the meeting, bad for your image.

Before you send your next meeting invitation, answer these five questions:

1. Is an in-person meeting absolutely necessary? We all know the ants-in-your-pants agony of being stuck in a meeting that could have been handled by email, conference call, or blinking Christmas lights. Channel that feeling when you decide whether to hold a meeting. As a litmus test, make sure your talking points impact the whole department or require all the attendees’ input at once.
2. Is your objective clear? Emailing an agenda with a clear objective gives people time to prepare their data and ideas. A clear objective will also help you steer the meeting toward quantifiable results (which is why those 3-hour “status update” meetings aren’t so useful).
3. Who do you need to invite? Emphasis is on need—people immediately required to contribute or discuss information. If you’re solving a problem, invite the people who will offer the most useful information. If you’re announcing a change, include the people who will be directly impacted. And think whether you need to invite people for FYI purposes, when you could easily send them a post-meeting summary.
4. Can you start and end on time? Starting a meeting late will irritate those who arrived on time, and will ensure no one arrives on time for your future meetings. Running over costs you, too—in productivity when key players leave early to attend other obligations, and in respect when employees realize you can’t adequately control your agenda. So arrive early to ensure you’re prepared to start on time, and keep a close watch on the clock as you go. Steer the meeting as needed and suggest extraneous topics be discussed offline.
5. Are you prepared to follow up? Before the meeting, designate a note-taker to record the decisions made and actions to be taken as a result of the meeting. Be sure to include any assignments and deadlines. Within 24 hours of the meeting, send this as a memo to the meeting attendees and any FYI non-attendees.

Thoughtful meeting preparation will give everyone the gift of time in 2018! So when you’re ready to launch your next super-efficient meeting, be sure to circulate a focused agenda, invite only the necessary players, and run your meeting with time and end-goals in mind. Your employees will thank you for the time well spent!