How to never come unprepared to a meeting again

Few things are as unpleasant as sitting in a meeting highly aware of how unprepared you are and wishing you had spent at least a little time getting ready.

During the last meeting, you thought to yourself that you would come better prepared to this one, but the week just swooshed by and suddenly you find yourself unprepared in the meeting you swore you would attend fully prepared.

Perhaps you even just remembered that you promised someone you would do or fix something during the last meeting but have forgotten all about it since. Now you are sitting there silently praying that no one asks ”what happened with that thing you said you would do?”.

For you who prefer listening to reading, this post is also available as an episode of the “Done!” podcast:

A gentle nudge

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone would have reminded you a day or so in advance of what you needed to prepare before the meeting and again the day after, at the latest, of that you need to process the notes from the meeting and create to-do-tasks from anything you said you would do before the next gathering? If so, you would not have to suffer through yet another meeting with a knot in your stomach from feeling unprepared.

One more thing to write down?

We all have so much to do in our everyday lives already, so who has the energy to remember adding yet another task about preparing for a meeting and one about deciphering the notes afterward, for every meeting you have?

Who? Well, your computer. You can make sure all this happens automatically.

Do this

If you want to spend less time before and after meetings preparing and rounding them off but still be reminded automatically every time of what you have to do, then do the following:

If you have Microsoft 365, create a flow in Microsoft Power Automate which, when an activity is added to the calendar, creates both a preparation-to-do-task in Microsoft To-Do with the due date set the day before the meeting and a summarizing-to-do-task which is due the day after the meeting — given that the activity has the word ”meeting” (or the likes) in its title.
If you do not have Microsoft 365 and keep your calendar in G Suite, macOS, or Outlook without Microsoft 365, create a zap in the automating-service Zapier that allows the calendar-connecting-service Cronofy to keep track of when you add a new meeting and then creates both the related to-do-tasks in your to-do-list in Todoist, Asana, Trello or whatever tool you prefer using.
If you do not have Microsoft 365 and your IT-department does not allow you to connect your Outlook-calendar to Cronofy you, unfortunately, need to set the reminder for the meeting itself about 24 hours before it takes place as a signal to yourself that you need to prepare before the meeting. It is not a perfect solution, but it can be one that works somewhat.

A better overview without additional effort

If you allow the fantastic automating-services Power Automate or Zapier to write the to-do-tasks associated with meetings for you, you will not get more tasks to remember but still get the right tasks done. The chances of both arriving prepared to the meeting and not forgetting to do the things you promised you would during the previous one, increase. You get a better overview and flow in your work without really exerting any additional effort.

What’s your way?

Have you used Zapier and Power Automate for something else that has made your work and life easier? If so, please email me and share your thoughts and experiences.

(But, is there a risk that we stop thinking once we have automated?)

Do you want more tips like this?

A woman with a backpack is sitting on a rock in a desert landscape, looking at a tablet while wearing headphones.

If you want more tips on how to create good structure at work, there are many ways to get that from me - in podcasts, videos, books, talks and other formats.

Yes, I want more tips!