Why do so many of us find ourselves stuck in meeting after meeting, losing hours we could actually be using to work? In this episode, co-hosts of Headflex Rebecca Walker and Diane Williams get honest about the explosion of meetings in modern work life and what we can do about it.

Rebecca and Diane dig into how meetings have quietly become the default response to almost everything at work, even when a quick chat or email would do. They explore the habits, fears, and trust issues behind recurring meetings that overstay their welcome, as well as how remote work has made “let’s just jump on a call” the easy option.

As experienced coaches, they share practical ways to reclaim your calendar, from questioning the real purpose of every meeting to shifting the focus to outcomes, not just updates. They discuss how meetings can create a false sense of productivity, what truly makes a meeting worthwhile, and how to experiment with different formats, lengths, and approaches to collaboration.

Ready to stop letting meetings run your week? Listen in for new perspectives and practical strategies.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Why are there so many meetings?

02:06 How meetings crept into our calendars after the shift to remote work

04:29 Why quick conversations became full 30 or 45-minute meetings

06:12 How meetings become habits and questioning if they’re still useful

08:09 FOMO, trust issues, and the hidden reasons meetings persist

10:04 Is your meeting about control or genuine collaboration?

12:13 Turning agendas into questions for real engagement and outcomes

16:18 Recognising when meetings work and when they’re a waste of time

19:03 Getting intentional: Who really needs to be there, and for how long?

21:04 Practical alternatives to unnecessary meetings

22:14 Asking: keep it, change it, or kill it? Doing a calendar MOT

24:43 Respect for everyone’s time and protecting space for real work

25:35 Self-coaching questions for meeting sanity

26:47 Wrapping up: small changes, big impact for your work week

About Headflex:

If you're curious about coaching, Headflex offers a range of coaching programmes to suit different needs. 1:1 coaching, team coaching, group coaching and their Headflex in Residence programme. We also offer Headflex Lunch and Learn sessions. Visit www.headflex.co.uk to find out more.

Connect with us at Headflex:

Email: hello@headflex.co.uk

Website: www.headflex.co.uk

Instagram: www.instagram.com/head.flex/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@headflexcoaching

Connect with Rebecca Walker: www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccawalker13/

Connect with Diane Williams: www.linkedin.com/in/dianewilliams1

Produced by Winter Audio