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others won’t hesitate to lay claim to whatever pieces of your time they can grab. I assure you, once you become known as an “easy mark,” people will tap you for help more and more often, until you’re completely snowed under. That doesn’t make you valuable—it makes you a sucker. So in the long run, it’s a better idea to stick to your guns and learn to say no clearly, so you can maintain your workload (not to mention your sanity) at a viable level. Then you won’t
become
the curmudgeon in the corner.
RESCUING YOUR TIME FROM MEETINGS
    An important part of working in the professional world is collaboration and teamwork. Meetings, appointments, and conference calls are essential in making this happen. Unfortunately, meetings are among the worst time-stealers in corporate America. It seems that the more “important” (or higher-level) a person is within an organization’s hierarchy, the more time is spent in meetings.
    Unfortunately, many meetings really don’t do much, other than use up valuable time. Exceptions exist, and some leaders run them well—but most do not. You’d have a hard time eliminating meetings entirely, since they’re a staple in the corporate culture. However, if you’re going to perform at your productive best, you definitely have to apply the “less is more” concept to meetings.
Less Time in Conference Rooms
    You need to find a way to spend
more
time working and less time in meetings. You can accomplish just about everything done in a meeting more efficiently in another format. For example, you might use e-mail for status updates and report distribution. In fact, a well-crafted e-mail is often as effective as a sit-down meeting. So why do we waste our time with face time?
    I do think in-person meetings have some valid uses. Work is done and decisions are made in meetings. They’re helpful when introducing new people working together at the beginning of a project. Meetings are also valuable for hashing problems out, brainstorming, and making joint decisions—the only reason you may need to meet for more than a few minutes.
    Otherwise, I’m about 90 percent convinced that the biggest reason people call meetings is so the meeting holder can feel important. I’m also about 90 percent convinced the biggest reason people attend those meetings is so
they
can feelimportant. After all, if you’re invited to the meeting, you’re important. Right?
    As in so many other workplace situations, the simple word “no” truly comes in handy here. Let’s try it out in a meeting invitation scenario:
    Bob: “Joe, I need you to come to the meeting on interdepartmental cooperation.”
    Your answer: “Why?”
    Bob: “We need someone to represent your department’s point of view.”
    Here it is, the perfect opportunity! Tell the meeting holder, “Thanks for asking me, but no. My schedule is already full. Can you e-mail me a synopsis afterward?”
    Granted, this probably isn’t going to work with your boss, but it probably
will
work in most other cases. Base your decisions on whether or not the meeting will help accomplish your goals. If it doesn’t, why should you go?
    The meetings you do attend should be results-oriented and limited in frequency. They must also stick to the stated agenda without going off on tangents. Before you step inside, decide how much time you can invest in the meeting, and make it clear to the other participants at the beginning. If the meeting runs over schedule, you’re justified in leaving. At each meeting, strive to arrange for e-mail or telephone follow-up, rather than scheduling yet another meeting to report on your progress.
    Rather than waste time on meetings, distribute necessary information via e-mail, phone calls, and other media.
Reducing Meeting Mania
    Do you find it’s nearly impossible to get five or more attendees together at the same