Welcome to something new.

Every Friday, I'm answering one real question from a real leader. No theory. No fluff. Just the stuff you're actually dealing with. And what I'd do about it.

If you've got a question you'd like me to tackle, just hit reply. I read every one.

Let's get into it.

Hi Cristina! I've been there. I get it. (You have no idea…)

When I was in executive leadership at a global company, my calendar wasn't just full. It was hostile. Back-to-back from morning to night.

And because the team was spread across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, "morning to night" sometimes meant 2am calls with colleagues overseas.

If it was my daytime, someone else was up in the middle of their night. Nobody won.

I spent years like that. Running from session to session, talking about work all day. Then doing the actual work at night.

It was unsustainable. And it was making me a worse leader.

Eventually, we had to change the meeting culture at the company. Not tweak it. Change it.

We minimized "spectators" and limited invites to active participants who were needed for decisions.

We started recording meetings so people in different time zones could watch during their working hours instead of losing sleep.

We replaced live meetings with shared documents, video messages, and chat whenever possible.

It didn't happen overnight. But the difference was massive.

So when you say you're drowning 4 months in, I take that seriously. Because if you don't fix this now, it only gets worse.

Some of those meetings are in your control. And some aren't.

Both require a different playbook. Let's talk about each.

This is where you have the most power. And probably the most waste.

New managers tend to hold about a third more meetings than experienced leaders. Not because the work demands it.

Because meetings feel productive. They feel like leadership.

They're not. Most of the time, they're a crutch.

So do a calendar audit. Look at every recurring meeting you created or control. For each one, ask yourself 3 questions:

If nothing breaks when you cancel it, it wasn't essential. Kill it.

For the meetings that survive the audit, tighten them up:

I built this decision tree based on a concept from Elizabeth Grace Saunders' article in Harvard Business Review. It's a quick gut-check before you schedule (or accept) any meeting. 

This is the harder part. You're 4 months in. You're getting pulled into meetings by people above you. Directors. VPs. Cross-functional leads.

You can't just decline your boss's standing meeting.

But you can be strategic about how you show up.

Ask for the agenda ahead of time. If there isn't one, that tells you something. And it gives you a natural opening: "I want to make sure I come prepared. Can you share what we're covering?"

Negotiate your presence. Not every meeting needs you for the full hour. Try: "I'd love to join for the first 15 minutes when we cover [X]. Can I drop after that to get back to my team?"

Most leaders will respect that. It shows you value their time and yours.

Propose async alternatives. When you're invited to something that's really just an update, reply with: "Would it be helpful if I sent you a written update instead? Happy to join if you'd rather discuss live."

You're not being difficult. You're modeling the meeting discipline you want your own team to adopt.

Talk to your boss directly. If your calendar is genuinely unmanageable, have an honest conversation. Not a complaint. A problem you're solving together.

"I want to make sure I'm spending my time where it has the most impact. Right now I'm in meetings from 8 to 5 most days and I don't have time for deep thinking or 1:1s with my team. Can we look at which ones I really need to be in?"

A good boss will help you prioritize. If they don't, that's useful information too.

The research backs this up. Companies that reduced meetings by 80% saw a 74% jump in productivity and a 62% increase in satisfaction.

That's not a rounding error. That's a transformation.

But it starts with you deciding that thinking time is non-negotiable.

Block 2 hours on your calendar this week. Label it something that discourages people from booking over it. "Strategic Planning" or "Deep Work Block."

Treat it like your most important meeting of the day.

Because it is.

Open your calendar right now. Count how many meetings you have this week.

Now circle the ones you own. For each one, ask: "Could this be an email?"

Cancel at least 2 this week. Replace them with a quick video, written update, or a shared doc.

Then block 2 hours of uninterrupted thinking time.

Your team doesn't need you in more meetings, Cristina. They need you to have the space to actually lead.

Keep leading forward,
Justin

P.S. Some of my most viral posts were written on this topic. Check out this one and this one.