What are speedy meetings?

Speedy meetings is a setting in Google Calendar that automatically shortens the duration of your events and meetings. When enabled, it reduces the length of:

• 30-minute meetings to 25 minutes
• 45-minute meetings to 40 minutes
• 60-minute meetings to 50 minutes

By creating buffer time between meetings, speedy meetings help you:

• Avoid back-to-back meetings: This allows for a quick mental break or transition between meetings, preventing burnout and improving focus.
• Stay on track: Knowing you have less time can help you and your attendees stay focused on the agenda and avoid rambling.
• Encourage preparation: With less time, everyone is more likely to come prepared, leading to more productive discussions.
• Reduce meeting fatigue: Shorter meetings mean less mental strain, leaving you and your attendees feeling more energized throughout the day.

How to enable speedy meetings?

Enabling speedy meetings is a simple setting change in Google Calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right corner.
3. Select "Settings."
4. Under "Event settings," check the box next to "Speedy meetings."

Best practices for using speedy meetings

Here are best practices to remember when using speedy meetings to cut back on your time in events:

• Communicate the change: Let your attendees know that you're using speedy meetings and why. This will help them adjust their expectations and prepare accordingly.
• Set a clear agenda: With less time, it's even more important to have a clear agenda and stick to it.
• Start & end on time: Respect the shortened time limit and avoid running over.
• Use technology: Take advantage of features like screen sharing and collaborative documents to keep meetings focused and productive.
• Get feedback: Ask your attendees for feedback on their experience with speedy meetings. This will help you determine if it's working for everyone and make adjustments as needed.
• Use buffer times: Many companies don’t end up sticking to a speedy meeting even when explicitly using them. So, sometimes having some buffer time in between your meetings is helpful to prevent your calendar from being overwhelmed. You can either schedule these manually or use the free Reclaim Buffer Time tool for Google Calendar to automatically schedule breaks after meetings, and even focus time sessions.