This is what you gain by arriving on time to meetings
Datum: 2026-04-07 08:04
Is it important for meetings to start on time? Yes, I think most people agree on that. But beyond personal preferences and values about respecting colleagues’ time, it has now been shown that meetings that start after the scheduled time are worse than those that begin when they are supposed to.
For you who prefer listening to reading, this post is also available as an episode of the ""Done!"" podcast:
Late start leads to poorer results
In a study at the University of Nebraska, Allen, Lehmann-Willenbrock, and Rogelberg had several hundred participants take part in meetings that started on time, 5 minutes late, or 10 minutes late. Afterwards, they found that the meetings that started late
- were perceived as worse by the participants
- resulted in fewer new ideas
- produced new ideas of lower quality
- worsened the working climate between participants (they were harsher in tone with each other and criticized one another more)
It therefore seems that we can all, with fairly simple means, reduce the risk of several negative consequences — for ourselves and for the organization we work in — by arriving on time to our meetings. This applies to both physical and digital meetings.
Do this
To increase the chances that you arrive on time and that the meeting can start on time, for example, do the following:
- Use calendar reminders so that you are alerted that you have a meeting soon — and remove reminders you do not need. Otherwise, you risk stopping paying attention to the reminder you receive, since it becomes just one among all the reminders that come all the time.
- Add buffer time between meetings so that you avoid one meeting ending the minute before the next one is supposed to begin.
- In the morning, make it a habit to review your calendar for the day and remind yourself of the meetings you have (and preferably also take a look at the coming days).
- Assume that it will take longer than you think to get to the meeting (or log in to it) and factor that in when you calculate how much time you need before the meeting.
Better, more pleasant, and more accomplished
If you do what you can to ensure that your meetings can start on time more often than they have so far, you and the other participants will have better meetings, with a more positive atmosphere and where you get more done at a higher quality. This is judging by what emerged in the mentioned study.
How do you do it?
What is your trick for always arriving on time to meetings? Send me your tips! I would like more suggestions than the four examples I gave here, so I am curious about what you have to share.
(Speaking of meetings, feel free to also read my tips on how to never come unprepared to a meeting again!)
You can get more!
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.
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