21 October 2026
The Meeting Has Booked Another Meeting
The meeting begins with a quick round of updates. By the end of the round, several updates have become outdated.
Nobody is quite sure what needs deciding. The agenda says “alignment,” which gives everyone permission to explain where they are coming from without arriving anywhere.
One person shares a spreadsheet. Another shares a concern about the spreadsheet. A third suggests a separate meeting so the concern can receive the uninterrupted attention the spreadsheet was hoping for.
There are five minutes left. Someone asks about next steps. This produces the first unanimous decision of the morning: we need another meeting.
Finding a time takes longer than discussing the problem. Thursday is full. Friday is protected focus time, although the protection appears to be advisory. Monday works if everyone moves something that was moved last week.
The invitation lands before the current call ends. It has an agenda, six attendees and a reassuring title: “Moving Forward.” The work remains exactly where we left it.
You leave the call and change your status to busy. For the first time today, the calendar is telling the truth.