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Jessica Beauchamp

CEO at Jess & Co.

Serves as lead Designer, Author, and Content Curator. Holds an MBA with a focus on global communications, studied Fashion Design, and has worked as an Editor, Project Manager, and Director of Education and Communications.

Latest posts by Jessica Beauchamp (see all)

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Meetings are a staple in every business, they are unavoidable in business, but there are certain times during the day that work better for a meeting than other times. One of the worst times of day to schedule a meeting is 30 minutes prior to lunch. The 4 reasons being the following:

1. 1. Distracted. People are not entirely focused on the task at hand – and there is nothing wrong with that – it’s just the internal distraction of a grumbling stomach causing a lack of focus amongst individuals as they think about what’s for lunch or that delicious meal awaiting them in there lunch box – maybe some leftovers from the gourmet dinner the night before.
   2. Hangry. Have you ever been hangry – hungry and angry? I am sure there are many people that fall victim to this, but as you sit in a meeting that meanders closer and closer to lunch-time observe how people’s demeanor and attitude changes, even slightly. They go from agreeable to a little edgy. This is hangry, and this is not productive in business. Let them eat and then have that important meeting.
   3. Off-Topic. Rather than focusing on the topic at hand, discussions begin circling around what is for lunch. Clearly, any off-topic conversation during a meeting is not productive – so this would be best avoided by not scheduling meetings right before lunch.
   4. Time Matters. As lunch begins creeping closer, people begin watching the clock and counting down until they can eat their lunch. They start focusing more on the clock and less on the tasks at hand. Imagine if the meeting needed some extra-attention – many people would be frustrated to have to stay late in a meeting during their lunchtime and brash decisions may be made (scheduled or not, our body’s know when it’s time to eat). It’s better to become aware that the meeting needs some extra time and maybe tackle it later on, especially if a major decision is to be made than make a decision that has not been fully thought through.

What can you take away from this?

It’s best to schedule meetings to not be 30 minutes prior to lunch and not 30 minutes after lunch. Imagine that everyone has an hour-long lunch break – well, add another hour (30 minutes before and 30 minutes after) that is completely blocked off from scheduling to allow for a more efficient and productive meeting.

By allowing for 30 minutes after lunch, you’re taking into account both differing return times for employees lunch hours, as well as the sluggishness that is often felt right after a meal.

So, when is the best time to schedule a meeting?

According to a study conducted by Quartz – the absolute best time to schedule a meeting is at 2:30 pm on Tuesday. Not only are the majority of people available during this time-period, but they are also more in-tuned in the business as it’s mid-day and mid-week. So if you need to schedule an important or critical meeting – aim to do so on Tuesday at 2:30 pm.

Even if a Tuesday doesn’t work well for you, then you may want to consider Wednesday or Thursday, as well, seeing as these are also mid-week.