Beyond the 1 hour meeting
The 1 hour slot has long been the default meeting duration – whether team gatherings, introductory coffees, or job interviews.
While the times are indeed a changing, the 1 hour slot is largely still the default setting.
Here’s another method to try when you’re meeting a fellow human being.
20, then 120.
First, 20 minutes – either on a call or in-person.
Tight and polite, but with enough space for some colour to shine through.
In that time you’ll know if there’s a vibe, a connection, an alignment.
In fact you’ll probably know in way less time than that (come on, tell me you haven’t been on a date where you knew within 30, 10 or even 5 seconds…or I am just vacuous?) [1]
If that interaction feels good, next time forget the 1 hour slot and step it right up to 120.
2 whole hours blocked off.
I’ve heard people call this “Valuable Slowness”.
It’s time to get to know one other property, beyond the allotted hour.
Time to go on tangents, find otherwise hidden areas of mutual interests.
Get into values, vulnerabilities, needs, wants, what really
The 1-hour slot still works well in many contexts, but in our always-on networked world, it’s worth investing in some valuable slowness.
[1] Pro tip: Within the first few minutes of meeting my wife for the first time I referred to her industry as vacuous (well before finding out what industry she worked in). Possibly a world record for scoring an own goal.