5 ways to stay alert in a boring meeting
how you can enjoy a shitty meeting!
This is probably needed by everyone. At one time or the other, you might have been in a meeting or a gathering of some sort and be trying hard not to fall asleep. Over the years, I have been frequently attending very boring meetings due to the nature of my job and also because I am a student in a university seriously chasing top ten in Africa, therefore, causing me to be present at many academic paper presentations and inaugural lectures. Most times though, I guess I just look for trouble on my own and just attend some meetings to waste away time. So whatever category you belong to, maybe it is your job, your studentship, or you are just a curious cat, here are 5 proven ways (by me) to be alert in order not to embarrass your self by falling asleep in a meeting.
1. Breathe play
I know it sounds weird and kinky but let us not get distracted. This method of diverting time is a way to get your mind out of the meeting and help yourself breath properly. This method helps to keep you alert, keeps blood pumping to your important parts and at the same time keeps you from panicking. To do this, you should be in a well-ventilated room, you should have a wristwatch that has a stopwatch feature or maybe a wall clock or any clock within the meeting venue. Just try and see how long you can go without breathing and do it repeatedly. See it as a game, and you trying to beat your high score. In my last boring meeting, my highest score was 1 minutes 15seconds. If you do this, you will be amazed at how much fun you are having, while you try keeping a straight face.
Please note: Don’t over do it, stop when you can’t take it anymore. Try to keep a 30 minutes interval between each time you stop breathing. Also, when you are stopping, don’t draw attention to yourself with your breathing, be calm and be coordinated.
2. write down anything that comes to your mind
Based on experience, I understand how hard it is to get ideas to write down in a meeting, most times I end up drawing very weird cartoon characters. You don’t have to play it safe here, there are no rules, just write, It might be what you are planning to tell your friend, partner or whoever, just go for it and put it in writing. It might even be a business idea, an idea for your next article or a question you plan on asking the speaker or something the speaker said that you don’t agree with or even a song or football or basketball formation for your team, put it in writing and just develop on it from there. You might be shocked by how much you can put down in writing in a boring meeting.
3. Think
If writing doesn’t get your engine running, maybe thinking might. You can think of a variety of things, just to distract yourself from the meeting. What you are going to do next after the meeting, the food you like, someone you like. ANYTHING. The good thing about this is, you are not limited in your options here. sometimes, I feel shy when I write some particular things in public, I get the feeling that the person sitting next to me is probably peeping into what I am writing but with the idea in your head, you don’t have to be shy. You can take as much time as you want to define and picture what you want. It is encouraged.
4. Talk to someone
This is rude, but in conditions where it is possible to do, it is very effective. You can just talk with the person next to you, maybe your friend or someone you know is in the meeting with you, you can start a conversation with a stranger, if you are bored, there are many chances that half of everyone at the meeting too is bored, and probably, one of those people in the bored category can be sitting next to you.
Please note: don’t get people annoyed with this, some people might be very much fascinated by the meeting you are bored with, so talking to a stranger should really be done with caution and talking generally should be kept at silent whispers level.
5. Leave
If you are bored in a meeting, It might be that you don’t need what is happening in the meeting in your life right now, so in cases where it is possible to leave, Just leave. If you attend a 5 hours meeting or conference and at the end of the day, all you were able to gain was Nothing. It’s probably because you don’t need it presently. You can go and do something fun. And maybe, when the time is right, opportunity can bring the meeting to you when you are ready for it. Let’s face it, football fans don’t sleep in the stadium. Maybe, you should just go and find something you are interested in doing, or a topic you are fascinated with and gain actual life experience. Don’t attend meetings to prove a point or to make yourself feel better, you’ll just end tk up, using yourself up for nothing. If it is your job, I think it’s left for you to make the choice, not me, but maybe leaving the job can be the solution to your boredom, maybe not, getting a new job might not be that easy. Ciao!
