Every meeting hour requires at least three hours of total time investment from necessary attendees
The Core Model
Meetings don't just take your time when you are together. For every hour you spend in a meeting room or in a Teams or Zoom call, necessary attendees need to budget at least three total hours across preparation, the meeting itself, and execution.
This isn't overhead. This is the work that makes meetings valuable and produce results.
Prep
Research, agenda, materials
Meet
The actual meeting
Execute
Follow-up, actions, delivery
Role-Based Allocation
The 3x ratio is constant, but the allocation will vary by role. An example comparison is organizers who need more prep time but will not have implementation responsibilities after the meeting vs. implementers who attend the meeting with no prep but will be responsible to execute the decisions made in the meeting.
Meeting Organizer
2 hrs Prep + 1 hr Meet + 0 hrs Execute
Heavy upfront work creating agendas, gathering context, and setting clear objectives means minimal follow-up needed.
Attendee
0 hrs Prep + 1 hr Meet + 2 hrs Execute
Minimal preparation but significant execution time implementing decisions and completing assigned actions.
⚠️ If the 3× ratio doesn't hold...
You may be in an inefficient meeting, or you maybe you shouldn't be there at all. Ask yourself: Is this meeting poorly run, or am I not a necessary participant?
Why This Matters
When you schedule a one-hour meeting, you're not just asking for 60 minutes -you're asking for at least three hours of capacity from each necessary attendee. Recognizing this helps you:
→ Schedule fewer, better meetings
→ Invite only essential participants
→ Properly allocate time for pre-work and follow-through
→ Measure the true time requirements and costs of your meeting culture
But what about...?
High-level advisory meetings: Some strategic meetings include advisors who attend with minimal prep and no implementation responsibilities. They're there to listen and offer perspective which is a valid exception to the 3× rule for that specific role.
Brainstorming sessions: Pure ideation meetings may not require extensive prep or follow-up. However, if most of your meetings are "brainstorming," that's a warning sign. Brainstorming should be the exception, not the norm.
The real question: What are your goals with meetings? If you can't clearly articulate the prep needed, the decisions to be made, and the actions that will follow, reconsider having the meeting.