Less Busy Lab

Meeting Defrag: How to Stop Bad Meetings from Multiplying

How much are bad meetings actually costing your company? The real number is probably worse than you think, and the dollars aren't even the scary part. Bad meetings breed burnout, stall decisions, and have a nasty habit of multiplying. This week, Alex and Moah dig into why meetings spiral out of control: the FOMO that keeps people showing up, the "meeting creep" that fills calendars without anyone noticing, and the cognitive recovery cost that makes a bad meeting even worse than the time it stole. They introduce Meeting Defrag, a framework for leaders who suspect their team's calendar is working against them. You'll hear about the CEO who was almost fired because of a really bad meeting he ran, and what happened when one company deleted every recurring meeting (12,000 of them) in a single day. They leave you with a four-question checklist for evaluating whether any recurring meeting on your calendar deserves to stay there. Plus: Moah surveys the Boomerang team about their own meetings and discovers what the team actually values about their daily standup, and it's not what you'd expect. Links from the show! Only 35% of people think they’d be missed in a given meeting https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/will-ai-fix-work [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/will-ai-fix-work] Impact of Meeting Free days https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/102394/1/The%20Surprising%20Impact%20of%20Meeting-Free%20Days.pdf [https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/102394/1/The%20Surprising%20Impact%20of%20Meeting-Free%20Days.pdf] Meeting Load Paradox https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681323001167 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681323001167] Calendly State of Meetings Report https://calendly.com/resources/guides/2024-state-of-meetings-report [https://calendly.com/resources/guides/2024-state-of-meetings-report] Got to-dos? Get GQueues! gqueues.com [http://gqueues.com] Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com [http://boomeranggmail.com] Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com [http://boomerangoutlook.com]

The Procrastination Doom Loop: How to Break Free (Science-Backed Strategies)

You know you should start that project. You know the deadline is looming. So why are you watching TikTok instead? It's actually not a willpower problem, and it’s not poor time management. In this episode, Alex and Moah dig into the surprising science of procrastination. It turns out that the conventional wisdom about why some of us put things off, wait until the last minute, and even miss deadlines entirely is inaccurate. Instead of doubling down on unhelpful advice, they reveal the tactics that can actually help you get work done on time. Along the way, you’ll learn about a nude French novelist (one of history’s most famous procrastinators), the three types of procrastination (and why only one is harmful), and three evidence-based strategies you can use to break bad habits. If you've struggled with procrastination your whole life, there's hope. And it doesn't need to involve nudity ;) Links from the show! Seminal paper on procrastination https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17201571/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17201571/] Procrastinators’ brain https://neurosciencenews.com/doer-procrastinator-brains-9724/ [https://neurosciencenews.com/doer-procrastinator-brains-9724/] Temptation bundling for exercise https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074959782030385X [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074959782030385X] Meta analysis of intervention strategies for Procrastination https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1747938X18300472 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1747938X18300472] Party tricks and Naked Writing https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/dec/30/party-tricks-and-naked-writing-the-eccentric-life-of-victor-hugo [https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/dec/30/party-tricks-and-naked-writing-the-eccentric-life-of-victor-hugo] Got to-dos? Get GQueues! gqueues.com [http://gqueues.com] Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com [http://boomeranggmail.com] Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com [http://boomerangoutlook.com]

How to Use AI Without Losing Your Edge

Microsoft's annual Future of Work report is out, and it's packed with surprising findings about how AI is reshaping the way we work. But here's the thing: the report is mostly good news wrapped in some genuinely unsettling data. In this episode, Alex and Moah dig into the 2025 report and address some uncomfortable questions: Is AI already better than doctors? What happens to your skills when AI does your job? And why are we having more meetings than ever, not fewer? You'll learn the paradoxes of AI and the situations where a shortcut can become a time suck, why meetings are exploding and the counterintuitive data on pandemic work habits and what's changed, and practical tips for staying sharp so you engage cognitively alongside AI and maintain your edge. This isn't another "AI will replace your job" panic episode. It's a thoughtful exploration of what the data actually says, where the hype ends, and what you should actually do about it. Links from the show! Microsoft’s 2025 New Future of Work Report https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/New-Future-Of-Work-Report-2025.pdf [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/New-Future-Of-Work-Report-2025.pdf] Procter & Gamble Study: AI-human teaming https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3613904.3642414 [https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3613904.3642414] AI performed better than doctors https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39466245/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39466245/] Got to-dos? Get GQueues! gqueues.com [http://gqueues.com] Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com [http://boomeranggmail.com] Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com [http://boomerangoutlook.com]

Quitters Friday and How to Conquer the “What the Hell Effect”

Today isn’t just any Friday, it’s Quitter’s Friday, the day when more people abandon their New Year's resolutions than any other day of the year. Only 18% of people report success with their resolutions by year-end, but what separates the successful few from everyone else isn't simply willpower. This episode explores the psychology behind why resolutions fail so frequently and which research-backed methods actually work for building habits. You'll discover the "What the Hell Effect" and learn the pitfalls of all-or-nothing streak-style goals, where most reminder apps fall short, and the surprising role sleep plays in building lasting habits. Whether you've already fallen off the wagon or you’ve maintained your resolution (for now), this episode arms you with tools to plot your own Quitter’s Comeback. Because day 9 of 365 is too soon to give up for good. Links from the show! Quitter's Day research data from Strava https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html [https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html] Herman & Mack’s milkshake study (What the Hell Effect) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1975.tb00727.x [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1975.tb00727.x] How sleep affects habit formation https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10374463/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10374463/] Reminders should help you remember your trigger, not act as the trigger itself https://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/71165330/Investigating_the_Impact_IWC_2019_Final.pdf [https://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/71165330/Investigating_the_Impact_IWC_2019_Final.pdf] Schedule text messages from your Gmail (it seems some carriers have shut these down, your results may vary!) https://blog.boomerangapp.com/2011/06/schedule-text-messages-from-your-gmail/ [https://blog.boomerangapp.com/2011/06/schedule-text-messages-from-your-gmail/] Got to-dos? Get GQueues! gqueues.com [http://gqueues.com] Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com [http://boomeranggmail.com] Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com [http://boomerangoutlook.com]

Why Your New Year's Resolution Will Fail (And How to Fix It Before January Ends)

Most people who make New Year's resolutions fail before February. But what if we told you that success isn't about willpower or motivation—it's about understanding how habits actually form? In this episode, Alex and Moah break down (and argue about) the science behind New Year's resolutions, from ancient Babylonian festivals to modern Stanford research. Discover why Benjamin Franklin's centuries-old method still works, why"it takes 21 days to build a habit” myth is dead wrong, and the five-step framework that converts good intentions into lasting change. Links from the show! Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg: https://tinyhabits.com/ [https://tinyhabits.com/] How to Change by Katy Milkman https://www.katymilkman.com/book [https://www.katymilkman.com/book] Habits take 66 days, not 21 days https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674 [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674] Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7725288/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7725288/] What are Americans’ New Year’s resolutions for 2025? https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/51144-what-are-americans-new-years-resolutions-for-2025 [https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/51144-what-are-americans-new-years-resolutions-for-2025] Got to-dos? Get GQueues gqueues.com [http://gqueues.com] Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com [http://boomeranggmail.com] Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com [http://boomerangoutlook.com]