Learn the art of desk-hijacking.
It replaces all those one-on-one meetings in which you ask someone’s permission or ask for an opinion.
Desk hijacking is done in two ways, planned or unplanned.
Planned Desk Hijacking
Planned is more polite: fire off a quick email saying, “Hi, I’m doing this project that I need to pick your brains about. Are you in the office today or tomorrow? I’ll pop up and see you for a quick chat”.
If they don’t respond, or if it’s someone you think might be avoiding you because they’re not delivering on a project, go for the unplanned way and just skip this stage.
Unplanned Desk Hijacking
Once you reach their desk, the efficiency of communication is beautiful.
You stand, perched on the end of their desk, in a deliberately uncomfortable position and probably distracting one or two of their colleagues too. They know this, and will do all they can to get rid of you as soon as possible, since right now, neither of you are particularly comfortable.
The conversation is stripped down to its bare bones: less of the, “How are you, how was your weekend?” kind of politeness that we all feel compelled to do, even with people we don’t particularly care about (and before you accuse me of being pompous here, I’m well aware I’m just an extra in a lot of other people’s films too!).
The end result is often an email with everything you need, which they’d much rather spend ages typing, from the comfort and quiet of their desks when you’re gone, and you’ve saved the need for a half hour meeting where at least half the time is just ‘padding’ to string it out. Watch how much you can get done by desk hijacking.
It’s an art form, it’s fun, and its productivity potential will seriously blow your mind.
Like this? Try these …
Making Meetings Magic workshop – Think Productive UK
TASK – Change the world one meeting at a time – Think Productive UK
5 Alternatives to Time-Wasting Meetings – Lifehacker
Shake It Up: Alternative Meeting Strategies – CBS News