It’s always tempting. I look at my calendar and think, “I’m not as prepared as I wanted to be. This morning has been busier than expected. Maybe we should push this meeting to later in the week.”
But I’ve learned that postponing meetings often creates more problems than it solves. A short delay today almost always has ripple effects tomorrow. Projects inch forward more slowly, decisions drag out, and momentum fades.
The Power of Showing Up
When I resist the urge to postpone and keep the meeting — even if it’s shorter than planned— something almost always happens:
- The conversation sharpens my own thinking.
- I ask better questions.
- I delegate more effectively.
- And we keep moving forward.
I rarely regret keeping a meeting. But I often regret postponing one.
A Lesson From Air Travel
It reminds me of flying. If you’ve ever sat at a gate waiting to board a flight, you know the frustration when departure gets delayed. A fifteen-minute delay doesn’t just mean arriving fifteen minutes later. It can mean circling for a new landing slot, missing a connection, or a cascading set of disruptions across the entire journey.
Meetings are like that. When they get pushed back, the delays rarely stay contained. They ripple through schedules, decisions, and progress — often costing far more than the meeting itself would have.
When It’s Right to Postpone
Of course, there are exceptions. Illness, emergencies, or circumstances beyond control sometimes require rescheduling. But in the normal course of business, the discipline of keeping meetings pays off far more often than it costs.
A Call to Action
So the next time you’re tempted to move a meeting, pause and consider the ripple effect. Could keeping it, even shorter or less polished, actually help your team keep moving forward?
What about you? How do you decide when to keep a meeting and when to postpone it?
