How to Protect Your Energy in Back-to-Back Meetings
It’s 4PM. Your coffee (or matcha) sits cold on the corner of your desk, you haven’t had lunch yet, and you really need a bathroom break. You’re on your fifth meeting of the day, with three more still to go. Your energy feels drained, your focus scattered. Sounds familiar?
Unfortunately, this scenario is very common in corporate life. Back-to-back meetings have become the norm. But if we’re being honest: it’s not a sustainable way of working. Corporate culture often celebrates constant availability and the idea that being “on” 24/7 equals success. But the most successful women don’t work non-stop. Instead, they protect their boundaries and often have small rituals that help them protect and sustain their energy.
Because real growth, both in your career and in your well-being, requires balance. Protecting your energy prevents burnout, supports long-term success, improves the quality of your work, and brings back joy to the workday.
Here are a few practices that help me (and they might help you, too) protect my energy during workdays that are packed with meetings.
1. Guard your lunch break
It sounds so obvious and basic, but blocking lunch in your calendar is a game-changer. Because, if it’s in your schedule, usually no one will book over it (exceptions allowed, of course). Giving yourself that pause in the middle of the day really sets the tone for everything else. Take half an hour or an hour to eat your lunch, disconnect, gaze out the window, or go for a stroll.
2. Block time for your real work
Meetings are usually only part of the job. Processing information, writing strategies, and creating deliverables are just as important. So, treat them as meetings with yourself and block focus hours in your calendar. Same goes for email. Try to give it a dedicated slot instead of checking constantly. This way, you actually do your work, not just talk about it.
3. Build in mini buffers
Instead of scheduling meetings of 30 minutes, make it 25. And instead of an hour, make it 50. Even five minutes between calls gives you time to breathe, refill your water, stretch, or simply reset your mind. You can only do this for the meetings you schedule yourself, of course, but you can always ask colleagues or clients to give back a few minutes too. I’ve never heard anyone complain about that…
4. Reset your posture
I often catch myself sitting in “comfortable” but slouchy positions that leaves me feeling like a grandma by the end of the day. A quick posture check, shoulder roll, or neck stretch mid-meetings keeps my body from feeling like an 85-year old. Small movements go a long way (I consider this a reminder to self, btw).
“Don’t worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.”
5. Keep your space calm
The busier my day, the tidier my desk needs to be. A cluttered environment usually makes me feel overwhelmed, consciously or not. A clear desk helps me focus on the task at hand, free from any distraction.
6. Shift your mindset
This one is the hardest but also the most powerful. When I know a full day of meetings is ahead, I tend to fall into “survival mode.” Instead, I try to reframe it: today is full of opportunities to show up as my best self, connect with colleagues and customers, and make an impact - whether that’s big or small. Between meetings, I allow myself small breaths and try to keep my presence.
Protecting your energy doesn’t mean you need to make big changes. Instead, it is about small, intentional choices that add up. When you start to value your energy as much as your output at work, everything shifts: your performance, your confidence, your energy, and most importantly: your joy.