Meeting Planner Math – AKA Meeting Season
Tricia “Working Really Hard to Get It All Done” Simmons, February 25, 2025
Well, we are officially here: spring meeting season 2025. Where somehow 37.5 hours' worth of work needs to fit into a 24-hour day—along with work/life balance because, “...we worry about you.”
Welcome to the countdown to spring meeting season, where logic, reason, and normal time management no longer apply. We are officially in the trenches.
Two weeks out from a conference in St. Louis. Four weeks from attending my company’s annual meeting, where I’ve been asked to lead a training session on planning documents (because, obviously, I said yes to that). And six weeks from a 4,500-attendee, 50-concurrent-session monster that will have me on-site for a full week.
Which means we’ve entered that special time of year where we begin calculating with Meeting Planner Math.
For the uninitiated, Meeting Planner Math is when the laws of physics no longer apply.
You have the workload of five people that needs to get done before the next sunrise—and it’s not just you, it’s your entire team. And that’s before accounting for minor human needs like food, sleep, or pretending to be a functioning member of society.
The Formula for Meeting Planner Math Looks Something Like This:
💻 + 📞 + 💬 + 📑 + ☕ = 😵💫
Where:
💻 is the 1,453 emails in your inbox.
And yes, I got your email. And yes, I will respond. And no, we cannot make that change. And yes, that’s a great idea, but no, not this year.📞 is the endless calls about "just one quick question."
And yes, I saw the sign on my door that says Do Not Disturb Unless It’s an Emergency—but, apparently, “emergency” is a flexible concept.💬 is the Slack messages pinging every 30 seconds.
To be fair, not for me—just for all the rest of you. I refuse to engage with IM. I also turn off all notifications because my brain CANNOT DO IT.📑 is the 67-page BEO that still needs reviewing.
For the FIFTH TIME.☕ is the only thing keeping you alive.
That, and your work besties. We literally would not survive the day, week, month, or on-site chaos without them. I adore you, Beth, Stefanie, and Frankie!!!
And, of course, none of these things can be done in sequential order. No, no. Meeting planning is a chaotic, multi-tab, brain-melting, 15-things-at-once kind of job. You answer an email, realize you need to check a contract, then someone calls about room block attrition, and suddenly it’s 2 PM, and you’ve only had coffee—it’s time to grab the snacklebox.
Why We Do It (Despite the Math Never Adding Up)
Here’s the thing about this time of year: it’s insane. It’s stressful, overwhelming, and requires the kind of multitasking that would make an air traffic controller sweat.
But it’s also the part of the job where we shine.
When everyone else is having meltdowns, we thrive in the madness. We know how to juggle the impossible. And somehow, by some miracle (or sheer force of will), we make it all happen.
So, to my fellow planners out there knee-deep in pre-event chaos: I see you. Your Meeting Planner Math is real. And you’re going to get through it.
Just remember:
✔ Drink water (Coffee does not count. I know. I hate it too.)
✔ Sleep is not a myth (Even if it feels like one.)
✔ Delegate when you can (Yes, I laughed as I typed that, too.)
✔ Surround yourself with the best.
The Bellas built themselves into a world-class aca-awesome a cappella group. You and your team are aca-awesome too—so hands in, bitches!
✔ Trust yourself. You’ve done this before. You’ll do it again. And it will be epic.
Now, back to the spreadsheets.
Footnote:
Snacklebox – Realizing that I eat like a trash panda, I put together a tackle box filled with nuts, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit, grapes, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, crackers—essentially, a charcuterie on the go. It’s relatively healthy, easy to grab from the fridge, and I can eat it anywhere. It’s been a game-changer—I’m now a bougie trash panda.
