Boring meetings seem to be part of working life.

And they're are more than just a waste of sandwiches, lukewarm fruit juice and filtered coffee that tastes like water (I know, don't criticise the coffee, you'll be old and weak one day yourself).

When they're deathly dull, meetings can be the biggest time-wasters out.
That's what caught my eye when I came across this guide, The art of holding useless meetings.

How to become a five-star time-wasting manager? According to this piece, all you need to do is stuff like start late, call meetings that have no real purpose, never have an agenda, never set an ending time, refuse to make any decisions, talk about how the organisation needs to have better meetings and always call another meeting.

Simple really. No wonder there are so many bad meetings.

And how do we make better meetings? There are some pretty simple rules:

Know why you are having a meeting (yes, it sounds obvious but think about it: how many meetings are held only because they're "always" held that day and time?); before you call one, ask yourself whether a meeting is the most effective way to get things done; know what you want from the meeting; use an agenda, and design it around questions like what needs to happen and in what order; stick to the agenda and choose an appropriate venue. Oh yeah, try to have it before lunch.

Any other tips? How many boring meetings go on at your workplace? And how do you deal with it? What are some of the most boring meetings you've been to?