Sometimes it feels like too many meetings are keeping us from getting any real work done. Sometimes it doesn’t just feel that way, it is that way, as we face down an entire day of back-to-back meetings. Yet, at the same time, we worry that it’s rude to turn down a request (for a meeting or otherwise), and we flinch away from saying “no.”
There is a simple way to filter out some of these requests and reclaim your time without directly saying no! Respond with a small request in return. This is especially useful for cold openers or vague requests. By asking the requester for a small time investment, you weed out people who want something for nothing and aren’t willing to make even a minimal effort in exchange for some of your time.
In the case that someone has asked you for a meeting, you can respond with a request for a more detailed agenda. Could they provide a list of questions they want to discuss? Or what about you or your background made them wish to speak with you? Could they share more context on what they hope to accomplish during the meeting? If the person provides answers, it will make the meeting more productive. If they don’t respond, no meeting.
If you are being asked for information or handed a task to execute, you can ask some clarifying questions on the desired outcome. If you get a response, the details provided help to ensure that the time and effort you put in accurately reflect the request. This prevents lost time (from working in the wrong direction) and yields a higher quality output.
As you get familiair with this technique of responding with a small return request, I’m sure you will find additional areas of application. (Let me know!)
There is even the bonus tactic of delaying your response. While this technique needs to be used judiciously, depending on who is sending the request (your boss, for example, will merit a different approach than a coworker or an internet stranger), it can be very effective. For example, if someone has asked you for a piece of information they already have, they’re just having trouble finding it in their inbox or they forgot, delaying your response by thirty minutes may lead them to find it on their own. Responding quickly and consistently to such requests, however, can teach the person to use you as external memory storage and lead to an increase in requests—sometimes being prompt can work against us.
Below is a variation of an email written by a long-time staffer in a United States Senate personal office. While most of us do not have such a public facing job, this email is a useful example of the bandwidth saver technique. She uses this template as a blanket response to requests for her time (frequently from people interested in working on the Hill). And because many people do not make the effort to do the minimal preparation she requests, it saves her a lot of time. Conversely, she says she has excellent meetings with people who do the requested preparation.
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Thank you for reaching out to talk about working for someone in Congress. It’s been a great choice for me—more than ten years.
I get a lot of requests for informational interviews, so to make best use of both of our time, please let me know what element of my experience is of interest to you.
My LinkedIn profile is here: URL
My boss’s bills are here: URL
I handle her TOPIC AREA portfolio.
If you still want to meet with me, let me know what you’d like to discuss so I can best prepare.
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Consider how you might craft a similar template if you struggle with too many requests for meetings or otherwise.
Best of luck reclaiming some of your time! And if you have further bandwidth saving techniques, I’d love to hear about them!
Bonus Reading Materials:
Tim Ferriss in the 4 Hour Work Week, Oliver Burkeman in Four Thousand Weeks, and Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky in Make Time all offer a variety of techniques for how to reduce the amount of email that you send and receive, another great way to save bandwidth.
First published in the Virtuous Cycles Newsletter on 15.05.2026
by Christina C. C. Willis
Sustainable Networking 