You hear the high-pitched “ping” on your computer. Who are you kidding? You could detect that sound 5 miles away at this point. Your heart starts beating triple time, adrenaline rushing through your veins as you reduce a few tabs to check your notifications. (And there are many, many tabs.) Will the “ping” be good news? A fun email, perhaps? Will it mean more work, less work or perhaps that someone is pleased with your work? The anxiety builds as you approach the notification.

There it is. Another meeting invite.

From standup morning check-ins to sit-downs with the boss, client meetings to product launch strategizing sessions, your day can fill up pretty quickly. In fact, most employees attend an average of 62 meetings per month. What’s more? Up to half of those meetings are considered a complete waste of time. If you’re a hiring manager, you may find yourself in meetings all day, interviewing potential new hires and keeping up with the work progress of employees. And salespeople? Not only are they in training and check-ins, but they’re out trying to pedal the product to whoever might bite. It’s almost endless.

Microsoft’s Human Factors Lab recently published findings associated with the effects of back-to-back meeting schedules. 14 study participants sat through video meetings wearing electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment so that the electrical activity in their brains could be monitored. One day was committed to endless meetings. During the second day, each participant was given 10-minute meditation breaks between their respective meetings. The results are, honestly, pretty incriminating.

So, what exactly happens when your day is filled with meetings?

Back to back meetings increase stress

Meetings are overwhelming. They can be especially so when you are an active participant in the discussion, or responsible for any slight detail. Whether done in person, via phone or video call or in an open chat, there is stress associated with any interaction at pretty much any time of day. Many meetings usurp a ridiculous amount of workers’ time. In fact, video call fatigue in particular has been on everyone’s minds in the last few years, and this type of meeting schedule is absolutely to blame. Burnout is on the rise.

Even if you don’t feel physical stressors as a result of the meetings, a tight schedule filled with meetings doesn’t allow for adequate time for your brain to rest and reset. The idea of scheduling multiple meetings a day alone is stressful. Then, you are expected to bring your A-game to every table, a notebook full of ideas and innovation to take your company into a new phase successfully. The stress associated with meeting prep alone is off the charts. These are some of the many reasons cumulative stress is a common result of a rigorous, meeting-filled schedule.

Being in fight-or-flight mode all day could make it difficult to relax after working hours as well. Here are some stress management tips that should take priority during your workday to set you up for more work/life balance.

Back to back meetings reduce focus

How could you possibly get a moment to engage with the material from your 8 am meeting if you rolled right into a 10 am meeting and have another call right after that? Having any length of time to focus on the task at hand is almost impossible given the circumstances, especially when the meetings on your calendar are about varying topics. Meeting exhaustion also has a tendency to lead to instances of social loafing, or individuals exerting less effort in a group situation than they would work alone. How could you possibly innovate in your industry or workspace with that level of exhaustion looming over you?

On the flip side, incorporating breaks in between meetings can be incredibly productive for your workday. When participants in the Microsoft study were given meditation breaks, brainwave patterns improved dramatically. Engagement increased, and their ability to focus on the task at hand increased tenfold.

Back to back meetings discourage advancement

With less time to focus on – and engage with – your work, productivity and advancement can be massively curbed. A lot of people work well after digesting meeting information and moving forward with solitary brainstorming. Then, they can approach a group brainstorming session with sound ideas already available to build upon. When there is no space in your schedule to work with your own self-knowledge and industry experience, it could hinder the growth of your company – and your advancement within its ranks – far more than you’d like.

How to work away from the back to back chaos

If your work does require meetings on a regular basis, consider scheduling them with de-briefing time in between. After all, how does your boss expect you to brainstorm and react to meeting notes and ideas if you are provided no time to collect your thoughts and digest in the information at hand? If you can shorten meeting lengths at all, it is in your best interest to do so. If you are in charge of a more diplomatic agenda, refer to Robert’s Rules Of Order for a more palatable experience.

Prioritize a minimum of 20-30 minute breaks between events for your well-being. Here are some tips for effective meeting management to help move your obligations along in a productive and helpful manner.