In a recent blog post, Gina Trapani, founding editor of Lifehacker.com, described ways to shorten meetings and increase efficiency.

Here’s a summary of her “extreme” techniques and my thoughts on why I agree:

1. Keep everyone standing
A bit extreme, yes, but keeping everyone standing means people have a vested interest in finishing the meeting early. The meeting will only finish early if you reach your objectives. I have also found that most people think better when standing or slowly pacing.

2. Ban distractions
No mobile devices and no laptops means people aren’t checking email or doing online shopping during a lengthy meeting.

3. Schedule 30-minute meetings
Let’s face it: when you pass the 30-minute mark in a meeting, you start thinking about food. Daydreaming about lunch or what snack you want to have does not make for an efficient and valuable meeting.

One last note that Gina didn’t mention that makes a big difference: provide a simple overview of why you’re having the meeting, the contribution you’re expecting from those attending the meeting, and what happens after the meeting ends. Now go have an effective meeting.