Most meetings are a waste of time. So the best way to avoid it is to say NO. But in the society, we are living in, we get judged or termed as assholes for being a straight shooter. So my mantra is simple, chat over WhatsApp or other IMs to gauge if the meeting is needed.
Our life on this planet is limited. We are not experts in everything. It is alright to express your limitation of knowledge and turn down a meeting. It will save time for both parties.
We don’t realize how much harm we do taking meetings and throwing out our bias or half-baked knowledge to the young entrepreneurs. They are the ones living in the journey of building, and we end up confusing them. We should be extra careful with our meetings, conversations, and discussions.