FREE CALCULATOR
One-on-one time calculator: how much time do your 1:1s take?
One-on-ones are the highest-value hours a manager spends, but they add up. See the real total, then decide on length and frequency with your eyes open.
Weekly, fortnightly or monthly?
- Weekly: new team members, new managers, or fast-changing work.
- Fortnightly: experienced people in a stable team.
- Monthly: only if you talk often in other ways. It is easy to lose touch.
If the total is too high
- Shorten rather than cancel: 20 focused minutes beats a skipped meeting.
- Use a shared agenda so prep is quick.
- With more than 8 reports, consider whether the team needs another lead.
What the numbers look like
These examples assume 30-minute meetings plus 10 minutes of preparation and notes, so 40 minutes per person per meeting.
- Six reports, weekly: 208 hours a year, or about 4 hours a week. That is about 10% of a 40-hour week.
- Six reports, every two weeks: 104 hours a year, about 2 hours a week, or 5% of the week.
- Six reports, monthly: 48 hours a year, under an hour a week, about 2% of the week.
- Eight reports, weekly: 277 hours a year, about 5.3 hours a week, or 13% of the week.
- Four reports, weekly: 139 hours a year, about 2.7 hours a week, or 7% of the week.
Choosing a rhythm
Frequency matters more than length. A short weekly meeting builds a habit where small problems come up early. A long monthly one tends to turn into a review of everything that went wrong since the last time. If you cannot afford weekly for everyone, mix the rhythm: weekly for people who are new or in a difficult stretch, fortnightly for steady performers, and make sure nobody drops below once a month.
Treat the calculator as a way to protect the time, not to cut it. If the total looks high, that is often a sign that a manager is trying to run too many direct reports, not that one-on-ones are a waste.
Signs your one-on-ones are not working
- You do most of the talking, and the same updates could have been an email.
- Meetings are often cancelled or shortened, and nobody asks for them back.
- People say “all good” every time. That is a sign they do not yet feel safe raising problems.
- Actions from last time are not mentioned, so nothing changes between meetings.
Making the time count
- Let the other person set the agenda first. Their topics come before yours.
- Keep notes in one place so each meeting starts from the last one.
- Protect the slot. Moving a one-on-one tells the person where they rank, so reschedule instead of cancelling.
- Use the free one-on-one notebook to keep the agenda and action items together.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a one-on-one be?
Thirty minutes weekly is a common default. Shorter is fine if it is regular and focused on the other person.
How many direct reports is too many?
It depends on the work, but past roughly 8 to 10 it becomes hard to hold good one-on-ones and do anything else.
Should preparation time be counted?
Yes. A good one-on-one needs a few minutes to read the last notes and think about what to raise, and a few minutes to write down what was agreed. The calculator adds both, and you can set preparation to zero if you do not prepare.
What if my people are remote or in different time zones?
The time is the same, but the slot is harder to protect. Fix a regular time that works for both of you, and treat it as a priority. The time zone meeting planner can help find one.
Is 10% of my week on one-on-ones too much?
For most people managers it is a reasonable share. If it is above 15%, check the number of direct reports and the length of each meeting before cutting the frequency.