One of the things that floored my autistic ass the most after a few years working in Grownup Office Land is how much people in that environment seem to like just cosplaying productivity.
And like, I'm not talking about "keep your head down, don't make waves, and look productive because you need a job." That's a valid survival strategy.
I'm talking about people who are actually in decision-making, high-ranking positions, whose raison d'être is supposedly to lead groups of people and get things done... and who seem to have no grasp on the concept of how to actually get anything done.
Having survived countless Meetings™ with such people—which were incredibly stressful for several years because I thought I missed some unspoken neurotypical agreement about how to have said Meetings™—I've come to realize that no, I understand what's happening. It's just that what's happening doesn't make any damn sense.
A group of decision-makers in a Meeting™ will get together, bat some vague concept around for an hour, set no concrete goals, make no actionable plans, make no single person accountable for actually doing anything, and then nod and smile and thank one another like they've accomplished something. They seem genuinely satisfied with the "outcome" of the Meeting™. Sometimes, someone will chime in with a Question, which usually just rehashes something that's already been said, but everyone nods along like they've said something new. I've been in group projects that got more done.
I suspect that the point of participating in a Meeting™ is not to actually accomplish anything, but to be seen as a Person Who Might Potentially Accomplish Things. A person who is Involved in the Goings-On.
So, if you are a fellow autistic and feel like you're somehow failing by not understanding the point of a Meeting™ or for not having anything "meaningful" to contribute, fear not. Productivity is not actually expected. You must simply present yourself as willing to be productive should an opportunity for productivity arise.
