Self Discovery By Committee

The art of politics is getting around people to get things done. Or something like that.
Madison is a city of process. Everyone wants to know exactly whats going on everywhere; people want to be more "in the know" than the person next to them; and EVERYONE needs to have their say as decisions are made. Everyone.
This results in a lot of talking. The city of Madison and Dane County have over 100 committees to address all facets of life in the area and even more subcommittees to continually address minor issues that come along. I regularly coordinate 6 standing committees and additional ad hoc committees just to keep a small non-profit moving along. The amount of meetings we hold to keep everyone informed and connected is brutal - and I don't even attend half of the public hearings or committee meetings that I SHOULD be at.
At the one committee meeting I did attend tonight I realized that I don't have the patience for that amount of verbal spewage. No meeting should last longer than an hour - that's the point where I start to check out and start dreaming about other things I could be doing. I understand the importance of the talk and how the process leads to better understanding, communication and collaborationg, but DAMN is it exhausting. I can't stand over-analyzing and pontificating on miniscule points. I want to do stuff and it makes me antsy to just talk about doing stuff.
This must be why I like rugby so much - there is immediate feedback when you say/do something. It's a lot easier to feel engaged in something when there' a tangible benefit at the end, like dodging a tackle or scoring a goal. Now that's something I can understand.
If I had the ovaries, I would just tackle the committee chair at the 1 hour mark, then maybe we could shut up and get some work done.