The last plane out.

YOU KNOW what it's like sitting around a board table trying to schedule an ad hoc meeting with your fellow directors. Finding a date, even for a telephone meeting, is not easy, and is made more difficult as over-50-something executives try to figure out how to use their electronic calendars. Directors are some of the most overscheduled and overcommitted executives.

Not so long ago, fitting in a handful of board meetings and a few relatively short committee meetings (scheduled conveniently around the board date) was not too challenging. Board meetings typically lasted the morning, followed by lunch. Directors had little problem making early afternoon planes, which got them home in time for dinner.

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Times have changed, especially the demands on a director's time. Board meetings in general and committee meetings in particular are taking up a lot more time. Virtually every board meeting tacks on an executive session, which often includes lengthy discussions on important issues such as CEO succession. And committee meetings, particularly the audit and comp meetings, can take up the better part of a day with their seemingly ever-expanding agendas. Moreover, chairs of these committees must spend countless hours working with management and outside consultants to prepare for these sessions.

During strategic initiatives such as an acquisition or sale and in times of crisis, directors may have weekly and often daily in-person or telephone meetings. When pursuing a recent deal, my fellow directors spoke every day and had at least one board meeting per week. As one of my board colleagues commented, "Board work can absorb much of your time, and sometimes can consume all of it."

As reported by the National Association of Corporate Directors, surveys show that the average amount of time spent on board matters has doubled in the past 10 years--from about 100 hours per year to nearly 200 hours. In larger, more complex companies, that commitment can easily triple. As board agendas grow, this number will continue to rise. Recognizing these time demands, most boards are limiting their CEOs and other top executives to service on one or at most two outside boards.

In an article in the June 18 New York Times, "the harried professional class" bemoan their overscheduled lives to the point where they welcome a cancellation that provides "the gift of free time." Though most directors give generously and willingly of their time, I have noticed "the sigh of relief" referenced in the Times article when a previously scheduled board meeting gets canceled.

Time is your most precious resource. Before accepting a board seat, make certain you can afford to invest the time needed to do the job right. You not only will be working hard, but also will be putting in long hours. My advice: When scheduling your trip to attend the board meeting, book the last plane out.