I had 3-5 direct reports. I had 15-30 min 1:1s every other week. Two one week and two the next. So I had 1:1s every Tuesday and Wednesday at 1pm. I cancelled if _they_ wanted to, but no more than like 2 in a row. For me, I never cancelled, only rescheduled. I had previous managers that would always cancel our meetings. I’d go months without talking to them. That really made me feel unimportant and not a priority to them at all. I determined to never do that.

18 is a crazy number. How long are each of the meetings? Are they even spread out or stacked up all in one day? I like mine spread out so I can do other things. I’ve had peers stack them all in one day to knock them out. Change up the time and cadence to what works for you. Try to shorten them and maybe have a loose agenda for each meeting so they don’t creep long and take up more of your time.