1
Image credit: Modern Toss
Have you ever called a team meeting only to realise halfway through: this should’ve been an email? Well, don’t beat yourself up. A bad meeting ‘habit’ can creep up on the best of us…
Research suggests we lose up to 31 hours a month in unproductive meetings. That’s a whole working week (near enough) spent staring at slides no one needs, and/or yelling, ‘Barry, you’re ON MUTE!’
No more! This year, let’s do our team-mates a favour: kill the yawns, and stick a stake through the heart of performative productivity. It’s time for MEETING-GEDDON.
The Experiment: HIT RESET
Cancel all recurring meetings with five or fewer attendees. Yes, every single one. Take a deep breath (this isn’t permanent!). Set a 48-hour “cool-down period” before anyone can reschedule. This forces people to reconsider:
- Do we even need this meeting?
- What’s the goal?
- Is there a better way to achieve it?
We stole this experiment from Rebecca Hinds (Head of Work Innovation at Asana) who first saw it tried at Dropbox. Many meetings never made it back onto the calendar. Hundreds of hours saved. Productivity restored. Hallelujah.
How to Make It Work (Without Chaos)
Communicate clearly: Let your team know why you’re doing this. Frame it as an experiment, not a punishment!
Provide guidelines: Encourage people to:
- Combine overlapping meetings.
- Use tools like Slack, Loom, or email for info updates.
- Schedule only if there’s a clear purpose and agenda.
Reassess regularly: Meetings have a way of creeping back in…
Why Try It?
Bloated meeting culture doesn’t just sap morale, it kills productivity. 67% of employees say excessive meetings stop them from doing their best work. Wary execs estimate half their meeting time is a waste of time.
Stripping out unnecessary fixtures forces clarity. People think twice before scheduling, and focus on the meetings that matter. Imagine the hours you could reclaim for real work—or (gasp) actual thinking?