Dear Manager, Let’s Talk About the Meetings You Don’t Need

This is an intervention. If your calendar looks like a game of whack-a-mole and your team can’t get anything done, it’s time to cancel at least 20% of your meetings. We promise, the company won’t collapse.

Fix the Meeting Madness:

1. Kill the status update call — Use a shared doc and 3 emoji reactions instead.
2. Turn 30 into 15 — If you finish early, leave. That’s the rule now.
3. Ask “what’s the point?” in every invite — If there’s no goal, decline it.
4. Default to async — Loom videos > live talking, 75% of the time.

Try our Declining Meetings Without Guilt or check out the Professional Communication Essentials: Mastering Email, Meetings & Slack if your team is one meeting away from a mutiny.