How to Stop the Meeting Madness

Most companies do not have a meeting problem because meetings exist. They have a meeting problem because meetings have become the default way of working.

Need to share information? Schedule a meeting. Need an update? Schedule a meeting. Need to make a decision? Schedule a meeting.

Eventually, the calendar becomes the operating system of the company, and everyone wonders why there is never enough time to actually get the work done.

The problem is widespread. Forbes has reported that 71% of executives consider meetings unproductive and inefficient. ⁠Forbes: 71% Of Executives Say Meetings Are Useless

So how do you stop the meeting madness?

You stop treating meetings as the default.

1. Make Every Meeting Earn Its Place

Before putting something on the calendar, ask:

What needs to happen?

Who actually needs to be involved?

Why does this need to happen in real time?

If the purpose is to share information, write it down. If it is to collect updates, create a written update. If it is to review a document, leave comments.

If a decision genuinely requires discussion, have the meeting.

The goal is not less communication. It is less unnecessary real-time communication.

2. Kill Meetings That Exist Because They Always Have

Recurring meetings are easy to create and surprisingly difficult to eliminate.

Every recurring meeting should periodically justify its existence.

Ask: If we stopped this meeting tomorrow, what would break?

If the answer is nothing, stop having it.

“We’ve always done it” is not a reason to keep spending everyone’s time.

3. Stop Inviting Everyone

If a meeting has 12 people, the cost is not one hour. It is 12 hours of employee time.

Invite the people who need to contribute, decide or participate. Everyone else can receive the outcome.

This matters even more for executives and senior employees. Their time is expensive, and every hour spent in an unnecessary meeting is an hour that could have been spent making decisions, solving problems or doing strategic work.

4. Protect Time for Actual Work

A full calendar is not necessarily a productive calendar.

People need uninterrupted time to think, create and get difficult work done.

The Wall Street Journal has highlighted the importance of protecting “power hours” rather than automatically filling the most productive parts of the day with meetings. ⁠The Wall Street Journal: Don’t Waste Your “Power Hours” In Meetings

Create blocks of time when meetings are not allowed.

The exact schedule will vary. The principle does not.

People need time to actually work.

5. Stop Confusing Meetings With Collaboration

More meetings do not automatically create better communication.

Research published in Business Horizons found that meetings can improve participation and creative performance up to a point. Beyond that point, additional meetings become a burden and consume the resources employees need to do their work. ⁠Business Horizons: The Meeting Load Paradox

The goal is not zero meetings.

The goal is the right meetings.

Start With a Meeting Audit

Look at your calendar for the last 30 days.

For every recurring meeting, ask:

Why does this exist?

What does it accomplish?

Who actually needs to attend?

Could this happen asynchronously?

What would break if we stopped?

You will probably find meetings worth keeping.

You will also find meetings that can be shortened, meetings that need fewer people and meetings that can disappear.

Start there.

The Goal Is Simple

There are conversations that should happen in real time. Keep them.

There are decisions that benefit from discussion. Keep those too.

But meetings should have to earn their place on the calendar.

Don’t ask: “Does everyone have time for a meeting?”

Ask: “Is this worth everyone’s time?”

That one question can change an organization’s relationship with its calendar.

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