Meetings that should have been emails

A simple framework to decide whether to book the room or write the message - and save everyone an hour.

The most expensive recurring cost in most organisations isn't software or office space - it's meetings. A one-hour meeting with eight people costs eight person-hours. If that meeting produces nothing but a 'let's continue this offline,' you've burned a full working day for no output.

Before scheduling any meeting, ask three questions. First: is there a decision to be made? If no one is making a decision, the meeting probably doesn't need to happen. Second: can this be handled async? A shared document with comments, a Slack thread, or a recorded Loom can often replace a synchronous discussion. Third: who actually needs to be there? The answer is rarely everyone who was invited last time.

If the meeting passes all three tests, keep it short, structured, and outcome-oriented. If it fails any test, cancel it and send an email instead. Your team will thank you - silently, because they're in fewer meetings.