Regular readers know I’m not a huge fan of meetings. Meetings are crucial for team coordination. The problem is not meetings per se, but rather how poorly most of them are run. Unfortunately, the situation seems to be getting worse. Recent studies highlight how meetings have exploded in frequency, becoming a significant drag on productivity and work-life balance.
The Growing Complexity of Work
As organizations grow more complex and emphasize inclusivity, meetings have become a default tool for decision-making. While the intent — ensuring diverse voices are heard — is noble, the execution leaves much to be desired. Hybrid work environments exacerbate the issue. Trying to coordinate across time zones, platforms (Zoom, Teams, Skype), and individual preferences adds a hefty “coordination tax” to every decision.
The result? An endless loop of meetings disrupting meaningful work. UC Irvine’s Gloria Mark has found that it takes workers an average of 25 minutes to refocus on their original task after an interruption. That means a 30-minute meeting isn’t just a half-hour—it’s an hour-long productivity hit.
Meetings as the Default Mode of Work
Data paints a grim picture. According to a Microsoft study, between February 2020 and February 2022, the number of meetings attended by the average Microsoft Teams user more than doubled, and time spent in meetings more than tripled. This doesn’t include the additional hours workers log at night — 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. is now a common window for catching up on tasks displaced by meetings.
Why the explosion? Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s VP of Modern Work, explains: “When we went remote, bosses were thinking, ‘How do I know people will get their jobs done?’ and employees were thinking, ‘How do I prove to my boss that I’m getting my job done?’ Meetings became an answer to both questions.”
But it’s a flawed answer. Last year, another Microsoft study found that workers spent 57% of their time communicating (meetings, emails, chats) versus only 43% creating (documents, spreadsheets, presentations). In other words, the “real work” is being drowned by the noise.
The Path to Better Meetings
It’s clear we can do better. Summarizing a few key points from my previous post:
- Be selective about communication format: Not all communication requires a meeting! For example, asynchronous written status updates often work better than daily standups.
- Demand an agenda: Every meeting should have clear decision points outlined in advance. If it doesn’t, cancel it.
- Meet in person: Face-to-face interactions are almost always more efficient and impactful than virtual meetings.
The goal isn’t to eliminate meetings entirely but to make them more intentional and impactful. A well-run meeting can be a powerful tool; a poorly run one is just a productivity killer.
I look forward to updating these recommendations in two years with tips on interacting communicating with agents, since Sam Altman thinks most of us will be replaced by AI by then 🙂
Nate Clark's Musings 
Leave a comment