Every meeting that's scheduled "just because" is a meeting that shouldn't happen.
The most dangerous meetings are the ones that nobody questioned before scheduling. They become traditions. Traditions are hard to cancel. And so teams spend years in meetings that made sense once and don't make sense anymore.
The Meetings That Should Never Have Been Scheduled
The weekly sync that nobody prepped for
Weekly syncs are often scheduled because "we've always had them." But if nobody comes prepared, if there's no clear agenda, if the output is just "we talked about things" — it should never have been scheduled in the first place.
The kickoff meeting for everything
Not every project needs a kickoff meeting. Some projects are small enough that a kickoff is pure overhead. If the project can start without a meeting, don't schedule one.
The review that checks boxes
Reviews that exist just to say "we reviewed it" are waste. A review should exist because a decision needs to be made, or because stakeholders need visibility. If nobody's going to act on the review, don't have it.
The all-hands that could be an email
All-hands meetings that are really just status updates in disguise. If the purpose is to share information, send an email. If the purpose is to build culture and alignment, that's different — but be honest about which one it is.
How to Find These Meetings
Ask this question about every recurring meeting: "If we didn't have this meeting, would anyone notice?"
If the answer is "no" or "maybe not," that's a meeting that probably shouldn't exist.
Another question: "What's the worst thing that happens if we cancel this?"
If the answer is "nothing much," cancel it.
The Real Problem
These meetings persist because nobody feels empowered to cancel them. The person who scheduled them is usually senior. The meeting has "always been." And it's easier to show up than to question why it exists.
But the cost is real. Hours per week, per person. In a 10-person team having a weekly 30-minute meeting that nobody values, that's 130 hours per year. A month of someone's time.
The Solution
Put every recurring meeting on a 90-day trial. At the end of 90 days, ask: is this meeting worth its cost? If yes, keep it. If no, cancel it.
Make this a standing agenda item: "Would we schedule this meeting today if it didn't already exist?"
If the answer is no, you've found a meeting that should never have been scheduled.
The best meeting is the one you don't have to have.
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