There's a meeting on your calendar that you dread. Not because it's badly run — it's not. Not because the topics are boring — they're not. You just don't want to be there.
This is the meeting you want to skip but can't.
It might be a status update from a team you don't directly work with. It might be an all-hands where you don't have anything to contribute. It might be a recurring sync that was valuable once but now feels like an hour you could spend better.
You're not alone. Everyone has these meetings. And most people just show up and wait for them to end.
Why You Feel This Way
The meeting served its purpose.
The original reason for the meeting made sense. But at some point, the reason faded. The meeting kept happening anyway — inertia, not intent.
You're not getting anything from it.
Not information, not decisions, not relationships. It's an hour that produces nothing for you.
You're not contributing anything to it.
If you disappeared, nothing would change. You show up, you wait, you leave.
When Skipping Is Wrong
You should go to the meeting if:
- Your presence matters for the decision
- Your team is counting on you to represent their interests
- You're the owner and it would model bad behavior to skip
When Skipping Might Be Right
If none of those conditions apply, ask yourself:
Can this meeting be shorter? And if so, can you leave early without consequences?
Can this meeting be async? Can you get what you need from the notes without attending?
Can this meeting be skipped? Can you send a message saying "I won't be there, but I'm aligned based on the recap"?
The meeting you want to skip but feel obligated to attend is a signal. Either the meeting needs to change, or your relationship to it needs to change.
The meetings worth attending are the ones where you're genuinely needed. Everything else is optional.
Top comments (0)