Meetings That Earn Their Place
A short checklist for keeping calendars honest.
By Sofia Klein · 5 min read
Every meeting needs a decision
If a meeting has no decision to reach or problem to solve together, it is a status update, and status updates belong in writing where they can be skimmed.
State the decision in the invite. Half of unnecessary meetings dissolve at that step.
Fewer people, shorter default
Invite only those who decide or hold information nobody else has. Make twenty-five minutes the default length; work compresses to fit the slot far more readily than people expect.
End with who does what by when, written down while everyone is still present.
Audit quarterly
Recurring meetings outlive their reason quietly. Every quarter, cancel each recurring slot and only reinstate the ones someone actively asks for.
Calendars fill by default. They empty only on purpose.