How Meetings Waste Time

Every minute spent in a meeting is time not spent working on the requirements of the meeting. These minutes add up quickly.

When Google added Time Insights in Google Calendar, I noticed something unusual. On Monday, I had 13 hours worth of meetings. That's not even possible in an 8-hour day. But what it signaled was that my time management was out of whack. I had scheduled more time to prepare for work than to actually do the work.

When a manager grabs you out of the blue to join a meeting because you "should be a stakeholder," it only makes sense in theory. In practice, you'll spend one hour in a meeting multitasking, only to ask them to repeat the question when your name is mentioned.

The problem is meetings come in the format of a performance. All hands on deck, your name is called, a question is asked, and now you need to give an answer. It's like a movie: when a character comes to the screen, they have to perform. There is no time to think or absorb the questions. If the goal was to resolve the problem, you'd have pre-written questions sent your way so you can study and provide a prepared answer.

Meetings turn problem solving into a performance. But problem solving should instead be a time for reflection and research to find a solution. Deep work. The kind that produces innovation and breakthroughs, requires uninterrupted focus, which meetings actively destroy. The meeting might as well be a presentation once everyone has resolved their tasks and are ready to discuss.

Imagine this: On your calendar, a 1-hour time slot is scheduled for you to reflect and resolve a problem. Here all the problems are presented, and stakeholders have time to read them and think through. They can either compile their answer and send it, or if the company insists, they can present it to the team. This way, you actually get a resolution, not just a small gap to speak or make a fool of yourself by admitting you were not actually paying attention.

The Real Cost of Meetings

The true cost of a one-hour meeting isn't just one hour. It's one hour multiplied by every participant, plus the context-switching penalty each person pays when they're pulled away from focused work. For myself, when I'm interrupted, I have to take a mental snapshot of the several code repos I'm exploring to answer a question or join a seemingly innocent 30-minute meeting. I can rarely remember where I was. A 30 minutes meeting with six people doesn't just cost 3 hours of company time. It destroys potentially 5-6 hours of productivity when you factor in the recovery time. That's a whole day's worth of work.

Better Alternatives

Instead of defaulting to meetings, consider these alternatives:

1. Asynchronous communication - Use collaborative documents where team members can contribute on their own time
2. Meeting-free days - Designate certain days where no meetings are allowed, creating space for deep focus
3. The 15-minute rule - If a meeting must happen, start with the assumption it should last 15 minutes, not 30 or 60
4. Mandatory pre-work - Require all participants to review materials and contribute thoughts before the meeting

The most productive companies aren't those with the most meetings. They're the ones that respect their employees' time and attention as finite, precious resources. By protecting time for actual work, you're not being difficult; you're being responsible with the company's most valuable asset: human focus and creativity.

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