Cut down on meetings – use written asynchronous communication when possible

6. Cut down on meetings – use written asynchronous communication when possible

Cost: No monetary cost. Requires cooperation from colleagues and supervisors. The main difficulty is that writing a clear message takes more effort than simply speaking it out loud.

In plain terms: The more meetings you have in a day, the more exhausted you feel, and the more work seems to pile up on your plate. Canceling even one meeting frees up exactly as much time as the meeting itself lasts – no less, no more.

Benefit: Two surveys involved employees working 35+ hours per week – one with 676 participants, the other with 304. How much time meetings consume and their impact on attitude and happiness aren’t fixed; they depend on two factors: how well the meetings are run and how much a role relies on teamwork. Another study asked participants to keep daily logs for a week; it found that more meetings per day led to greater fatigue and perceived workload. The time saved equals precisely the duration of those canceled meetings.

Evidence grade: B

Sources: Rogelberg, S. G., Leach, D. J., Warr, P. B., & Burnfield, J. L. (2006). "Not another meeting!" Are meeting time demands related to employee well-being? Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1). <https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.83>; Luong, A., & Rogelberg, S. G. (2005). Meetings and more meetings: The relationship between meeting load and the daily well-being of employees. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1). <https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.9.1.58>

Notes: Controversy: Rogelberg’s 2006 research shows the relationship between meeting frequency and happiness isn’t one-directional; for roles heavily dependent on collaboration, frequent meetings may actually be beneficial. Additionally, no study has directly compared asynchronous written communication to holding meetings, so this recommendation is the author’s own inference.