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Hey Unfiltered Folks,
WHAT MEETINGS SHOULD I KILL RIGHT NOW?
Answer: Any meeting that does not need a decision.
You're allowing time theft. If no one owns an outcome, if nothing changes after the meeting, it's theatre.
You're gathering to feel productive while nothing moves.
Status updates can be emails.
Sync meetings can be Slack threads.
Most meetings exist because someone's uncomfortable with async communication or because "we've always done it this way."
Question: Which meeting ended last week with "let's circle back"?
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— Back —
Why: Meetings without decisions are time theft.
If no one owns an outcome, if nothing changes, it's theatre.
You're allowing this.
Here's what's happening:
- someone puts a meeting on the calendar.
- Eight people show up.
- An hour passes.
- Everyone talks.
- Nothing gets decided.
- Meeting ends with "good discussion" or "let's think about this more" or "we should circle back."
-Everyone leaves.
- Nothing changes.
Next week, same meeting. Same people. Same discussion. Still no decision.
Why? Because you've never required decisions.
You've never said: "Every meeting ends with a name and a date. Who owns this? When is it due?" Without that requirement, meetings become social hour. People filling time. Looking busy. Feeling productive because they're in meetings.
Meanwhile, actual work isn't happening because they're in meetings.
This is your fault. You're the leader. You control the calendar. You set the standard for what qualifies as a meeting.
Right now, your standard is: gather people and talk. That's not a meeting. That's a waste.
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— Back —
Action: Kill every recurring meeting that doesn't have a single owner and a single decision. Kill every status update meeting that could be a two-sentence email.
This week, audit your calendar. For every meeting, ask: "What decision gets made here?"
If the answer is "we discuss" or "we align," delete it.
If people complain, tell them: "Bring me a decision that needs to be made and I'll bring back the meeting."
Stay Unfiltered,
— Andy
P.S. Control your time, or it will control you.
P.S.S Subscribe for Weekly Unfiltered Perspectives and Frameworks
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