Fewer meetings, better decisions

Rita Kaur · 23 October 2026

Most teams think they have a meetings problem. Usually they have a decisions problem: nobody knows who decides, so everybody meets.

Start by writing down the three decisions your team makes every week, who makes them and where they are recorded. That list alone will cancel a surprising number of calendar invites.

Next, move status updates into writing. A five-line update every Friday replaces most standing meetings and gives people their mornings back.

Finally, protect two afternoons a week for deep work. Put them in the shared calendar so the protection is visible, not personal.

None of this needs new software. It needs a few clear habits and a manager willing to go first.

Most teams think they have a meetings problem. Usually they have a decisions problem: nobody knows who decides, so everybody meets.

Start by writing down the three decisions your team makes every week, who makes them and where they are recorded. That list alone will cancel a surprising number of calendar invites.

Next, move status updates into writing. A five-line update every Friday replaces most standing meetings and gives people their mornings back.

Finally, protect two afternoons a week for deep work. Put them in the shared calendar so the protection is visible, not personal.

None of this needs new software. It needs a few clear habits and a manager willing to go first.

Most teams think they have a meetings problem. Usually they have a decisions problem: nobody knows who decides, so everybody meets.

Start by writing down the three decisions your team makes every week, who makes them and where they are recorded. That list alone will cancel a surprising number of calendar invites.

Next, move status updates into writing. A five-line update every Friday replaces most standing meetings and gives people their mornings back.

Finally, protect two afternoons a week for deep work. Put them in the shared calendar so the protection is visible, not personal.

None of this needs new software. It needs a few clear habits and a manager willing to go first.