Ever feel like your team is stuck in an endless loop of meetings, with not enough actual work getting done? You’re not alone. Tech startups worldwide have been obsessed with a potential solution: asynchronous work.
It’s a way of working that doesn’t require everyone to be on the same task at the same time. Think of it as the opposite of that dreaded “everyone jump on a call real quick” message.
Some companies have taken this to the extreme, even banning meetings entirely. These are often 100% remote companies with people working from many different timezones. While that’s a step too far for most of us, there’s a lot we can learn here.
Why A-Sync?
Meetings are often inefficient and costly. According to a Harvard Business Review article, executives spend nearly 23 hours a week in meetings. That’s over a thousand hours a year!
If you have a team of 20, saving each person even 2 hours per week is equivalent to hiring a new full time role. And as the business environment gets tougher, this can make all the difference.
Or through another lens: if you invite 8 people to a one-hour meeting, and each person earns $50 per hour, that single meeting costs your company $400. Even a 10-minute delay racks up $67 in waste.
How to Cut Down on Meetings
Some people try to cut down on meetings by sending more emails or Slack messages, but this often leads to even less efficient communication for certain topics. Sometimes it only takes us 5 minutes to say something that would take much longer to write.
But instead of gathering everyone for a meeting, try recording a quick Loom video to share your ideas. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can convey information when it’s just you talking (and aware you’re being recorded). Often, a 10-minute video can replace a 40-minute meeting.
When deciding between a Loom or a meeting, ask yourself:
- Is immediate, simultaneous knowledge crucial?
- Is a real-time discussion or action required?
- Can people effectively discuss the issue immediately, or do they need time to digest?
If you answer “yes” to these, a meeting might be best. Otherwise, Loom could be your new best friend.
I use Loom for sales proposals, team updates, training materials, process documentation, design reviews, and much more. It’s quick to set up and record, so you’ve got nothing to lose by trying it out.
Now, going fully asynchronous might be too extreme for most businesses. But there’s a lot we can all learn about using each other’s time more effectively and boosting team productivity as a result.
Changing Meeting Culture
The amount of meetings held and their effectiveness is often a product of the company culture. And while you can personally start sending Looms, it could take a while to catch on. If you really want your team to cut down on meetings, you can declare ‘meeting free days’. According to this study of 76 multinational companies over 2 years, companies had the biggest productivity boost when limiting meetings to just 2 days per week. Sometimes you need to put in place a forcing function to change behaviour, and this is a great way to do it.
Ready to give it a shot? Try replacing your next status update meeting with a Loom video. You might just find yourself with more time to actually get work done!
Until next time!
