The Problem With Recurring Meetings (And How To Fix It)

Working in a healthy async-first style starts with becoming better at meetings. People often think async-first work is just about removing meetings, but that’s a common misconception. Async-first is actually about using meetings for what they were meant for instead of by default. But you can’t switch to this way of thinking if you don’t know how to have an effective meeting in the first place.

After working with dozens of clients on this transition for the last four years, I’ve found the best place to start is with recurring meetings because these ongoing commitments allow you to make the most impact. Recurring meetings can create a lot of problems. They clutter up your calendar with ongoing commitments that frequently feel like a waste of time, go on far too long, and include participants that should have been removed long ago. We shouldn’t normalize this.

Here are the three biggest mistakes that people make with recurring meetings and what you can do about them to help you begin your async-first journey:

Problem 1: Lack of Clarity

Have you ever had a recurring meeting on your schedule where you never knew what to expect? One week you’re talking about one thing, the next, something completely different. Emotions tend to run high during these calls because…