Why I hate meetings

Hi all –

I hate meetings. So much so that I think 98% of them should probably be canceled. And at Drift, I try to live a ‘no meetings’ culture.

And for a while, I think that held true. But something happened. As I’ve seen before, as companies grow, the number of meetings does too.

And now that we’re all remote, it’s safe to say the number of meetings we’re all holding has likely increased even more.

The problem I have with meetings is that they tend to benefit people who just like to meet – as opposed to the people who like to do/make things.

So consider the following:

• Minimize the number of meetings you have. Try hard to get it done without a meeting.
• When you do have a meeting keep them small and focused on a clear agenda. Unless the meeting is a 1:1, your meeting should lay out clear questions you’re trying to answer during the meeting.
• No Sidebars – don’t have side conversations during a meeting. Period.
• No Laptops / Phones. Unless you’re presenting, leave your laptop/phone behind (if you’re on Zoom, focus on the presenter). If your company has an all-hands, initiate “out of office hours” on your website/communication channels.
• Participate or excuse yourself. If you’re not adding value or could spend your time better, politely excuse yourself from the meeting. With one exception, all-hands.