The Meeting You Should Cancel Forever

Every organization has that one meeting everyone dreads.
The one that drags on forever.
The one that feels like a waste of time.
The one where people check out mentally or sneak in emails.

Guess what?
That meeting might be your biggest productivity killer.

Spoiler alert: it’s often the weekly status update meeting.

Sure, it sounds important—sharing progress, reporting blockers, keeping everyone in the loop.
But ask yourself:

• How much useful info really comes out?

• How many decisions get made?

• How many attendees are just “there” but not engaged?

If the answer is “not much” or “none,” it’s time to rethink.

Why status update meetings fail:

• They’re often one-way communication

• They can become a ritual with no clear purpose

• They waste time better spent on actual work

• They kill ownership—people just report, not solve
  

What to do instead?

✅ Use asynchronous updates
Tools like Slack, project management platforms, or email can handle status reporting without eating into meeting time.

✅ Reserve meetings for decisions and collaboration
Meet only when discussion, brainstorming, or alignment is needed.

✅ Set clear agendas with outcomes
If a meeting can’t be boiled down to a decision or a problem to solve, cancel it.

✅ Empower ownership
Encourage teams to solve problems independently and report results, not just activities.

Canceling this meeting won’t magically fix everything.

But freeing up that time gives people space to focus, think, and produce.
And that’s where real progress happens.

If you want to boost clarity and ownership, start by canceling the meeting nobody really needs.

Not all meetings are productive.
Discover which recurring meetings waste time—and what to do instead.
📞 Book a call to streamline your team’s collaboration.
📧 Contact [email protected]