Write, don’t meet

Writing things up can help avoid meetings, while also creating knowledge artefacts

You can avoid many meetings by just writing things up. As with replacing quick syncs with async, consider if a written document can be beneficial for the purpose. Here are a few examples of situations where documents are better than meetings.

• If a meeting has a clear agenda and it’s evident that it’s only to convey information, it’s best to write things up. That way you also create an artefact.

• If the agenda of a meeting is unclear, it helps to write things up, if only to clarify the agenda and goals. Separate the conveyance part of the meeting from the convergence bit. Make all conveyance part of a document.

• When you believe you’re likely to convey a certain piece of information repeatedly, write things up. The investment in writing once, can save you many subsequent meetings.