Your calendar looks like a game of Tetris designed by someone who hates you. Back-to-back meetings, "quick syncs" that drag on for 45 minutes, and enough status updates to make a Soviet bureaucrat weep with envy.
Here's the thing: you're not important enough to be in half these meetings. And the other half? They're probably just expensive therapy sessions for people who can't make decisions.
Time to go cold turkey.
🔗 STUFF WORTH CLICKING
The $37 Billion Meeting Problem
Unproductive meetings cost businesses upwards of $37 billion annually in the U.S. Shocking absolutely no one who's ever sat through a "brainstorming session" where nothing got brainstormed.
Async-First Playbook
GitLab's remote work guide. These people run a billion-dollar company without living in Zoom hell. Worth studying if you're tired of performing productivity instead of being productive.
💸 ONE WORTHY TACTIC
The Meeting Moratorium Method
Pick one week next month. Block it out entirely. No meetings, no calls, no "quick chats." Here's how to survive the withdrawal:
Set expectations early: Send a note to regular meeting participants 2 weeks before. "Testing something new, back to normal the following week."
Create meeting-free alternatives: Set up a shared doc for updates. Use voice messages for quick questions. Amazing how much gets resolved without scheduling a whole production.
Batch the urgents: If someone claims the building's on fire, they can text you. Everything else can wait 5 days. (Spoiler: nothing's actually urgent.)
Track what you accomplish: Keep a simple list of what you get done. You'll be shocked at how much real work happens when you're not performing it for an audience.
The first day feels weird. By day three, you'll wonder why you ever agreed to discuss your discussion about when to discuss things.
📣 THE PLUG
The Lone Wolf Unleashed podcast is live. This week I give a breakdown on the AI productivity scam – why most AI tools are just expensive ways to feel busy while getting less done.
Listen here if you want the truth about what AI bros are selling…
Perfect for your next meeting-free block. Assuming you actually follow through and create one.
See you on Friday. Try not to schedule anything.
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