Could This Have Been an Email?
The eternal workplace question, finally settled. Answer six quick questions and get an instant verdict — plus the exact amount you'd save by skipping the meeting.
Optional: add the numbers to see what you'd save
When a meeting really could be an email
Meetings are expensive because they spend everyone's time at once and interrupt focused work on both sides. They are worth it when the format earns its cost — and wasteful when it doesn't. As a rule of thumb, a gathering can usually become an email or async update when:
- The goal is to share information rather than decide something.
- No live back-and-forth is required to move forward.
- A written summary would capture everything important.
- People could absorb it on their own schedule without losing context.
When to keep the meeting
Some conversations genuinely need to be live. Protect meeting time for decisions that need debate, brainstorming, sensitive or emotional topics, conflict resolution, negotiation, and relationship building. Writing strips out tone and slows the rapid exchange those moments depend on.
How to replace a meeting gracefully
If the verdict says "email," don't just cancel — replace. Send a tight written update, point people to a shared doc or channel, and offer an optional short call for anyone with blockers. Sharing the cost figure helps: when people see a recurring meeting costs five figures a year, the case makes itself. Our reducing meeting costs guide has scripts and tactics.
Frequently Asked Questions
When its purpose is to share information, no live decision is being made, no real-time back-and-forth is needed, and a written summary would capture everything important. Reserve meetings for decisions, debate, sensitive conversations, and relationship building.
Propose replacing it with an async update and explain that you want to give people their focus time back. Share the cost figure, suggest a written status doc or channel, and offer an optional short call for anyone with blockers.
Keep meetings for decisions that need debate, brainstorming, sensitive or emotional conversations, conflict resolution, negotiation, and relationship building — all of which rely on real-time interaction and tone.