“Meetings are where real work goes to die.”
I used to say things like this all the time—and for good reason.
Think about it: A one-hour meeting with eight people isn’t just one hour—it’s eight hours. That’s a full workday gone in sixty minutes. We wouldn’t carelessly spend eight hours’ worth of money, yet we burn eight hours of collective time without a second thought.
I used to believe async work was the answer. I replaced meetings with detailed documents, allowing everyone to review and contribute at their own pace. This felt so liberating! Everyone worked at their own pace, uninterrupted by the constant ping of meeting notifications. I was so passionate about this approach, people started calling me “Async Dean.”
But something wasn’t quite right.
Some team members thrived while others drifted. Misalignment grew. Decisions stalled. And I noticed something surprising: some of our best work happened only when we got on a call. The problems we tried to fix started breaking down in new ways.
Here’s what I learned: Meetings aren’t inherently bad—they’re just poorly designed.
Why Most Meetings Fail
Most meetings are designed to fail before they begin. They’re rushed, bloated, and directionless.
Here’s why:
The Context Problem
Great meetings don’t start when people join the call—they start long before. Without shared context, meetings become expensive catch-up sessions. No one wants to spend 20 minutes learning what they could have read beforehand.
The Vague Agenda Trap
“Discuss project updates” isn’t an agenda—it’s an admission of poor planning. A real agenda answers questions like: What decision are we making? What problem are we solving?
Without these answers, you’re just reserving calendar space.
The Overcrowding Effect
Meetings thrive on focus, and focus dies in crowds. Every unnecessary participant dilutes the conversation. You end up with spectators instead of contributors, each silently wondering why they’re there.
The Vanishing Decisions
A decision made but not documented might as well never have happened. Without clear capture and follow-through, meetings become an endless loop of the same discussions, week after week. You’re not moving forward—you’re running in circles.
A Better Way
Meetings shouldn’t just take up time—they should create progress. Yet, how often do they lead to scattered notes, forgotten decisions, or action items that never get acted on? The very tools designed to help us collaborate often leave us sifting through chaos.
That’s what we set out to fix. Our team has been thinking deeply about how to transform meetings from a source of frustration into a source of momentum.
One way we’re doing this is with our AI Notetaker—a tool built to turn the mess after meetings into clear, actionable insights.
Here’s the idea…
Capture Decisions, Not Just Words
Meetings are full of valuable decisions and insights, but those often get buried in a pile of notes. The AI Notetaker ensures that every decision made is captured and can be shared easily with anyone—whether they were in the room or not.
Turn Conversations Into Actions
Recording what was said isn’t enough. Meetings should drive work forward. The AI Notetaker captures action items, assigns them to the right people, and ensures nothing is overlooked.
Preserve Context
Every meeting happens within a broader project. By connecting discussions to tasks, files, and past decisions, the AI Notetaker provides full context—so your team can move forward without needing to rehash the past.
More than just a summary, this is about clarity and momentum.
When meetings connect seamlessly with the work itself, they stop being a drain and start giving back time:
No more chasing down notes, no more wondering what was decided.
The best part?
It’s not just about capturing what was said—it’s about connecting it to the work that happens before and after the meeting.
Every discussion has context, every decision has follow-through.
The Real Question
Every meeting should start from a place of clarity: “What is the purpose of this meeting? Are we solving a problem, making a decision, or setting clear direction?”
If you can’t answer these questions, you don’t need a meeting—you need a rethink.
The goal isn’t to have more meetings or fewer meetings. It’s to have better meetings. Meetings that respect your time and give back more than they take. Meetings that turn conversations into progress.
Because when done right, meetings aren’t where work goes to die. They’re where work comes alive.
Ready to Transform Your Meetings?
Stop letting meetings steal your time and energy—turn them into your secret weapon for progress.
With ’s AI Notetaker, you can capture every decision, action item, and context effortlessly, ensuring your team stays focused during the meeting—and aligned for next steps afterward.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
