You’ve heard the joke. Maybe you’ve even said it.“That meeting could’ve been an email.”It’s become a universal workplace eye-roll, a punchline muttered under people’s breath as they leave another hour-long video call that felt… unnecessary. And for good reason.The modern workplace is flooded with meetings, daily standups, weekly check-ins, strategy syncs, alignment calls, and the dreaded “quick 15-minute touch base” that somehow swells into an hour. Many of them do feel pointless. But here’s the thing: not every meeting is useless. And not every email is better.
So where’s the real problem?
We’ve lost the “why” behind meetings
Somewhere along the way, meetings became a default setting. Need to brainstorm? Schedule a meeting. Need to update the team? Meeting. Want to look like you’re doing something? Definitely a meeting.But meetings were never meant to replace clear communication. They were supposed to enhance it. When they’re run with intention, limited people, a clear agenda, and an actual decision to be made, they can move things forward. But without that, they become time-eating black holes.And worse, they steal what most knowledge workers value most: uninterrupted time.
Not everything deserves your calendar
There’s a reason people groan when they see a packed schedule. Every meeting comes at the cost of something else: Deep work, actual progress, or even just thinking time. We’re not machines. Constant context-switching has a real mental cost.The truth is, a quick update doesn’t always need a live audience. Status reports can be written. Brainstorms can start asynchronously. People don’t need to gather just to agree that things are “on track.” In fact, they might focus better when they’re not all in the same Zoom room.
But let’s not pretend emails are magic either
Yes, some meetings should absolutely be emails. But not all of them. We’ve all seen the email threads that go on for days with replies, clarifications, and passive-aggressive tone misreads. The simple message becomes a tangled back-and-forth, and suddenly you wish there had just been a five-minute call.Nuance, tone, and collaboration sometimes work better in real-time. Especially when emotions, stakes, or creativity are involved. Sometimes, people just need to talk, not type.
What we actually need: Better choices, not fewer meetings
The “this could’ve been an email” mindset points to a bigger issue: how we spend our time and attention. It’s not about hating meetings. It’s about hating bad meetings. Ones with no agenda. Ones where no one makes a decision. Ones where people speak just to fill the air. So the fix isn’t to ban all meetings. It’s to make every interaction written or spoken count.Ask:– What’s the goal?– Who actually needs to be involved?– Can this be done better in another way?– Will people leave with clarity or more confusion?
In the end, it’s about respect
Time is not just money. It’s mental space, creative energy, and the ability to do your job well. Whether you’re sending an email, scheduling a meeting, or choosing not to do either, respect your coworkers’ time like it’s your own.Because the real myth isn’t just the unnecessary meeting. It’s thinking that meetings or emails are the problem. It’s how we use them that makes all the difference.
