When was the last time you had a truly productive meeting where every goal was accomplished efficiently?
Can’t remember? You’re not alone! 😉
If you follow me on LinkedIn or read my Substack, you’ve probably come across my thoughts on the pitfalls of pointless, never-ending, agenda-free meetings. I dislike them so much that Livit’s organizational design is built to eliminate them, prioritizing meaningful work and maximizing productivity.
Here are some eye-opening facts about the inefficiency of meetings:
- Unnecessary meetings cost businesses an estimated $37 billion annually, making them a major drain on resources.
- Managers and team members spend an average of two days per week in meetings, not counting the hidden costs of cancellations, rescheduling, and context switching.
- This inefficient meeting culture forces employees to work overtime or squeeze in extra hours to complete their core tasks, proving how costly and unproductive the current setup is.
- A recent survey by Otter.ai, an AI-powered transcription and note-taking service, revealed that employees feel 50% of meetings are a waste of time, 71% of senior managers view them as unproductive, and executives believe 67% of meetings fail to deliver clear objectives.
These statistics highlight the urgent need for a smarter, more efficient meeting culture.
This is how we’ve transformed meetings at Livit
Ever heard of a “meeting budget”? We’ve implemented this concept to limit internal meetings to 10% of our work time, ensuring maximum productivity. Like any budget, if something doesn’t fit, it gets moved or added to a wishlist for later.
Here’s the four-step process we use to eliminate unnecessary meetings and get more done:
Ditch the calendar for now: Start fresh with a blank document in your favourite tool (Google Docs, Notion, etc.).
Write down: a) The purpose of the potential meeting b) Key ideas in bullet points
Share the document with the relevant team members and ask them to:
- Add their input
- Comment on others’ ideas
- Complete these tasks within a reasonable deadline (1–2 days is usually ideal).
Decide if the meeting is still needed. In most cases, it won’t be. If it is, the time spent will be drastically reduced, leaving more time to focus on meaningful work.
By adopting this approach, we’ve slashed unnecessary meeting time and redirected it toward what truly matters: getting work done efficiently.
AI to the rescue
Earlier this year, I decided it was time to go beyond venting online about the meeting madness that plagues so many companies, from startups to global enterprises. Instead, I channeled this energy into creating an AI-powered auditor designed to help teams have fewer, more effective meetings. Partnering with my friend Iwo Szapar—an entrepreneur, writer, and speaker who has helped over 3,000 companies redefine their approach to work—I set out to tackle this challenge head-on.
The journey began at a mini-AI hackathon hosted by the Remote First Institute, a not-for-profit organization that empowers leaders to master remote-first, distributed teams with AI. There, I built the MVP of what is now the Better Meetings Auditor by Livit. Thanks to Livit’s Brand & Social Media Manager, Raymond Hasiholan, and Marketing Lead, Nafinia Putra, this MVP was upgraded and refined into a powerful tool designed to rescue teams from meeting mayhem.
Here’s how it works:
- AI-powered chatbot: It asks you a short series of simple questions.
- Meeting analysis: It categorizes you as a Meeting Master, Juggler, or Hoarder, helping you identify whether your meetings are under control, you’re overwhelmed, or you’re stuck in a cycle of ineffective habits.
- Personalized tips: The AI provides actionable strategies to eliminate unnecessary meetings and maximize the value of the ones you keep.
Whether you’re a meeting pro or drowning in Tupperware-like cluttered habits, the Better Meetings Auditor is here to help you reclaim your time and focus on what truly matters: getting meaningful work done.
Let’s hear from Raymond and Nafinia about the Better Meetings Auditor’s development
Raymond:
“Creating the Better Meetings Auditor was an incredible journey. It felt like nurturing our own ‘baby’ from concept to reality with Finia and Lavinia. We poured our hearts into perfecting this AI tool, driven by a shared goal to help people escape the meeting madness that often disrupts productivity.
This project was a huge learning experience for me—my first time building an AI assistant. The steep learning curve was both challenging and rewarding. Now that it’s live, I’m excited to see how it empowers people to reclaim their calendars and focus on meaningful work.”
Nafinia:
“Working on the AI Meeting Auditor has been nothing short of a game-changer! Training and retraining the AI was a wild ride, but collaborating with Lavinia and Raymond made it all the more rewarding. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together, and I’m thrilled to see how it transforms the way people approach meetings.”
