Many leaders are familiar with the annoyance of unproductive meetings. With extensive agendas, numerous participants, and little to show for the time spent, meetings often result in lost productive hours. For a group of senior leaders I worked with, this was more than just a minor inconvenience— it was impeding their strategic processes, slowing decision-making, and depleting energy throughout the company.

Within a year, we managed to halve their meeting times. Each leader reclaimed over 10 hours of their week, allowing the organization to operate more swiftly, transparently, and responsibly.

Here’s how it happened, and how you can do the same.

The problem: Meetings controlled the leaders instead of the leaders being in charge

This team was steering a complex global transformation across three regions, with calendars jam-packed with routine meetings, updates, and repeated calls. Decisions often remained undefined after meetings, necessitating additional follow-ups to resolve issues left unresolved in the initial session.

The consequence was squandered time, sluggish decisions, and a prevailing feeling of never moving forward. Leaders were investing more energy in managing meetings than directing the business itself. Over time, even the most skilled individuals grew disheartened. Some resorted to scheduling fake “focus times” merely to cope, while others silently disengaged, participating in meetings but contributing minimally due to lost faith in the potential for change.

That loss of energy was as damaging as the loss of time.

Step 1: Define what deserves a meeting

We started by asking a simple question: Does this really need to be a meeting?

Numerous routine meetings persisted simply because “that’s how it had always been done.” This rationale had never been questioned. We eliminated every meeting that didn’t pertain to decision-making, addressing problems, or collaborations that truly required live dialogue.

Updates that could be communicated in writing were consolidated into a brief weekly summary. The same information reached everyone, but they could absorb it within minutes instead of enduring yet another call.

One senior manager told me later that this was the first time in years he could start his day by planning priorities instead of bracing for back-to-back calls. That shift gave him more control and a clearer sense of direction.

This step alone cleared out hours from everyone’s calendar. It also reframed meetings as intentional choices rather than habits carried over from the past.

Step 2: Put guardrails on time and attendance

Next, we established strict rules.

Meetings defaulted to 30 minutes. Longer sessions had to be justified. Every meeting required a clear lead who owned the agenda, kept the conversation on track and confirmed next steps.

Attendance rules changed, too. Instead of large calls with every stakeholder, we invited only the people who were critical to the discussion. If input was needed later, it was requested offline.

This change reduced group fatigue and raised accountability. Smaller groups made faster decisions. Leaders also realized that not being invited to a meeting wasn’t exclusion; it was respect for their time.

Step 3: Standardize decisions

One hidden reason meetings drag on is that people leave without clarity. That lack of closure is what fuels the cycle of repeat conversations.

We solved this by introducing a simple “decision log.” Every meeting ended with three key things:

1. The decision made

2. The identified owner

3. The next step

It took discipline, but once the team adjusted, decisions stopped bouncing around. Follow-up meetings shrank because everyone knew who was responsible and by when. Teams didn’t have to revisit the same issue over and over.

The decision log also became a leadership tool. Leaders could review it weekly to see what was moving forward and what was stalling. That visibility improved accountability across the entire transformation.

Step 4: Track the wins

We measured meeting time before and after.

Leaders logged their weekly hours, and within weeks the difference was clear. By the end of 12 months, meeting hours had dropped by more than 50%. On average, each leader reclaimed over 10 hours a week.

The biggest win wasn’t just time. It was energy. Leaders felt less drained and more able to focus on the work that actually moved the business forward. Several commented that they finally ended their week with a sense of progress instead of exhaustion.

One leader said she could finally prepare properly for board discussions because she had blocks of uninterrupted time again. Another shared that his team trusted the process more because decisions no longer shifted or disappeared. These were small cultural shifts that created lasting impact.

The human side of fewer meetings

It’s easy to think of meeting reduction as a numbers game, but the benefits go much deeper. With fewer meetings, leaders gained the space to think, plan and lead. They could show up with more presence in the meetings that remained because they weren’t already depleted.

This had an impact on trust. People began to believe in the process because they saw that decisions stuck and time wasn’t wasted. That trust built momentum. Leaders became known for clarity instead of endless discussion.

When people feel their time is respected, they give more energy back to the work. That cultural benefit often matters more than the hours saved.

From this experience, three lessons stood out.

• Treat time as a resource. If a meeting doesn’t create value, it’s a cost.

• Put strict guardrails around time and attendance. Meetings expand to the size you allow.

• Standardize how decisions are made and captured. Without this, meetings repeat themselves.

These aren’t complex ideas, but they require discipline. Leaders who apply them consistently change not only their calendars but their culture.

What you can do now

Look at your own calendar and ask yourself three questions:

• Which meetings exist only out of habit?

• Which can be replaced with a short written update?

• Where do decisions get lost, forcing repeat conversations?

Answering those questions honestly is the first step to cutting your meeting load in half and winning back the hours you need most.

Try applying one change in the next week. Cancel a standing call that adds little value. Shorten a 60-minute meeting to 30. End every meeting with a clear decision and next step. These small shifts build confidence, and once you see the results, it becomes easier to apply the larger changes.

The point of cutting meetings is not to slash your calendar for the sake of it. The goal is to create space for the work that matters most. When leaders reclaim their time, they gain clarity, energy and the ability to lead with focus instead of reacting to every demand.

Start with your calendar. Once you take charge of your time, every other part of your leadership gets stronger too.