--- title: "Are Too Many Meetings Killing Employee Productivity?" id: "48595" type: "post" slug: "are-too-many-meetings-killing-employee-productivity" published_at: "2019-11-15T21:12:46+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T15:55:27+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/11/15/are-too-many-meetings-killing-employee-productivity/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/11/15/are-too-many-meetings-killing-employee-productivity.md" excerpt: "For employees who rely on time to get their tasks done, dicing up their calendars with unnecessary meetings can result in a loss of work." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Leadership" - "Meetings" - "productivity" - "Workplace" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Are Too Many Meetings Killing Employee Productivity? You wake up in the morning ready to buckle down and get to work—but one glance at the calendar says otherwise. With meeting after meeting filling your schedule, there’s little room to make a dent in your to-do list. Sounds familiar, right? With [25 million meetings taking place in the U.S. each day (opens in a new tab)](https://visual.ly/community/infographic/business/high-cost-multitasking) , those minutes or hours spent in unnecessary ones can translate to a loss in productivity. And for the “makers” on your team—those tasked with creating things—the impact can be much worse. In his 2009 essay “[Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule (opens in a new tab)](http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html) ,” tech investor Paul Graham argues that makers prefer to use time in half-day units. “You can’t write or program well in units of an hour,” he says. “That’s barely enough time to get started.” With meetings sprinkled throughout the day, makers are constantly forced to start, stop, and start each project again. And if it takes makers [as long as 30 minutes (opens in a new tab)](https://visual.ly/community/infographic/business/high-cost-multitasking) to find their rhythm, by the time they’ve achieved their creative peak, it’s already time for the next meeting—leaving a pile of work in its wake. That’s why [67 percent of executives (opens in a new tab)](https://visual.ly/community/infographic/business/ugly-truth-about-meetings) , including leaders like Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, and Elon Musk, see meetings as a production killer. Before putting another meeting on the calendar, determine whether it’s necessary in the first place. If you can sum up the core of your meeting in an email, stealing away makers—or any employee—for an hourlong tête-à-tête is probably not worth the loss of work. Leaders should also encourage team members to keep their personal calendars up to date. By designating crucial work time, the people scheduling meetings will have a better understanding of times that don’t disrupt productivity. Of course, there are instances when makers will have to be flexible, bending or rearranging their schedules to accommodate an important meeting—“important” being the operative word. (gremlin/E+) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#productivity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/productivity/) [#Workplace](https://associationsnow.com/tag/workplace/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F11%2F15%2Fare-too-many-meetings-killing-employee-productivity%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !