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The team at Asana realized they were unable to find uninterrupted work time free from the distraction of frequent meetings. Inspired by Facebook’s meeting policy, they implemented “No-Meeting Wednesdays” (NMW) to take back their productivity:
…We’ve noticed that our productivity, in terms of number of tasks completed and work accomplished, increases over other days of the week. Having one day focused on flow time is a simple and effective way to get teammates energized, get heads down in the work they need to or want to do, and feel that at least one day in every week, their day isn’t schedule-driven.
Asana’s “No-Meeting Wednesdays” have several advantages:
- More checks on the to-do list. NMW allows employees to execute their tasks from start to finish, without a meeting disrupting their momentum.
- More autonomy for all. Leadership gets a break from managing others, and can be creators again.
- More momentum. Team members are re-energized in the middle of their week, feeling positive about their accomplishments.
While other people have argued that eliminating meetings on one day of the week only shifts meetings—thereby further disrupting workflow on the other four days of the week—designating time for production is still critical. It can be unifying for both small and large organizations to create so collectively. If you find yourself struggling to shorten or eliminate excessive meetings during the rest of the week, though, that could be an indicator of a bigger issue. Check out our post on prioritizing work to see if your team is taking on more than it needs to.
Has your team tried designating a “No-Meeting Day”? What was the result?
