Marc Baaden Portrait Image

No-Meeting Experiment Tracking Template

Overview

This template helps you track and implement a “no-meeting” experiment to restore cognitive bandwidth and improve scientific output.

PHASE 1: AUDIT (Week 0)

Meeting Inventory

List all recurring meetings and rate them:

  • Essential = safety, funding, legal-compliance only
  • Optional = can be replaced with async communication
  • Unclear = needs further evaluation
Meeting Name Frequency Duration Rating Keep/Drop
         
         
         
         

Baseline Metrics

Calculate your current state:

  • Deep-work hours/week: _
  • Sleep hours/night: _
  • Average decision latency (hours): _

PHASE 2: SETUP (Week 1)

Meeting Whitelist (max 3-5 types)

Only these meetings are permitted:

  1. [ ] _
  2. [ ] _
  3. [ ] _
  4. [ ] _
  5. [ ] _

Communication Plan

  • Start Date: _
  • Async Hub Location: _
  • Team Announcement Date: _
  • Daily Pulse Update Time: _

Tools Setup

  • [ ] Create shared Google Doc for async updates
  • [ ] Set up RocketChat “Pulse” channel
  • [ ] Share access with team members
  • [ ] Create template for daily updates

PHASE 3: BI-WEEKLY TRACKING

Metrics Table

Week Deep Work (hrs) Sleep (hrs/night) Decision Latency (hrs) Notes
0        
2        
4        
6        
8        
10        
12        
14        
16        
18        
20        
22        
24        

Metrics Definitions

  • Deep work: Uninterrupted 2+ hour blocks spent on research/analysis
  • Sleep: Average hours per night across 7 nights
  • Decision latency: Time from question raised to decision communicated

PHASE 4: ITERATION & REFLECTION

Week 4 Review

  • What meetings crept back in?
  • Which async tools worked?
  • Which async tools failed?
  • What unexpected benefits emerged?

Week 8 Review

  • What meetings crept back in?
  • Which async tools worked?
  • Which async tools failed?
  • What unexpected benefits emerged?

Week 12 Review

  • What meetings crept back in?
  • Which async tools worked?
  • Which async tools failed?
  • What unexpected benefits emerged?

Week 24 Review (Final)

  • Overall assessment:
  • Key learnings:
  • Will you continue? (Y/N): _
  • What adjustments will you make?

Expected Outcomes (Based on 6-Month Trial)

After 6 months, you may see results similar to:

  • Deep-work increase: ~200% (6 → 18 hrs/week)
  • Sleep increase: ~14% (6.2 → 7.4 hrs/night)
  • Decision latency reduction: ~75% (48 → 12 hrs)
  • Email volume reduction: ~40%

Additional Notes

Tips for Success

  1. Be ruthless with the “essential” classification
  2. Communicate clearly with your team about availability
  3. Set expectations for async response times (e.g., 24-hour turnaround)
  4. Block deep-work time on your calendar as “unavailable”
  5. Review and adjust every 2 weeks

Common Pitfalls

  • Letting “urgent” meetings slip back in
  • Not enforcing the async communication protocols
  • Failing to track metrics consistently
  • Not celebrating wins with your team

Resources

  • Template source: Marc Baaden’s website
  • Recommended tools (pick one in each category):
    • Shared documents: Google Docs, Resana
    • Async communication: RocketChat, Slack, Mattemost
    • Note taking: Evernote, Notion, Obsidian
  • Further reading: Deep Work by Cal Newport