Remote work was supposed to free us from office nonsense. Instead, we traded in the daily commute for something arguably worse: meetings that start at 6 AM and somehow still go until 11 PM.
If you’re leading a remote team and your calendar looks like a hostage situation, you’re caught in the 6-11 Meeting Trap—burning the candle at both ends just to accommodate every time zone.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s fix it.
🚨 The Truth About Remote Meetings (That No One Wants to Admit)
Most remote meetings suck. Why? Because:
❌ Too many of them – If your meetings could be a Netflix miniseries, you have a problem.
❌ No one is actually paying attention – Half the team is answering Slack DMs, the other half is watching their toddler climb the furniture.
❌ Time zones are a nightmare – At least one poor soul is calling in from the future while another is still in their pajamas.
But hey, at least you get to stare at yourself in a tiny Zoom window for 10 hours straight. 😵
🎯 The Sweet Spot: Wednesday, 6-9 AM (AKA Meeting Happy Hour)
If you must have a live, all-hands meeting across time zones, the least painful window is Wednesday, 6-9 AM (your time). Here’s why:
✅ Midweek check-in – Enough time to course-correct without derailing Monday execution or Friday wind-down.
✅ Avoids the Monday/Friday Curse – Let’s be real, no one is mentally available on either end of the week.
✅ Best overlap for global teams – Someone will still be annoyed, but this minimizes the suffering.
But let’s not kid ourselves—meetings should be the exception, not the rule. So before you send another calendar invite, try this instead 👇
💡 Smarter (and Less Soul-Sucking) Alternatives to the Never-Ending Zoom-a-thon
1️⃣ The “Does This Really Need to Be a Meeting?” Decision Tree
- Is there an agenda? No? Delete it.
- Can this be a Slack update? Yes? Write it down and move on.
- Is this just a status update? Yes? Stop wasting everyone’s time.
2️⃣ Asynchronous Standups: Because No One Wants a 6 AM Daily Call
Use Loom, Slack, or Range to post quick updates. Everyone contributes on their own schedule—no need for 12 people to awkwardly unmute and say, “Uh, nothing new from me.”
3️⃣ Office Hours: Stop Summoning the Entire Team for No Reason
Instead of pulling everyone into another forced conversation, set weekly office hours where people can drop in if they actually need help. Bonus: You’ll repeat yourself less.
4️⃣ The “Two-Meeting Rule”
If your remote team has more than two required all-hands meetings per week, you’re doing it wrong. One strategic, one tactical. Everything else? Async or small-group syncs.
🚩 Signs Your Team Hates Your Meeting Schedule
They might not tell you outright, but you’ll notice:
🔥 They “accidentally” double-book during your calls.
🔥 Their Wi-Fi mysteriously “cuts out” when it’s their turn to talk.
🔥 They keep their camera off with a profile pic from 2018.
🔥 They join on time but are 100% checked out, scrolling LinkedIn for better job opportunities.
Final Thought: Work Smarter, Not Exhausted
If you’re leading a remote team, your job isn’t to fill calendars—it’s to respect time zones, cut the fluff, and let people do their jobs.
So before you hit “Send” on yet another 10 PM meeting invite, ask yourself: Would I actually want to attend this meeting?
If the answer is no, you already know what to do.
Now, go forth and schedule responsibly. Or better yet—just send an email or a Slack message.
Try one of these tips and tell me what worked (or flopped spectacularly). Either way, let’s embrace remote work—and make it better. Feel free to reach out if you want to find out more tools and techniches 💡