"In early 2023, Shopify made a bold and deliberate decision that rippled through its entire organization. Without warning anyone or conducting a phased rollout, they removed over 12,000 recurring meetings from employee calendars. They put a company-wide pause on all Wednesday meetings, and consolidated larger group sessions into a single window each week. From the outside, it looked like a scheduling adjustment. On the inside, it was an intentional reevaluation of how the company valued time, attention, and collaboration."
"Surprisingly, the decision resulted in very little chaos. Teams adapted and work moved. Space led to clarity surfacing. Shopify reported that the shift freed up more than 322,000 hours annually of time that employees previously spent in motion, but not always in progress. This two-week experiment was an act of leadership that asked, "what are we doing simply because we always have?" For many, that became a permanent way of working."
"Many organizations everywhere have practices and processes that persist by default. Meetings, reports, systems, and sign-offs become embedded not because they are essential, but because no one ever questioned them. But over time, demands on our attention continue to multiply. It becomes increasingly difficult to protect our time, and leadership needs to show its strength through discernment. They also need to let go of anything that no longer makes a meaningful contribution."
In early 2023 Shopify removed over 12,000 recurring meetings, paused Wednesday meetings, and consolidated larger sessions into a single weekly window. Teams adapted quickly and work continued, producing clarity and freeing more than 322,000 employee hours annually. The two-week experiment encouraged leaders to question habitual practices and assess the real value of activities. Many organizations retain meetings, reports, and processes by default rather than necessity, increasing demands on attention. Leadership must practice discernment, prune accumulated obligations, and let go of practices that no longer contribute meaningfully. A Journal of Experimental Psychology study found people tend to add rather than remove when asked to improve things.
Read at Fast Company
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