In a remote environment, immediate access to colleagues isn't always possible. A GPT loaded with context about your company and cofounders' thinking can act as a thought partner, helping you overcome the "blank slate" problem without scheduling a meeting.

Believing traditional weekly 1-on-1s are inefficient and repetitive, V0's leader eliminated them. He favors discussing shared topics in group settings (like a Slack huddle) and reserves direct 1-on-1 time for specific situations like onboarding, rather than a fixed weekly cadence.

High-performing remote teams exhibit "bursty" collaboration—short, intense periods of interaction followed by deep work. To enable this, teams should cancel recurring meetings and instead establish shared "collaboration hours" where everyone is available for ad-hoc problem-solving and spontaneous discussion.

Using tools that require recording yourself provides a consistent opportunity for self-review. Loom's CEO notes that users improve their communication simply by playing back their own recordings, treating async video as a skill to be developed, not just a tool to be used, because 'pain is gain.'

The first step to better meetings is asking "should we have this meeting at all?" By eliminating purely informational meetings, you prevent the formation of norms like disengagement and silence. This makes it more likely that when a collaborative meeting is necessary, team members will actively participate.

Calendly's research reveals a paradox: while the common sentiment is anti-meeting, a vast majority (81%) of professionals believe more productive meetings would help them at work. This suggests the problem isn't the quantity of meetings, but their quality and purpose. People crave effective, decision-oriented collaboration.

For professionals who find phone calls demanding and texting too superficial for relationship building, voice memos offer an effective middle ground. This asynchronous communication method allows for the nuance and personality of voice, fostering a deeper connection without the pressure of a real-time conversation.

Status update meetings are a major productivity drain. Replace them with asynchronous videos (e.g., Loom). This method is more efficient, allowing people to consume updates on their own time. It also conveys more signal—tone, emphasis, and personality—than a written update, fostering better connection on distributed teams.