I’ve been thinking about this lately—although real-time collaboration tools, used by millions of remote workers globally, may still be considered the most essential productivity category, the undeniable surge in asynchronous-first methodologies cannot be ignored. This trend began with distributed teams as the primary focus, which then evolved into companions for traditional office workflows. However, async-first practices are poised to replace synchronous collaboration as the primary method for knowledge work, functioning independently without needing everyone in the same time zone as a productivity requirement.

This brings up the question: As a manager, founder, or team lead, are you ready for this change?

The numbers tell a compelling story, and honestly, they’ve changed how I think about productivity entirely. Workers spend 58% of their time on “work about work”—including 129 hours yearly in unnecessary meetings. Meanwhile, employees are productive for only 2 hours and 53 minutes in an average 8-hour workday. I’ve observed this firsthand: the async opportunity isn’t just about remote work flexibility—it’s about reclaiming this lost time for actual value creation.

When teams default to asynchronous communication, the transformation is measurable. Context switching from meeting interruptions costs 20 minutes per switch and can consume hours daily. But here’s what I find fascinating: 77% of remote employees report higher productivity in async setups, and 61% say it reduces burnout. The reason is simple: async work creates space for deeper, more thoughtful contributions instead of being dominated by the loudest voices in live meetings.

The Hybrid Approach

Companies like GitLab and Buffer proved this works at scale, but I believe the real opportunity lies in hybrid application. Smart teams separate synchronous activities (brainstorming, relationship building) from asynchronous ones (status updates, documentation, routine decisions). This isn’t about eliminating meetings—it’s about making them intentional rather than default.

The tooling has caught up too, and I’ve seen teams transform their workflows with these shifts. Written updates become searchable. Video explanations can be reviewed multiple times. Documentation doesn’t get lost in someone’s notes. The result: U.S. labor productivity growth reached 2.7% in 2023—the highest in 20 years—credited partly to flexible work arrangements including async teams.

For leaders, async-first means recruiting globally, reducing meeting overhead, and creating more inclusive environments. For individual contributors, it means deeper focus time and more thoughtful input on decisions. What I’m seeing is that the companies getting this right aren’t just more efficient—they’re building competitive advantages through better documentation, clearer decision processes, and access to global talent pools.

What are your thoughts: Will 2025 be the year when async-first practices emerge as methodologies to be taken seriously and considered foundational, not just as emergency responses to distributed teams?