TL;DR:
- Top async tools: Loom (video), Slack (chat), Notion (docs), Linear (issues), Cal.com (scheduling).
- Async work saves 40-60% of meeting time for distributed teams.
- Best for: distributed teams, time zones spanning, deep work cultures.
The Async Work Stack
| Use case | Tool |
|---|---|
| Async video updates | Loom, Tella |
| Text chat | Slack, Discord |
| Docs / wikis | Notion, Confluence |
| Issue tracking | Linear, GitHub Issues |
| Scheduling | Cal.com, Calendly |
| Code reviews | GitHub, GitLab |
| Standups | Loom, Standuply, Standup.io |
| Project management | Linear, Asana, Notion |
Why Async Work?
- Time zone-friendly — global teams.
- Deep focus — no constant interruptions.
- Better decisions — written, considered.
- Searchable history — context for new hires.
- Save meeting time — 40-60% reduction.
Top Async Practices
- Default to writing over talking.
- Use Loom for status updates — replace daily standups.
- Notion / Confluence for decisions — searchable forever.
- Slack with no-meeting hours.
- Async-first culture — meetings are exception.
Companies Doing Async Well
- GitLab — fully async + remote.
- Automattic (WordPress) — distributed for 20 years.
- Buffer — async-first.
- Doist — async culture.
- Many YC startups — building async-first.
Async Standup Format
- Each person records 2-min Loom.
- Posts to Slack channel.
- What done yesterday / what doing today / blockers.
- Reply async if questions.
- Replaces 15-min daily meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best async tools for new team?
Loom + Slack + Notion + Linear. Covers most async needs.
Should we never have meetings?
Have meetings for: brainstorming, complex debate, social bonding. Skip for: status updates, simple decisions.
Time saved with async?
40-60% reduction in meeting time for distributed teams.
Best for global team?
Async essential. Time zones make sync impossible at scale.
How to start going async?
Replace 1 daily meeting with Loom standup. Build from there.
Key Takeaways
- Top tools: Loom + Slack + Notion + Linear + Cal.com.
- Async saves 40-60% of meeting time.
- Best for distributed teams + global timezones.
- Default to writing; meetings only when necessary.
- Top async-first companies: GitLab, Automattic, Buffer, Doist.