How to choose a meeting time across three time zones

Trying to find one meeting time for people in three time zones can turn into a string of messages. A time that looks reasonable on your calendar may mean an early start, a late evening, or even the next day for someone else.

Compare the local time in each attendee’s city before you send the invite. TooLab’s World Clock makes it easier to see how a proposed time lines up across locations. The date matters too, because daylight saving time can change the difference between cities.

Compare three cities and choose a time

1. Open the World Clock and select a city for each attendee. Use the city where the person will be on the meeting date, not just a country name. A country can have more than one time zone.
2. Decide the meeting date and how long the meeting needs to be. A 60-minute call needs a larger shared window than a 15-minute check-in.
3. Compare the local times in all three cities. Start with a time inside the usual workday for the person with the narrowest schedule, then see what it means for the other two.
4. Check the local date as well as the clock time. If a proposed time lands after midnight for one attendee, it may be the next calendar day there.
5. Choose the fairest workable option, then put the date, time zone and duration in the invitation. Ask each person to confirm that the local time looks right before treating it as settled.

For instance, if attendees are in Los Angeles, London and Singapore, do not assume that the time difference stays fixed all year. Compare the planned date, not only the clocks you see today.

What the options mean

All three times fit working hours

That is the easiest overlap. Check the full meeting duration, not just the start. A call beginning near the end of one person’s workday may still run into their evening. A practical window often leaves a little space before and after the meeting for breaks or other commitments.

One person has an early morning or late evening

There may not be a perfect time across all three locations. Decide whether the meeting is essential for everyone to attend live. If it is, rotate the inconvenience across future meetings rather than always asking the same person to join outside normal hours.

The local date differs between attendees

This can happen when a meeting crosses midnight in one location. Include each attendee’s local date in the message if there is any chance of confusion. For example, write that it is Tuesday in one city and Wednesday in another, rather than relying on a time alone.

The same time works this week but not later

That is often a daylight saving change. Cities do not all change their clocks on the same dates, and some places do not change clocks at all. A recurring meeting can shift by an hour for a few weeks even when you keep the same time zone setting in the invitation.

How to avoid scheduling mistakes

1. Confirm the locations first. Ask attendees which city they will be in on the meeting date. Do not assume someone is still in the location listed on an old invite.
2. Check the actual date. Compare times for the date you are scheduling. If the World Clock shows current local times only, account for any daylight saving change between now and the meeting date, then verify the proposed local times in your calendar before sending.
3. Compare the whole meeting window. A start time may look fine while the end time is inconvenient. Check the proposed start and finish in all three locations, especially for longer meetings.
4. Include the time zone in the invitation. Use a named city or time zone rather than an abbreviation such as CST, which can refer to different zones. Let the calendar convert the invite for each attendee, and include the date clearly.
5. Recheck recurring meetings around clock changes. When one location enters or leaves daylight saving time, review the next occurrence. Keep the time fixed for the person who needs it most, or agree to adjust it for the temporary offset difference.
6. Offer two options if there is no fair overlap. Send two candidate times with the local times for all three cities. If neither works, consider a shorter call, splitting the meeting, or sharing notes with someone who cannot attend.

Why the date changes the answer

A time zone is not always a fixed number of hours from another one. Some regions move clocks forward in spring and back in fall, while others keep the same clock all year. The change dates can differ, so two cities that are usually seven hours apart may temporarily be six or eight hours apart.

This is why a current clock comparison is useful for planning, but it is not enough by itself for a meeting weeks or months away. Check the proposed date in the calendar invitation as well. If the meeting repeats, pay attention to each occurrence around local clock changes, and tell attendees if the meeting time will move.

Before sending the invite, read the date and start time once in each attendee’s local time, including the day of the week.