Meeting time planner
Add everyone's city. Green is working hours. Click a column to pick a time that works across time zones.
Times use your browser's time zone data, including daylight saving time for the date you pick. Your list is saved in this browser only.
The short answer
To find a meeting time across time zones, line up everyone's working hours on the same clock and look for the overlap.
- Two cities up to about six hours apart usually share two to four working hours.
- Three continents rarely share any. Pick the least bad slot and rotate it.
- Always check the real date. Daylight saving changes on different weeks in different countries.
How to find a meeting time across time zones
- Add everyone's city. Your own zone is added first. Search for a city or a zone like Europe/Berlin.
- Pick the date. Offsets change with daylight saving time, so check the real day.
- Look for a green column. Green means 9:00 to 17:00 for that person. All green means it works for everyone.
- Click it and copy. Paste the time in every zone into your invite, so nobody converts by hand.
- No overlap? Pick the edge of the day for one side and rotate who gets the early slot next time.
Worked example: Lisbon, New York and Singapore
A studio in Lisbon, a client in New York and a developer in Singapore need one weekly call. Here is the math, step by step, for a date in early October 2026 when Europe and the US are both still on summer time.
| City | Offset (early Oct 2026) | 9:00 to 17:00 local, in UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon | UTC+1 (summer time) | 8:00 to 16:00 UTC |
| New York | UTC-4 (summer time) | 13:00 to 21:00 UTC |
| Singapore | UTC+8 (no daylight saving) | 1:00 to 9:00 UTC |
Now compare the UTC windows:
- Lisbon and New York overlap from 13:00 to 16:00 UTC. That is 14:00 to 17:00 in Lisbon and 9:00 to 12:00 in New York. Three good hours.
- Lisbon and Singapore overlap from 8:00 to 9:00 UTC. That is 9:00 to 10:00 in Lisbon and 16:00 to 17:00 in Singapore. One hour.
- New York and Singapore do not overlap at all. Singapore's day ends at 9:00 UTC, four hours before New York's starts.
So no hour is inside 9 to 5 for all three. Something has to give. The usual least bad slot:
Check it yourself: add the three cities in the planner above, pick a date in early October, and click the 12:00 UTC column.
If Singapore's evening is the problem, flipping the call to Singapore's morning does not help: that puts Lisbon at 1:00. The better fix is two calls. Lisbon talks to Singapore at 9:00 Lisbon time, and to New York at 14:00 Lisbon time. Lisbon, sitting in the middle, carries the relay.
The daylight saving trap
Singapore never changes its clocks. Europe and the US do, on different dates. In 2026:
| Dates (2026) | Lisbon | New York | Same 12:00 UTC call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Until 24 Oct | UTC+1 | UTC-4 | NY 8:00 · Lisbon 13:00 · Singapore 20:00 |
| 25 Oct to 31 Oct | UTC+0 | UTC-4 | NY 8:00 · Lisbon 12:00 · Singapore 20:00 |
| From 1 Nov | UTC+0 | UTC-5 | NY 7:00 · Lisbon 12:00 · Singapore 20:00 |
If you keep the call at 8:00 New York time after 1 November, it moves to 13:00 UTC: Lisbon 13:00 and Singapore 21:00. Somebody's time always shifts, so decide whose clock the meeting follows and tell everyone. In spring it flips back: the US moves forward on 14 March 2027 and Europe on 28 March 2027.
Best meeting times for common city pairs
Overlap of 9:00 to 17:00 working hours on both sides. Summer means both places on daylight saving time where they use it.
| Pair | Gap | Shared working hours |
|---|---|---|
| New York and London | 5 hours most of the year | NY 9:00 to 12:00 = London 14:00 to 17:00 |
| San Francisco and London | 8 hours most of the year | None. SF 8:00 = London 16:00 is the usual slot |
| London and Singapore | 7 hours summer, 8 winter | Summer: London 9:00 to 10:00 = Singapore 16:00 to 17:00. Winter: none |
| London and India | 4.5 hours summer, 5.5 winter | Summer: London 9:00 to 12:30 = India 13:30 to 17:00. Winter: London 9:00 to 11:30 |
| New York and Singapore | 12 hours summer, 13 winter | None. NY 20:00 = Singapore 8:00 (summer) or 9:00 (winter) |
For a few weeks each spring and autumn the gaps differ by an hour, because countries change clocks on different dates. Check the date in the planner.
Common mistakes (and fixes)
- Sending one time only. "Call at 3pm" means three different things to three people. Fix: list the time in every zone, with the day.
- Forgetting the date line. Monday evening in New York is Tuesday morning in Singapore. Fix: always write the weekday next to each time.
- Using abbreviations. CST is Central US time and also China Standard Time. Fix: write city names, or UTC offsets.
- Checking today when the meeting is next month. Fix: pick the meeting's real date in the planner.
- Always making the same person stay late. Fix: rotate the awkward slot, or record the call and send notes to whoever cannot make it.
- Booking back to back across zones. Fix: leave buffers. A booking link with buffers handles this for clients.
Copyable invite text
Paste this into your email or chat and fill in the blanks. The Copy button above gives you the times part.
Subject: Weekly sync, Tue 6 Oct Hi all, proposing this time for our weekly call: - New York: Tue 6 Oct, 8:00 - Lisbon: Tue 6 Oct, 13:00 - Singapore: Tue 6 Oct, 20:00 (12:00 UTC) It follows New York time, so after 1 Nov it will be 13:00 Lisbon and 21:00 Singapore. Shout if that breaks anything and we will rotate. Agenda: ____ Link: ____
After the call, the follow-up matters as much as the time. Our AI meeting assistant page covers prep and follow-up, and the AI notetaker page shows how a note is ready about a minute after the call.
Who this planner is for
Remote teams
Picking a standup that does not land at midnight for someone.
Freelancers and studios
Clients in other countries and a call slot that fits both sides.
Anyone booking one call
A quick check before you send an invite, with the times ready to paste.
Or let clients pick, in their own time zone
A planner is great for a team call. For clients, a SayBriefly booking link shows your open times in the booker's time zone, and they can switch it. Busy times in your Google Calendar block the slots.
Their time zone
Times show in the booker's zone. No conversion in the thread.
Buffers and notice
Free minutes around each meeting and a minimum notice.
Bookers become contacts
With a form first if you want to screen, and leads kept if they leave.
Where to go next
The scheduling app
Booking links from the first click to the next call.
Calendly alternatives
Scheduling apps compared honestly.
The calendar app
Google Calendar sync and notes on every call.
Schedule planner
Plan your week in blocks, then export it.
Time blocking
Give each task a slot in the day.
The to-do list app
One list fed from calls and email.
Questions people ask
How do I use this meeting time planner?
Add the cities or time zones of everyone in the meeting, pick a date, then click an hour column. Green cells are working hours (9:00 to 17:00 local). A column that is green in every row works for everyone. Press Copy to paste the time in every zone into an email or chat.
How do I find a meeting time across time zones?
Line up each person's day by the same moment in time, mark their working hours, and look for the overlap. That is what the rows in the planner do. If there is no overlap, rotate who takes the early or late slot from one meeting to the next.
Does it handle daylight saving time?
Yes. It uses your browser's built in time zone data for the date you pick, so a meeting next month shows the offsets that apply then.
Is my list of time zones saved?
Yes, in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere. If your browser blocks storage, the planner still works and starts fresh next time.
What is the best time for a meeting between the US and Europe?
Usually the US morning, which is the European afternoon. For New York and London, 9:00 to 12:00 in New York is 14:00 to 17:00 in London for most of the year. Check the exact date in the planner, since the two switch daylight saving time on different weeks.
Can clients book a time with me in their own time zone?
With a SayBriefly booking link, yes. The booker sees your open times in their own time zone and can switch it. Busy times in your Google Calendar block the slots.
What is the best time for a meeting between Europe and Asia?
The European morning, which is the Asian afternoon or early evening. London 9:00 is Singapore 16:00 in European summer and 17:00 in European winter, so the window is small. Book it early in the European day.
Is there a time that works for the US, Europe and Asia at once?
Rarely inside normal working hours. The usual compromise is early morning on the US East Coast, lunchtime in Europe and evening in Asia, for example New York 8:00, Lisbon 13:00, Singapore 20:00 in summer. Rotate it so the same person is not always the one staying late.
How do I write a meeting time in an invite across time zones?
Give the time in every attendee's zone, with the day, because the day can change. For example: Tue 6 Oct, 8:00 New York, 13:00 Lisbon, 20:00 Singapore. Or add the UTC time once as a reference. The Copy button does this for you.
What is an international meeting time planner?
A tool that lines up several time zones side by side so you can see which hours are working hours for everyone. This page is one: add the cities, pick a date and click a column.
Does Google Calendar handle time zones?
Yes. Google Calendar lets you set a time zone for each event and can show a second time zone in the day view. Guests see invites in their own calendar's time zone.
Why is the gap between two cities different this week?
Because they switch daylight saving time on different dates. In 2026 Europe moves its clocks back on 25 October and the US on 1 November, so for one week New York is four hours behind Lisbon instead of five. Pick the real date in the planner and it shows the right gap.
It's 4pm on a Friday. The brief is locked, the client is happy, and Scribbble already sent the meeting recap. You close the laptop.
That's the point.
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