Timezone Overlap Planning

Pick times with receipts, rotate the pain, and stop relying on vibes to schedule global calls.

Need a quick pre-send checklist instead? Jump to the Scheduling Across Timezones Checklist.

Framework in five steps

  1. Collect each person’s city plus the hours they’ll actually take meetings.
  2. Drop them into the Timezone planner and save the share link.
  3. Log daylight saving dates with the DST Planner.
  4. Define core overlap blocks (safe) and flex blocks (stretch/emergency).
  5. Rotate recurring meetings through those blocks so the pain share is explicit.

Example: Three-continent product triad

Cities: San Francisco (08:00–17:00), London (09:00–18:00), Singapore (10:00–19:00). Timezone reveals a single overlap: 08:00–09:00 SF / 16:00–17:00 London / 00:00–01:00 Singapore. Instead of sentencing Singapore to midnight forever, document a weekly rotation: Week 1 at 07:00 SF (23:00 Singapore), Week 2 at 09:00 SF (01:00 Singapore), Week 3 async updates. Put the rotation in the calendar notes so everyone knows the pattern.

Example: Customer onboarding with DST in play

SaaS onboarding spans São Paulo, Chicago, Madrid. Normally São Paulo and Madrid are three hours apart, but March brings chaos: Chicago springs forward, Brazil stays put, Europe shifts later. DST Planner highlights the risky weeks. Before the wave hits, email customers with the adjusted slot and attach a Timezone screenshot so they see the new local times.

Communicate decisions transparently

Publish an internal note explaining how you calculated overlap and when you’ll review it. Embed the Timezone screenshot plus links to Timezone and DST Planner. Set reminders before each DST season and anytime someone relocates so the plan doesn’t silently age out.

Documenting handoffs

When the cadence is locked, write it into the runbook: rotation order, cities, escalation contacts, and a “what changed” log. Pair the doc with a bookmarked Timezone link named after the project so anyone can reopen the exact view if something breaks.

Try the tools

Related guides

FAQ

How often should I revisit overlap rules?
At minimum before each DST season and whenever someone joins from a new region.
What if no overlap exists?
Switch to asynchronous updates, recorded demos, or alternating live windows so nobody is punished continuously.
Do I need tooling if the team is only two cities?
Yes. Even two cities experience DST drift. The Timezone link keeps both parties honest about whose convenience is being optimized.

Need to visualize overlap again? Use the Timezone tool.