A simple world clock setup for distributed teams

Share a live board that shows who is online, who is sleeping, and when the next handoff happens.

Give every project its own clock grid

Open the World Clock wallboard, add the cities that matter for your squad, and drag them into “handoff order”. Use the label field to note on-call owners or travel dates so context lives next to the clock. Keep a browser tab pinned on a spare monitor or TV so everyone sees the same information.

Example: Marketing team covering Portland, Dublin, Melbourne

Create a board with Portland, Austin, Dublin, and Melbourne so you can show North America’s split coverage. Portland’s 09:00 corresponds to 17:00 Dublin and 04:00 Melbourne next day. Add a fourth tile for “Event venue” when traveling so local contractors understand who is awake. The board makes it obvious when to expect Slack replies.

Example: Incident response between Toronto, Nairobi, Manila

Add Toronto, São Paulo, Nairobi, and Manila to the wallboard. When Toronto hits 22:00, the board highlights that Nairobi is just starting its day and Manila is mid-shift. Tag the Nairobi tile with “Primary on-call” so the entire company knows who to ping without waking North America.

Checklist for a useful wallboard

FAQ

Where should we display the board?
A spare monitor, TV, or dedicated browser window works. Some teams even bookmark it on tablets mounted near desks.
How many clocks is too many?
If you have to scroll, split into multiple boards for different squads so signals stay clear.
Can we mix personal and project cities?
Yes, but keep project boards focused. Create a second board for wider company awareness if needed.

Ready to roll it out? Open the World Clock tool.