How to find meeting times that work for everyone

Finding a time that actually works for everyone used to mean email ping-pong, calendar Tetris, and a little bit of luck. There’s a better way.

When your team has Doodle accounts and their preferred calendars connected, public holidays, PTO and existing events are already blocked out automatically. That means you’re starting from a clean, realistic picture of who’s actually free—no guesswork.

Here's your step-by-step playbook for picking meeting times that work for calendars and real people—energy, projects, and preferences included.

1. Start with the hard constraints (and let Doodle do the heavy lifting)

• Calendars connected: With everyone’s calendars synced to Doodle, you see true availability (OOO, holidays, meetings) without asking.

• Time zones & working hours: Turn on time-zone awareness and set working hours so you don’t accidentally schedule midnight brainstorms.

• Meeting type: Decide what this is (decision, workshop, status, kickoff). Clarity on the outcome helps pick the right length and attendees.

Doodle tip: For groups, use a Doodle Group Poll to propose a handful of time slots that already respect connected calendars. For 1:1s or external guests, share your Doodle Booking Page so people choose from times you’ve pre-approved.

2. Layer in “human” variables: energy, projects, preferences

Calendars show when people are free, not when they’re at their best. Ask teammates (quick poll or a Doodle survey through the custom questions) for:

• Energy patterns (chronotypes): Morning thinkers, afternoon collaborators, post-lunch no-go?

• Project load windows: Sprint planning week, quarter-end crunch, heavy on-call rotations.

• Personal preferences: “No meetings before 10,” “avoid Fridays,” “prefer 25-min standups.”

How to use this:

• Brainstorm/strategy sessions → schedule during high-energy hours for most people.

• Status/standups → place in low-friction hours (shorter slots, close to start of day).

• Deep-work protection → respect recurring focus blocks and add buffers around meetings.

Doodle tip: Set buffer times on your Booking Page and limit daily meeting caps so you don’t chop up teammates’ focus time.

3. Design fair time windows across time zones

When you can’t make everyone’s “golden hour,” rotate the pain fairly:

• Create two or three rotating windows (e.g., early EU / middle overlap / late US) and cycle them weekly or monthly.

• Document the rotation so everyone knows what to expect.

• Record & share notes for anyone attending outside ideal hours.

Doodle tip: Duplicate a recurring Group Poll each quarter to re-test the best overlap, especially around daylight-saving shifts.

4. Propose fewer but better options

More options ≠ faster decisions. Give 3–5 strong slots, not 12 maybes.

• Ensure each option respects working hours + energy data for most of the team.

• Default durations to 25 or 50 minutes to create breathing room between calls.

• Attach a short agenda so people can judge which slot fits their mental bandwidth.

Doodle tip: Add your agenda to the poll description; Doodle auto-converts time zones for each voter and makes it easy to comment if someone needs a minor tweak.

5. Use meeting “formats” that fit the outcome

• Decision meeting (≤45 min): Pre-read + clear owner + 1 decision to make.

• Workshop (60–90 min): High-energy window, collaborative tools ready, co-facilitator.

• Status (≤25 min): Asynchronous updates first, live only for blockers.

• Office hours: Publish a Booking Page window; teammates book 10–15-min slots as needed.

Doodle tip: Your Booking Page can expose only certain days/times (e.g., “office hours Tuesdays 1–3 pm”), while your personal calendar stays private.

6. Make it stick: confirmations, nudges, and quick reschedules

• Auto-confirm the winning slot from your Doodle Poll; invites go out instantly.

• Reminders: Send a nudge 24 hours before (Doodle can handle this).

• If things change: Re-open the poll or share a fresh Booking Page link—no email threads required.

7. Re-evaluate regularly

Teams evolve. Energy patterns shift, projects spike, time zones change.

• Quarterly check-in: Re-poll recurring meetings to validate the time still works.

• Seasonality: Watch for DST and holiday clusters—Doodle already blocks what’s in calendars, but it’s good to sanity-check.

A quick “Team Preference Card” you can copy

Every teammate brings different rhythms, constraints, and preferences. Capturing these in a simple “Team Preference Card” makes onboarding smoother and avoids friction later.

Team Preference Card (example):

With Doodle, much of this is already covered through calendar sync. Holidays, PTO, and existing events are automatically blocked—so your “preference card” adds the human layer: energy, focus, and flexibility.

Once your calendars are synced and preferences noted, most of the heavy lifting is already off your plate. You’re not juggling all of this in your head anymore—Doodle takes care of the logistics.

Still, here’s a quick sanity-check before you hit “send” on a meeting invite:

Scheduling Checklist:

Try it with Doodle

• Group Polls for multi-person scheduling without the back-and-forth

• Booking Page for 1:1s, office hours, or external guests

• Sign-up Sheet for events with multiple slots to choose from (e.g. workshops, shifts, volunteer slots)

• Calendar connections so holidays, PTO and meetings are auto-blocked

• Time-zone smarts, buffers, caps and reminders to protect focus

Tired of scheduling chaos? Connect your calendars, share a Doodle, and let the best time pick itself.