How to Find Working-Hour Overlap Across Three Time Zones

Choose the meeting date first, write down each person's actual working hours, and compare those hours in one common time zone. The shared window is where all three schedules overlap. Only then look for a free meeting slot inside it.

Each person's working hours

A city is a starting point. Ask each person which hours they are available on the date in question, including breaks, part-time days, and any fixed commitments. “I work in New York” is less useful than “I can meet between 9 AM and noon New York time on Friday.”

Use city-based zones such as London, Budapest, and New York. Abbreviations can be ambiguous, and a fixed difference remembered from last month may be wrong around daylight-saving changes.

For a recurring call, agree whose local schedule should stay fixed. You may need a slightly different arrangement during the weeks when the regions change their clocks on different dates. The recurring-meeting guide explains that decision.

London, Budapest, and New York on one date

Consider a team in London, Budapest, and New York on January 15, 2027. For this example, everyone works from 9 AM to 5 PM locally, with no lunch breaks or other restrictions in the first calculation.

Using London as the common reference:

London's working day is 9 AM to 5 PM London time.
Budapest's working day is 8 AM to 4 PM London time.
New York's working day is 2 PM to 10 PM London time.

The shared window is therefore 2 PM to 4 PM in London. A meeting at 3 PM London time would be at 4 PM in Budapest and 10 AM in New York on that date. These are calculated examples for that date, not permanent differences between the cities.

A one-hour meeting can start no later than 3 PM London time within that window. Starting at 4 PM would run past the end of the assumed Budapest working day. Compare the finishing time as well as the start.

Use the tools you already have

Google Calendar and Outlook both offer additional time zone displays. Set them up in a day or week view, open the proposed date, and compare the same horizontal slot across the labeled clocks. Google's instructions and Microsoft's Outlook guide show the relevant controls.

If you only need a one-off conversion, a dedicated time zone converter or the world clock on your device may be simpler than changing your whole calendar setup. Avum's free Time Zone Converter is another option: use the intended date and compare the cities before sending an invitation.

Within one workplace system, a scheduling assistant can check colleagues' free/busy information. Across organizations, ask people to confirm the proposed local time or use a scheduling poll. Converting the time does not show whether they are free.

Your calendars inside the overlap

If your own commitments live in several accounts, the Avum app can show connected calendars together with up to three preferred time zones. Use it to compare the candidate window against your actual schedule. It does not automatically reveal your colleagues' private calendars or negotiate a meeting time for you.

If coworkers book against a different work account, copy busy time into that account using a Sync Rule. A calendar visible only in your own view may leave that other account bookable. Keep private appointment details out of the copy if coworkers only need to see that you are busy.

When the overlap is already occupied

Now remove lunch breaks, focus blocks, existing appointments, and any personal availability the participants have asked you to respect. If your two-hour overlap disappears, first consider whether the meeting needs everyone, whether it can be shorter, or whether an asynchronous update would work.

If an inconvenient hour is unavoidable, rotate it fairly so one location does not take every early morning. Agree on each exception before sending the invitation.

Ready to compare your connected schedules across time zones? Start your free 30-day trial with Avum today.