Unproductive and poorly managed meetings take endless hours of our time. ‌What I think is even worse is the valuable time wasted on emails, texting – and even worse, calling and walking back and forth. ‌Finally‌ ‌According to studies, a meeting is scheduled after eight emails on average. However, there are ways to politely share your scheduling link on the calendar.

Share your planning link in the calendar

Luckily, a scheduling link can solve this problem. ‌If you are unfamiliar, this is an instant communication method that creates real-time connections between people or a URL. ‌As a result, you end email ping-pong, avoid scheduling conflicts, eliminate tedious work, and simplify‌ ‌your‌meeting‌ ‌workflow.

However, if you want to effectively share your scheduling link on the calendar, you need to do so politely. And here’s how to do just that.

Share when appropriate.

Let’s say you’re at your favorite coffee shop doing some work. At some point, you’ll strike up a conversation with another patron. And since you hit it off, you decide to keep the conversation going by exchanging contact information.

It does not matter whether it is a potential love relationship or a new business connection. It would no doubt be pretentious if your first message included your calendar link. Anyway, it is a relatively clear indication that you are an important person.

Instead, just get their contact information and keep the relationship organic. Then, in subsequent correspondence, ask them if they have a calendar link they’d like to share. If not, suggest sharing your calendar link with them. If that doesn’t work, ask them when they’re available.

Additionally, when you “share your schedule and routine with a stranger, they’re giving them information about your life that they could use against you,” says Max Palmer in a previous Calendar article. “Keep your sensitive calendar information to yourself.”

However, this isn’t the only time it’s inappropriate to share a calendar link. For example, planning a surprise party or a quick 10-minute phone call probably doesn’t require planning links.

Open the door for them.

Traditionally, we were taught to open the door to others before ourselves. And we can definitely apply that to our calendar availability as well.

Instead of just sending your calendar link and saying, “Here’s my calendar link,” you can “open the door” for someone else first. As? By asking her Availability.

You can then offer them your calendar link after they walk through the door. If you need a script to follow, try something like, “I would appreciate if you could let me know when you are available. Or, if it’s more convenient, you can select a time from my calendar.”

It doesn’t seem like much. “However, we observe a variety of seemingly small gestures, such as B. muting the phone in a movie theater. Julianna Margulies summed it up perfectly: “Small gestures can have a big impact.”

Set priorities.

Kelly‌ ‌Nolan,‌ ‌a‌ ‌time management‌ ‌strategist,‌ ‌uses three different links on her calendar for different purposes: client meetings, casual coffee or networking events, and ‌team meetings‌ ‌. ‌Also, she enthusiastically supports automatic scheduling for unexpected‌ ‌reasons.

“They set end times,” Nolan told Bloomberg. ‌Planners can, for example, set time slots of up to 30 minutes to prevent attendees from ignoring timeouts when a meeting is over. “Plus, most of the programs they use to protect their customers’ time are better than what they can manage themselves.

“A lot of us have this tendency to please people to say, ‘Well, okay, I’ll just do this uncomfortable time,’ which eliminates that tendency,” she said.

To avoid negative news, Nolan shares her calendar link and a note that reads, “If any of my upcoming dates aren’t right for you, please let me know.

“It’s a signal that I’m willing to work with certain people beyond my calendar tool,” Kelly said.

Keep your tone friendly.

When inviting people to use your calendar, be careful with your wording. ‌While you want to be direct, don’t be too brash or disrespectful of your time. Instead, emphasize the convenience of using a calendar link, as if you’re no longer playing the back-and-forth game.

For example, you could say, “When you’re ready, here’s my scheduling link on the calendar so you can pick a time that works best for you. I look forward to speaking with you soon.”

timing is everything.

Timing is everything when sharing your calendar. ‌It is best not to share your calendar link until it is too late. At the same time, you only want to share it at the very last minute. ‌It is important to‌ ‌find‌ a‌ ‌balance.

You should share your calendar with your family and assistant 24 to 48 hours before you leave, for example when planning a trip. For example, if you need a team meeting on Thursday, sending a scheduling link on Tuesday is way too short.

In short, you should consider urgency and deadlines before sharing your calendar so that it gets released at the right time.

Also, be aware of business hours, time zones, and public holidays. For example, if you’re on the East Coast and want to have a virtual meeting with a colleague who lives on the West Coast, don’t suggest a meeting time of 9:00 AM EST. Instead, ask them to join that video call at 6am.

Be flexible.

Even if the other person’s schedule doesn’t match what you have available on your calendar, be open to meeting their needs. For example: “Could you suggest a convenient time for a meeting, or can you select from my calendar if you prefer?”

Note that you don’t say that blocking your time is only possible through your calendar link. However, I often use this as a starting point.

Choose a compatible calendar.

Technology can sometimes be a bit tricky. ‌For example, although it is possible to switch between Apple, Google or Microsoft, it can be confusing. Also, it’s not always convenient when you share a Google Calendar link with a group that primarily uses Apple Calendar.

In general, you should ensure that your calendar is accessible from ‌ ‌multiple‌ ‌platforms. ‌This way there is no syncing or sharing process to worry about. And it’s convenient and doesn’t require the other invitees to install a new app or learn how it works.

Follow the Goldilocks rule.

“Certainly, privacy could be an issue for successful calendar sharing,” writes Kayla Sloan in an article for Calendar. “But many people merge work and personal calendars without any problems.”

Most online calendars and apps “have settings that allow you to make some entries private and others shared.” ‌Unfortunately‌ ‌these settings prevent others from seeing sensitive information.

“However, not all calendars have the same features,” adds Sloan. “That’s why you can allow anyone to see personal appointments, make entries inaccurate or not enter them in the work calendar.”

When you add event details to a shared calendar, you’ll find a balance. ‌Date, time and place should at least be listed. Getting participants involved is also a brilliant idea.

With attachments containing agendas and locations, they can get directions on their phones without giving away too much information.

Also, avoid being vague. ‌Don’t ‌plan ‌only the afternoon for “meetings”. Make sure everyone has the information they need beforehand.

Ghost nobody.

In other words, if you receive a calendar link, don’t leave the sender on dry land.

I sent calendar invites to someone who has never responded in the past. Maybe because they knew about the invitation and assumed that I would have expected them to attend. But it’s still a pet nuisance of mine.

You just have to click one button to confirm. Plus, it’s nice to let others know you’re coming. ‌You will also receive updates such as B. Cancellations. ‌One invite is more efficient than multiple invites.

And because you replied, hopefully others will reciprocate if you share your planning link in the future.

Email Embedding.

You might consider embedding your calendar link in your email body. Why? It requires fewer clicks than on your website. In turn, it’s more polite as it saves you further time in planning.

Credit: Cottonbro; Pixel; Thanks!

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