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How many back-and-forth Slack messages does it take you to get a 30-minute meeting on the calendar with your team? For many of us, the answer is “too many.” Double bookings, urgent issues, unexpected sick kids, appointments—you name it.
Scheduling meetings can be inefficient and frustrating. In remote work, team members are spread across different time zones and locations and have varying commitments and responsibilities. Don’t make meeting scheduling any harder than it has to be.
Instead, you can use Google Calendar’s ‘Find a Time’ feature. Plus, to reduce scheduling hassles even further, we’ll show you why Clockwise is the best option for finding a time that works for everyone.
Google Calendar ‘Find a Time’ feature
The ‘Find a Time’ feature is easy to use, but first, you should know a couple of important things about the feature.
For the feature to work, you need to have access to others’ Google Calendars. If you and your team are part of the same Google Workspace, you and your team can use this feature.
In addition, users can only access this feature on the web calendar app. The ‘Find a Time’ feature is not an option via the Google Calendar mobile app on iOS and Android. However, you can use the “View schedules” button on the mobile app to check availability or the “Suggested times” button to view Google Calendar’s meeting time suggestions.
Step 1: Open Google Calendar and create a new event or edit an existing one
Open Google Calendar. If you see your tasks and not your calendar, click the calendar icon in the upper right-hand corner to open the calendar view.
Click “Create” near the upper left-hand corner and select “Event” to create a new event. A pop-up will appear. In the pop-up, fill in your event details, including a meeting name, location (or video conferencing details like Zoom or Google Meet links), and description (and don’t forget to include your meeting agenda!).
To edit an existing event, locate the calendar event you want to update and click the pencil icon to edit it.
Step 2: Add your guests to the meeting invite.
You can add guests to your new or existing event by typing their name, pasting their email, or searching for their email in the “Add guests” box on the right-hand side of the meeting invite.
Step 3: Click the “Find a Time” tab.
Once you’ve added your guests, select the “Find a Time” tab to view your calendars side-by-side and identify times that work for the group. You can toggle between a “Day” and “Week” view to identify multiple dates and times that will work for your meeting if you need options.
Pro-tip: You can also click the “Suggested times” button beneath your guest list to identify upcoming time slots where all participants are available. If you don’t use this option, continue to the next step.
Step 4: Choose your meeting time and get ready to meet!
Click the time slot within the calendar grid view to select the time you want to meet. You can also drag your cursor to an available time slot. Press the “Save” button, and the date and time of your meeting will update. Voilà! Meeting invitations are on the way!
How to integrate meeting times into Gmail
Many Google Workspace users are familiar with the popular extension called Boomerang. Boomerang enables users to schedule emails, send them later, and receive reminders to respond to essential emails at another time. The extension also launched a new calendar scheduling feature that allows users to schedule meetings and suggest meeting times without leaving Gmail. Users can:
- Create a bookable schedule of available times and share it (with multiple calendar support, Zoom and Google Meet integrations, dual time zones, and more)
- Suggest meeting times via Gmail for simplified one-off scheduling
- Share free/busy availability without sharing personal event details to maintain privacy
To use Boomerang, install the Boomerang extension, grant it permission to your calendar, and click the calendar icon in the lower right-hand corner of your next email in the Gmail app.
Scheduling meetings using appointment schedules
Previously, Google Calendar offered an appointment slots feature that worked well for sharing open availability. Appointment slot users can no longer create new appointment slots, as the feature-rich appointment scheduling feature replaced it in 2024.
Don’t worry, though; the appointment schedules are even better! With appointment schedules, users can create and share booking pages so people can book time with them. Additionally, you can view booked appointments side-by-side with your schedule in Google Calendar.
Users on a personal or Workspace Business Starter Google account can create one booking page and accept unlimited appointments. Those with an eligible Google Workspace subscription (Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, etc.) receive access to premium appointment features, including
- More than one booking page
- Automatic email reminders
- The ability to add up to 20 co-hosts
To use this feature, click “Create” and “Appointment schedule.” Enter a title, set your appointment duration, date, availability, and how far in advance people can book appointments with you. Once you’ve set up your schedule the way you want it, click “Save” and share the link to your booking page so others can find a time to meet with you.
How Clockwise helps you find meeting times
Don’t get us wrong—the ‘Find a Time’ feature is great but requires browsing calendars and availability. If you’re trying to schedule time with your team, it won’t be long before you’re busy playing calendar Tetris and watching colored time blocks fill your screen.
With Clockwise, you can find the best meeting times without manual work. Clockwise uses AI to provide smart scheduling suggestions, offering meeting times based on everyone’s workday preferences. That means you can find time to meet without sacrificing your free time, lunch break, Focus Time, and more.
The best part? Thanks to Clockwise’s Prism, finding the best meeting time has never been easier. With Clockwise Prism, you can schedule a meeting with a quick conversation while respecting everyone’s schedules and workday preferences. Simply send scheduling requests to Clockwise via chat and receive meeting options that meet your needs.
Okay, so Clockwise works well for scheduling time with your team, but what about scheduling meetings with external guests? Clockwise Scheduling Links allow you to share your availability with others. With the help of AI, Scheduling Links serve up meeting times that optimize your schedule for productivity, not just any open free time.
Going forward
Don’t let meeting scheduling get you down. Protect your time and energy and spend more time preparing for your next calendar event rather than finding the best time to meet. Try Google Calendar’s ‘Find a Time’ feature. To eliminate manual scheduling and free up time in your day, try Clockwise.
About the author
Alyssa Towns has written productivity and time management content for Clockwise for several years. Early in her career, she dove into time management strategies to effectively manage her workday calendar and 10+ C-Suite officers' calendars across various organizations. She uses her training in change management to write time management, the future of work, and career content that helps people change their behaviors and habits. In addition, she writes about artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology for G2's Learn Hub. When she isn't writing, Alyssa enjoys trying new restaurants with her husband, playing with her Bengal cats, adventuring outdoors, or reading a book from her TBR list.
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