Thanks to the internet, staying in touch with friends, family, and coworkers near and far has never been easier. Still, communicating with someone in another timezone can be a bit of a challenge. Do you ever count on your fingers when scheduling a meeting or phone call?
Google Calendar offers the perfect solution to make catching up with distant coworkers, pals, or loved ones a breeze. Here’s how you can display a secondary timezone in your calendar.
How to Add a Secondary Timezone to Google Calendar
You can go above and beyond planning your week in Google Calendar and use it to set up your appointments and meetings. If you often schedule meetings with someone in another timezone, displaying that timezone in your calendar will ensure you plan everything accordingly.
Here’s how you can add a secondary timezone to your Google Calendar:
- Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings.
- Go to Language and region in the General tab.
- Check Display a secondary time zone under Time zone.
- The grayed-out fly menu will populate. Click that and select the zone of your choosing.
- Add a label to help you remember which is which. Google will automatically save your changes.
Once you’ve added a secondary timezone to your calendar, you will notice two time zones displayed on the left side when creating an event. Your primary timezone will still be the default for all your calendar events. If you travel back and forth, you can quickly swap primary for secondary by clicking the two arrows beside them in the Settings panel.
How to Schedule an Event in Another Timezone With Google Calendar
You’ll eventually become more accustomed to the time difference as you communicate with someone in another time zone. However, if you need to schedule an appointment with someone outside your primary and secondary time zones, Google Calendar offers another solution to prevent any scheduling mishaps.
To schedule a meeting in another timezone:
- Create a new event.
- In the event menu, click Timezone under the date. Click it again when Google gives you more options.
- Select the desired option from the dropdown menu and click OK.
- Proceed to schedule the event, and hit Save.
Once you save the event, it’ll show up in your calendar at the correct time in your time zone. For example, if you’re in New York and you schedule a meeting for coworkers in LA at 12 PM PST, it’ll show up in yours at 3 PM EST.
If you schedule in calendar view, you will see the event move around as you adjust the time. The visual is helpful if it’s a timezone you don’t work with much. Don’t forget to include a detailed meeting agenda in your Google Calendar events so others know what you’re going to discuss in the meeting.
Bridge Timezones With Google Calendar
A secondary timezone in Google Calendar helps you schedule events at the correct times. Plus, if the need to manage an event outside of those arises, Google offers a solution that allows you to schedule meetings directly in another timezone—no need to count on your fingers or overthink it.
