How to Find a Time That Works for Everyone

“Saturday works” still leaves one question

One friend is free before lunch. Another can only come after work. A third says Saturday is fine, but needs to leave at seven. Everyone picked the same date, yet you still do not have a time to meet.

A day poll answers which dates are possible. A time availability poll answers which hours actually overlap. In lesgooo, the When tab lets your group use both: mark a whole day when you are flexible, or switch to Days + Time and add specific hours. The answers stay in the same shared plan.

1. Decide how much time you need

Before collecting answers, give people a useful target. “Coffee for about an hour” is easier to answer than “When are you free?” A dinner might need two hours. A rehearsal might need a longer uninterrupted stretch. The duration matters as much as the date.

Keep the first round small: a few realistic dates and one clear activity. You can ask your friends to mark every window that could work, rather than guessing which window everyone else will choose. For the broader planning process, see our group event scheduling guide.

2. Add your dates and exact hours

Open When, select your available dates, and use Days + Time when the start and end matter. On a desktop, drag across the time grid to draw a block. You can move a block or adjust its edges. On a phone, tap the grid to add a block, then select it to adjust the hours. Start and end controls offer another way to edit without dragging.

The controls work in 15-minute steps. If you can meet from 18:00 to 20:00, enter that window rather than marking the whole day. Add another block if you have a separate window earlier in the day. Use “I’m free all day” only when you really mean you are flexible throughout that date.

These are availability answers, not appointments. Adding a block does not book a venue, invite someone automatically, or create a personal calendar event.

3. Share one link and let friends answer

Share the plan link with your group. Friends open it, choose their existing name or add themselves, and enter their own availability. They do not need a lesgooo account or an app download. Ask everyone to answer under their own name so the overlap represents the people who will actually come.

A useful message is: “Dinner this weekend, about two hours. Add every time you could make by Thursday evening: [plan link].” A short deadline gives you a moment to decide instead of collecting replies indefinitely. You send the link through your preferred chat; lesgooo does not send that message for you.

4. Read the overlap, not just the busiest day

The time grid brings the group’s blocks together and highlights stretches with the most people available. Inspect a stretch to understand who can make it. Whole-day answers count as availability across that day; specific-hour answers only cover the hours that person entered.

For example, Alex is free 18:00–21:00, Sam 19:00–22:00, and Jo all day. Their shared window is 19:00–21:00. That gives you two hours for dinner. Starting at 18:00 would leave Sam out, even though all three picked the same date.

The strongest overlap does not necessarily include everyone or last long enough for your activity. Check both the people and the duration before choosing. A missing answer is also not proof that someone cannot come. Follow up with anyone whose attendance matters before treating the poll as complete.

5. Make a decision, then confirm the Event

Once the answers are in, choose a window that fits the activity and your group. If a one-hour overlap is the best you have, shorten the plan or ask about another date instead of assuming everyone can stay longer.

Then put the agreed date and time in Event and use RSVP responses to check attendance. Availability and attendance answer different questions: “I could make this time” is not the same as “I’m coming.” Our date poll vs RSVP guide explains when to switch between them.

Keep the practical details alongside the decision. Use Where to suggest and vote on venues, and Checklist for tasks such as booking a table or bringing a speaker. Your friends can keep using the same plan link.

When exact hours help most

• Dinner after work: collect arrival windows before choosing a reservation time. See our dinner planning guide.
• Game night: find a long enough overlap for setup and a full round, rather than a date that only partly works.
• Study groups: compare gaps between classes and agree a manageable session length.
• Band practice: check the group’s common window before paying for a rehearsal room.

Keep the poll simple

Use days for a broad trip or an open-ended weekend. Use exact hours when the meeting needs a clear start and finish. Your group can mix both kinds of answer in one plan, so flexible friends do not need to draw unnecessary blocks.

If people are in different time zones, agree which local time you mean before confirming. Do not assume availability polling includes calendar syncing, reminders, or a venue reservation. The goal is smaller: get a clear answer, choose a workable time, and share the plan so everyone knows what happens next.