Managing Time Zones
Read Time: 4 Minutes
We live in The Future.
We can send documents across the world instantly.
We can reach thousands of people with just our fingertips.
We can talk to loved ones face-to-face even if they’re thousands of miles away.
If only we could actually figure out a time that works for each other.
As the world’s gotten smaller, the time difference remains one of the biggest barriers to keeping in touch.
I was in a group with other founders from across the world that met biweekly.
At 6am for me.
12 noon for a soccer coach.
And 5pm for a sales coach.
Wake up time, lunch time, and quitting time.
As you can image, multiple meetings were missed by each of us as ‘something just came up’ more and more often.
So how can international students manage the time difference and stay in tough with their families and loved ones back home?
Here are the 3 most common ways I see international students manage the time difference:
Have a Scheduled Routine
Maybe you’re a night owl, maybe you’re an early bird.
Whichever you are, use that to your advantage and schedule calls with your family and friends back home. I have students who call their parents weekly at 11:30pm local time, and those who call before breakfast. Whatever works for you and your connections back home, take advantage of it.
Use a Free Scheduling Service
Many of us these days rely on our online calendars, so we might as well use it to our advantage when scheduling calls also.
Tools like Calendly sync up to your calendar and show your availability in local time- both for you and for the person scheduling a time with you.
And yes, there’s a free version :)
Utilize Time Zone Converters: Use online tools or mobile apps to quickly convert time zones and find suitable meeting times.
Tools like World Time Buddy, Time Zone Converter, or Google Calendar's time zone feature can help you coordinate schedules efficiently by displaying overlapping available time slots.
Or hey, you can always go with the Clock Wall…
(I’ve always wanted one of those.)
However you do it, the important thing is that you’re able to stay in touch with your loved ones while charting your own course.
I’ll be sending more tips & strategies in the coming weeks to make the transition to life in the U.S. more smooth.
You have enough to think about and plan for.
And if you want help with that too, I’m here.
Remember, you’re here because, at one point in time, you showed an interest in studying in the U.S.
But it’s more than that, isn’t it?
You’re not interested just in studying.
But in Living Your American Dream.
So live it.
Josh
