The Times They Are A’Changin’

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2325

Abstract

ntial to account for any time changes due to daylight-saving time transitions. Failure to do so can result in missed appointments and frustration among participants.</p><p id="0d35">Often the confusion arises from one simple mistake — typing in CST (instead of CDT) when scheduling a meeting in the Central time zone after daylight savings time has descended.</p><h2 id="48ea">Best Practices for Scheduling Meetings</h2><p id="3764">To mitigate the challenges associated with DT and ST, consider the following best practices when scheduling meetings:</p><ol><li><b>Time Zone Converters:</b> Utilize online tools or time zone converters to accurately determine the corresponding time in different locations, accounting for any daylight saving time adjustments. Most online calendars will automatically make this correction when sent a meeting request. For example, when I receive a meeting invitation with a Zoom link, my Google calendar recognizes the time zone of the scheduler and automatically adjusts the meeting to my local time. <i>However, this does not work if the scheduler enters the incorrect designator for their time zone. In the summer months, schedulers must use the correct time designator (e.g., EDT, not EST).</i></li><li><b>Clearly communicate</b> the meeting time and relevant time zone information to all participants, specifying whether the time provided is in daylight saving time or standard time, <i>using the proper abbreviations for their time zone</i> (see #1 above).</li><li><b>Confirm Time Zones</b>: Double-check the time zones of all participants, especially when scheduling meetings across international borders or regions with varying time zone rules.</li><li><b>Use Abbreviations Correctly:</b> Use EDT when scheduling meetings during Daylight Saving Time and EST when scheduling meetings during Standard Time to accurately indicate the time zone status.</li></ol><h2 id="11a7">The simplest things can be the most frustrating</h2><p id="90f7">I’m still a working girl, a digital nomad of sorts, writing for a living when I have to, and writing for fun and the joy of studying a topic whenever I can.</p><p id="a8ec">As a digital nomad, I have many online video conferences with clients around the planet, but the only time I have trouble with meeting schedules is when I work for companies

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in the USA. Somehow it seems that American schoolchildren were never taught how to write the abbreviations for time zones correctly.</p><h2 id="6fce">The takeaway</h2><p id="7d1b">Perhaps this essay will help some folks realize that they’ve been unaware of the significance of one single letter in a time zone designator. It will save me dozens of emails and phone calls to my schedulers if they would get this right. Imagine how many others of us would be grateful too!</p><figure id="d91d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*HwYFUfKB_CIREVztcURNnQ.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><div id="aa82" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-accidental-expat-04f9678a0b90"> <div> <div> <h2>The Accidental Expat</h2> <div><h3>A Writer’s Lament</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Fyxb7vLfpp-FC_3Z7ba8yQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="923e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-joy-of-being-no-years-old-db12b4fce027"> <div> <div> <h2>The Joy of Being No-Years-Old</h2> <div><h3>Being childlike is not the same as “acting like a child.”</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*_W3XHMkkXNbSNALWYn7A1w.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="e30e" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/a-garden-pep-talk-28af18dfb872"> <div> <div> <h2>A Garden Pep Talk</h2> <div><h3>Recovering from being uprooted</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*bSU3I4DJQDwqudLzYmK54w.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

If You’re a Scheduler, You Need to Know This about Daylight Savings Time

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Today, I wished I had a dime for every time I heard someone bitch about the time change last weekend from Standard Time to Daylight savings time. Why on earth do we continue to disrupt the sleeping habits of everyone and their pets simply because Congress refuses to act? Well, never mind. There’s no good answer to that question.

Fortunately, I live in a smart country where there is no semiannual time-changing going on. We just happily exist in Central Standard Time all year round. And our time of day is always expressed as CST.

In the USA, only two states do not observe daylight savings time: Arizona (MST) and Hawaii (HST). All other states in the USA are currently in Daylight Savings Time for the warmer months — Eastern (EDT), Central (CDT), Mountain (MDT), and Pacific (PDT).

So, what’s the big deal?

Time management and scheduling in a globalized world demand a keen understanding of the differences between Daylight Saving Time (EDT) and Standard Time (EST), especially when scheduling meetings across different time zones. Accurate use of time zone abbreviations such as CDT and CST is crucial for avoiding confusion and ensuring effective communication.

Daylight Saving Time (EDT) is implemented during warmer months, advancing the clock by one hour to optimize daylight hours in the evening. Standard Time (EST) is “normal” time, from autumn until spring.

The Transition Period

For meeting schedulers, one of the key challenges lies in navigating the transition periods, when clocks are advanced (in spring) or set back (in autumn) by one hour. This shift can lead to confusion and errors if not accounted for when scheduling meetings.

Understanding the differences between DT and ST, including the use of the correct abbreviations, is crucial for effective meeting scheduling. When planning meetings across multiple time zones, it is essential to account for any time changes due to daylight-saving time transitions. Failure to do so can result in missed appointments and frustration among participants.

Often the confusion arises from one simple mistake — typing in CST (instead of CDT) when scheduling a meeting in the Central time zone after daylight savings time has descended.

Best Practices for Scheduling Meetings

To mitigate the challenges associated with DT and ST, consider the following best practices when scheduling meetings:

Time Zone Converters: Utilize online tools or time zone converters to accurately determine the corresponding time in different locations, accounting for any daylight saving time adjustments. Most online calendars will automatically make this correction when sent a meeting request. For example, when I receive a meeting invitation with a Zoom link, my Google calendar recognizes the time zone of the scheduler and automatically adjusts the meeting to my local time. However, this does not work if the scheduler enters the incorrect designator for their time zone. In the summer months, schedulers must use the correct time designator (e.g., EDT, not EST).

Clearly communicate the meeting time and relevant time zone information to all participants, specifying whether the time provided is in daylight saving time or standard time, using the proper abbreviations for their time zone (see #1 above).

Confirm Time Zones: Double-check the time zones of all participants, especially when scheduling meetings across international borders or regions with varying time zone rules.

Use Abbreviations Correctly: Use EDT when scheduling meetings during Daylight Saving Time and EST when scheduling meetings during Standard Time to accurately indicate the time zone status.

The simplest things can be the most frustrating

I’m still a working girl, a digital nomad of sorts, writing for a living when I have to, and writing for fun and the joy of studying a topic whenever I can.

As a digital nomad, I have many online video conferences with clients around the planet, but the only time I have trouble with meeting schedules is when I work for companies in the USA. Somehow it seems that American schoolchildren were never taught how to write the abbreviations for time zones correctly.