<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> This page is part of The Toolbox by Danny Smith.

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Real-time meetings can be hard to schedule, especially in distributed teams. Before scheduling a calendar event, always ask yourself if you can achieve the same outcome in some other way.

If not, you'll need to find a time that works. Here are some tips on that…

Who needs to be there?

It takes surprisingly few meetings to fill up a calendar, especially if they’re recurring. Think carefully about the goal of your meeting and who needs to be there to achieve that goal. Remember you can always record the call to keep others in the loop afterwards.

The **8-18-1800** rule can help here…

• If you're solving a problem or making a decision, invite no more than 8 people.
• If you need to brainstorm, invite no more than 18 people. (Large brainstorms can be really useful, but remember that more people means more prep and facilitation work for you.)
• If you're rallying the troops, invite 1,800 (or do it via a recorded video!)

When’s a good time?

Once you know who needs to be there, you’ve got to find a time that works for everyone. For small meetings, you can use scheduling assistant to find a good time (see Using Your Calendar Effectively). Here are some tips:

• Think ahead and book as far in advance as possible.
• Respect other's working hours - if you need to book outside these ask first or make it clear they can decline in the invite.