Availability & Schedules

Your weekly working hours decide which time slots are bookable on every event type by default. Setting them takes a minute and you can fine-tune anytime.

1. Open Availability

Click Availability in the sidebar. You will see your default schedule, which Bookme created from your onboarding answers.

2. Edit Each Day

For each day of the week, you can: – Toggle it on or off. Days that are off (typical for Saturday and Sunday) appear as “Unavailable.” – Set start and end times. Default is 09:00 to 17:00. – Add multiple time blocks per day. Useful if you take a lunch break or split your day into morning and afternoon shifts.

Click + Add time to add another block to a day.

3. Apply To Multiple Days

Set the hours you want, then click Copy to other days. Pick which days should inherit the same hours. Saves time if your schedule is identical Monday through Friday.

4. Time Zone

At the top of the Availability page, your time zone is shown. The hours you enter are interpreted in this zone. If you travel or move, update the time zone here so your availability follows.

5. Save

Changes save automatically as you edit. You can confirm by opening your booking page in another tab: the calendar grid should reflect the hours you just set.

6. When Working Hours Are Not Enough

The default schedule controls every event type. If you need different hours per event (e.g. “consulting sessions only on Tuesdays and Thursdays”), create a second schedule and assign it to that event. See How To Create Multiple Schedules For Different Event Types? next.

Bookme lets you create as many schedules as you want and assign each event type to a schedule. This is how you give different events different hours.

1. The Use Case

Common scenarios: – A coach takes paid clients Tuesday to Thursday but free discovery calls only on Mondays. – A consultant works mornings in Europe and afternoons in the US, with different schedules for each. – A founder takes investor calls only on Friday afternoons. – A support team handles general support 9-5 weekdays and emergencies 24/7.

Each can be modeled with its own schedule.

2. Create A New Schedule

Open Availability, then click + Create new schedule. Name it something specific: – “European hours” – “Friday investor block” – “Paid clients only” – “Weekends emergency”

3. Set The Hours

Same editor as the default schedule. Set days on or off, start and end times, multiple blocks per day. Pick a time zone.

4. Assign An Event Type To The Schedule

Open the event you want this schedule to govern. Under the Availability tab in the event editor, set Schedule to the new schedule you just created.

The event will now use the assigned schedule’s hours instead of the default.

5. Default Schedule Behavior

Every event without an explicit assignment uses the default schedule. You can make any schedule the default by clicking the star icon next to its name on the Availability page.

6. Reordering And Deleting Schedules

• Rename a schedule by clicking its name on the Availability page.
• Delete a schedule with the three-dot menu. Any event types assigned to it fall back to the default.

7. Combining Schedules And Overrides

Schedules cover regular weekly patterns. For one-off changes (vacations, conferences, special hours), use date overrides (see next article). Overrides apply on top of whatever schedule the event uses.

A date override is a one-off change to your availability for a specific date or date range. Use it for vacations, conferences, holidays, or any day you need different hours.

1. Open The Date Overrides Tab

On the Availability page, click the Date Overrides tab next to Schedules.

2. Add A New Override

Click + New date override and choose:

• A single date. (e.g. October 24)
• A date range. (e.g. October 24 to October 28 for a week off)

Then set the override type: – Unavailable. Block the entire day(s). No slots offered. – Custom hours. Set specific hours for the day(s) that override the regular schedule.

3. Common Use Cases

Block a vacation: – Single override: October 14 to October 21, Unavailable.

Special conference availability: – Single override: November 6 (conference day), 8 AM to 10 AM only.

Half-day Fridays in summer: – Multiple overrides for each Friday in July: 9 AM to 1 PM only.

Holiday block: – December 24 to January 2, Unavailable.

4. Override Priority

When a date has both: – A schedule applying to it (regular weekly hours). – A date override.

The override always wins. This means you can mark a holiday as Unavailable even if your regular schedule covers that day.

5. Reusing Overrides

Bookme does not auto-repeat overrides year over year. If you want October 14 off every year, you need to add a new override each year. Most hosts add a batch at the start of each year for known holidays and vacation plans.

6. Which Schedules Are Affected

A date override applies to every event type in your account by default. To apply an override to only one schedule (e.g. block your “Paid clients” schedule but keep “Discovery calls” open), click Advanced on the override and pick specific schedules.

7. Holidays

Bookme auto-detects national holidays based on your country setting and offers to bulk-add them as overrides. Open Date overrides, click Import national holidays, confirm the country and year.

Bookme treats each day independently in a schedule, so different hours per day is the default behaviour.

1. Open Your Schedule

Go to Availability and open the schedule you want to edit (default or one you created).

2. Edit Each Day’s Hours Independently

Click the start or end time for any day and adjust. Changes save automatically.

Common patterns: – Standard professional: Monday-Friday 9-5, weekends off. – Coach with sliding scale: Monday 10-6, Tuesday 9-5, Wednesday 10-2, Thursday 9-5, Friday 9-1. – European mornings, US afternoons: Monday 7-11 and 14-18, Tuesday 7-11 and 14-18, etc. – Weekend-focused therapist: Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10-4, weekdays off.

3. Days Off

To mark a day completely off: – Click the day’s row. – Toggle Unavailable.

The day greys out and no slots are offered.

4. Save And Verify

Schedules save as you edit. Open your booking page in an incognito window and confirm the day-by-day differences show correctly.

5. Different Days Per Event Type

If you need event-by-event differences (e.g. paid coaching only on Tuesdays, free intros any day), use the multiple schedules pattern (see related article).

Bookme supports as many time blocks per day as you need. This is how you carve out a lunch break, split-shift work, or any irregular schedule.

1. Open The Day’s Settings

In your schedule, click the day you want to edit. The day expands to show its time blocks.

2. Click + Add Time

The + Add time button creates a new time block. Set its start and end times.

A day with a lunch break: – Block 1: 09:00 to 12:00 – Block 2: 14:00 to 18:00

A day with a split for a parent picking up kids: – Block 1: 09:00 to 14:30 – Block 2: 19:00 to 21:00

3. Time Blocks Cannot Overlap

Bookme rejects overlapping blocks. If you try to add 14:00-18:00 on top of an existing 13:00-15:00, you get an error.

4. Remove A Block

Click the trash icon next to any block. The block deletes immediately.

5. Block Order

Blocks render top-to-bottom in chronological order automatically. You do not need to reorder them manually.

6. Why Multiple Blocks Matter

A single 9-5 block with a “lunch hour” inside it would still offer slots over lunch (Bookme does not know you eat). Multiple blocks (9-12 and 1-5) cleanly carves the lunch hour out.

7. Calendar Sync Still Wins

Even with multiple time blocks, Bookme respects busy times from your connected Google or Outlook calendar. If a 10 AM block is also blocked by a calendar event, Bookme treats it as unavailable. Multiple blocks shape the maximum bookable window; the calendar narrows it further.

Buffer time is padding around a meeting that cannot be booked over. It gives you space to prepare, decompress, or travel.

1. Buffer Before And Buffer After

In the event editor, the Availability tab has two fields:

• Buffer before (minutes added before each slot).
• Buffer after (minutes added after each slot).

Both default to 0.

2. How Buffer Affects Available Slots

With a 30-minute event and 15 minutes of buffer on each side, a 10 AM booking effectively blocks 9:45 to 10:45. The next bookable slot starts at 10:45, not 10:30.

This means buffers reduce how many slots fit in a day.

3. Common Buffer Choices

• No buffer (0). For tightly scheduled days when you can handle prep mentally.
• 5 to 10 minutes. Light prep, short context switch.
• 15 minutes. Standard for most professional contexts; lets you finish notes and prep for the next call.
• 30 minutes. Heavy prep or back-to-back deep work.
• 60 minutes. In-person travel or recovery from intense sessions.

4. Asymmetric Buffers

Buffer before and buffer after can be different. Common setups:

• Buffer before = 0, Buffer after = 15. You are ready when meetings start but need 15 minutes after to write notes.
• Buffer before = 15, Buffer after = 0. You need prep time, but can rush off after.
• Buffer before = 30, Buffer after = 30. High-stakes meetings (interviews, board calls).

5. Per-Event Buffer

Buffers are set per event type, not globally. A 15-minute intro can have 0 buffer; a 60-minute coaching session can have 30 minutes of buffer. Set each event independently.

6. Buffer And Calendar Sync

Buffer applies to Bookme bookings for the same host. External calendar events from Google or Outlook are treated as busy but do not get extra buffer added. If you need padding around external events too, manually add buffer events to your calendar.

Bookme has two settings that bound when slots can be booked: minimum notice (how soon) and maximum days ahead (how far). Combining them shapes the booking window precisely.

1. Minimum Notice

Open the event editor, then the Availability tab. Find Minimum notice.

Choices: – 15 minutes. For support reps and very high-availability roles. – 1 hour (default). For most professional contexts. – 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours. For prep-heavy meetings. – 24 hours. For day-of-the-week-only scheduling. – 48 hours, 1 week. For high-touch consulting. – Custom. Any value in minutes.

2. Maximum Days Ahead

Same tab, the Maximum days ahead field caps how far into the future invitees can book.

Choices: – 7 days. Forces decisions fast; great for active sales pipelines. – 14 days. Two-week window; common for support and onboarding. – 30 days (default for many event types). Month-out booking; consulting and coaching. – 60 days, 90 days. Long lead times; high-touch enterprise. – 365 days. Truly unlimited.

3. Combine For “Today Only”

To enforce “same-day only”: – Minimum notice: 1 hour (or whatever you need). – Maximum days ahead: 1.

Result: invitees can only book today, starting 1 hour from now.

4. Combine For “Next Week, But Not This Week”

• Minimum notice: 7 days (or longer).
• Maximum days ahead: 14.

Result: invitees see slots starting next Monday through the following Sunday.

5. Common Patterns By Role

• Sales discovery call: Minimum 1 hour, Max 14 days. Fast intake, short pipeline.
• Paid coaching session: Minimum 24 hours, Max 30 days. Prep needed, monthly view.
• Customer support onboarding: Minimum 1 hour, Max 7 days. Reactive, fast.
• Board meeting: Minimum 1 week, Max 90 days. Heavy coordination.

6. Per-Event vs Workspace-Wide

These settings are per event type. Different events can have different windows. There is no workspace-wide minimum or maximum; everything is event-level.

Max days ahead caps how far into the future invitees can book a particular event. It is one of the most overlooked settings in Bookme.

1. The Setting

In the event editor, Availability tab, Maximum days ahead is the number of days from “right now” that bookings are allowed.

Default is 60 for new accounts.

2. How Bookme Counts Days

Bookme counts calendar days, not business days. “30 days ahead” includes weekends.

If today is October 1 and max days ahead is 30, the last bookable day is October 31.

3. What Invitees See

The calendar picker shows future days up to the max. Days beyond the max do not appear at all (the previous and next month arrows stop working when there is nothing else to show).

4. Why Max Days Ahead Matters

Too low (e.g. 7 days): – Creates urgency. Invitees decide fast. – Risks losing bookings from people who plan further out. – Good for: sales pipelines, support, time-sensitive offers.

Too high (e.g. 365 days): – Lets invitees book anything, including 6 months from now. – Most far-future bookings ghost when the time comes. – Good for: long-cycle consulting, board meetings, planned launches.

The sweet spot for most hosts: 14 to 30 days.

5. Different Maxes Per Event Type

Use different maxes for different events to nudge behavior:

• “Quick chat” (15 min): Max 14 days. Casual, short pipeline.
• “Discovery call” (30 min): Max 30 days. Standard pipeline.
• “Paid coaching” (60 min): Max 60 days. Longer planning window.
• “Board meeting” (90 min): Max 90 days. Heavy coordination required.

6. What Happens At The Limit

The exact moment a booking is at the max-days-ahead edge: – If today is October 1 and max is 30, slots on October 31 are bookable up to (but not after) November 1 at 00:00 in your timezone. – October 31 becomes unbookable once November starts.

7. Combine With Minimum Notice

Together, minimum notice and maximum days ahead define your booking window. A “must book between 1 hour and 14 days from now” window looks like: – Minimum notice: 1 hour – Max days ahead: 14

That defines a clear two-week booking horizon.

Bookme can auto-import national holidays based on your country setting, saving you from blocking each one manually.

1. Where Holidays Come From

Bookme uses a built-in holiday database covering 80+ countries. When you set your country in Settings, then Profile, Bookme can match recognized public holidays for that country and bulk-add them as date overrides.

2. Import National Holidays

Open Availability, click the Date Overrides tab, then click Import national holidays. Bookme asks:

• Country. Defaults to your profile setting.
• Year. Defaults to the current year.
• Holiday set. “Public holidays only” (recommended) or “All observances” (includes things like Mother’s Day).

Click Import. Bookme creates a date override (Unavailable) for each holiday in the year selected.

3. Review Before Confirming

Bookme shows the list of holidays it is about to add. You can uncheck any you do not want to block. For example, a freelancer might keep working on Columbus Day but take MLK Day off; uncheck Columbus Day before confirming.

4. Holidays Are Just Date Overrides

Imported holidays appear in your date overrides list like any other override. You can edit them, change them to “Custom hours” (e.g. half-day Christmas Eve), or delete them anytime.

5. Multiple Countries

If you serve invitees in multiple countries, you can import holidays from more than one. Be careful: you will block all of them, which may be more downtime than you actually want.

A better pattern: import only your own country’s holidays. Invitees in other countries can still book on your normal working days; their local holidays are their problem, not yours.

6. Custom Or Religious Holidays Not In The Database

For holidays Bookme does not recognize (small religious observances, company-specific days), add them manually as date overrides.

Bookme handles time zones automatically. You set your availability in your time zone; invitees see slots in their time zone. Bookme does the conversion on the fly.

1. Your Time Zone

Set under Settings, then Profile. Auto-detected from your browser on signup but you can override.

All your availability hours are interpreted in this zone. “9 AM to 5 PM Monday” means 9 AM to 5 PM in your time zone.

2. The Invitee’s Time Zone

On the booking page, Bookme auto-detects the invitee’s time zone from their browser. They see a time zone label at the top of the calendar picker and can change it manually if they are in transit or using a VPN.

3. Conversion Example

You are in New York (UTC-5) and offer 9 AM to 5 PM availability. An invitee in London (UTC+0) opens your booking page: – Your 9 AM becomes their 2 PM. – Your 5 PM becomes their 10 PM.

The London invitee sees slots from 2 PM to 10 PM in their local time. You both see the meeting at “9 AM your time, 2 PM their time” in confirmations.

4. The Confirmation Shows Both Times

Every booking confirmation email shows: – The meeting time in the invitee’s zone (large, primary). – The meeting time in your zone (smaller, secondary).

This eliminates any “wait, what time is that?” confusion.

5. Daylight Saving Time

Bookme handles DST automatically. If your zone shifts (March or November in most of the US, March or October in Europe), Bookme adjusts the conversion. Bookings that span the shift get updated automatically.

6. Travel And Temporary Zone Changes

If you travel: – Short trip (1 to 2 days): leave your time zone as-is in Bookme. Your availability stays consistent for your “home” working hours; you adjust mentally. – Long trip (1 week+): update your Bookme time zone to match your destination. Set your availability to whatever hours you can actually take meetings.

7. Round-Robin Across Time Zones

For round-robin and collective events with hosts in different zones, Bookme intersects each host’s schedule in their own zone. Slots are offered to invitees in their zone, taking everyone’s intersected availability into account.

Date overrides are the right tool for vacations, conferences, and any one-off day where your availability differs from your weekly schedule.

1. When To Use Overrides Vs Schedules

• Use a schedule for patterns that repeat weekly (“I work 9-5 Mon-Fri”).
• Use a date override for one-off days or date ranges (“I’m on vacation Oct 14-21”).

2. Vacation: Block A Date Range

Go to Availability, then Date Overrides tab. Click + New override. Set: – Date range: Oct 14 to Oct 21. – Override type: Unavailable.

Save. For the entire range, no slots appear on your booking page.

3. Conference: Custom Hours For A Day

For a conference day where you can still take a few meetings: – Date: Nov 6. – Override type: Custom hours. – Hours: 7 AM to 9 AM (before the conference starts).

Save. Only those 2 hours are offered on Nov 6.

4. Half-Day For An Appointment

For a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon: – Date: Dec 12. – Override type: Custom hours. – Hours: 9 AM to 1 PM.

Save. Slots after 1 PM disappear on Dec 12.

5. Recurring Special Hours

For “Half-day Fridays in summer,” add separate overrides for each Friday in July and August. Bookme does not have recurring overrides; you create them individually.

6. Quick-Block A Single Day

The fastest way: click on a specific date in the date-override calendar picker, then click Block this day. A full-day Unavailable override is created in one click.

7. Bulk Import From Calendar

On Pro and Elite, you can sync your calendar’s all-day events as Bookme overrides. Open Settings, then Calendars, then Auto-block all-day events. Toggle on. Any all-day event with “Vacation” or “OOO” in the title becomes a Bookme override automatically.