Don’t share your availability.
Share your preferences.

Scheduling tools treat your calendar as a binary system. A time slot is either free or busy, and if it is free, it is shown to anyone booking time with you. The result is predictable: people choose what suits them best, statistically destroying your longest deep work blocks first.

Preferred introduces a layer of preference. Afternoons are better than mornings, but mornings still work. A slot right after an existing meeting is better than a slot in the middle of an uncluttered afternoon. And tomorrow is better than next week. You want to get stuff done.

Bookers then get exactly three options to choose at first. If none suits the booker, they can request more. Most don’t. 76% of chosen time slots are among the first three.

Just like great restaurants have short menus, your booking tool should present only preferred time slots to bookers. It’s also faster for them.