To ask for availability and actually get an answer, offer two or three concrete time options and a reply-by date — never an open “when are you free?” Specific options give people something to say yes to; a deadline tells them when to say it. The templates below apply that formula to four common situations.
The principle: concrete options plus a deadline
“When are you free?” feels polite, but it hands the other person homework — they must scan their whole calendar, guess your constraints, and draft a paragraph. Most people defer that work, which is why open questions get slow, vague answers like “pretty flexible next week.” Flip the effort: you scan your calendar, name two or three slots, and ask for a pick. Add a reply-by date and a default (“if I don’t hear back, I’ll send an invite for the first one”) and even the slowest responder has an easy path to done. Every template below uses the same three parts: the reason for meeting, the options in brackets, and the deadline. Swap the placeholders and send.
Four copy-paste templates
To a colleague
Hi [Sam] — I’d like 30 minutes to go over [the launch checklist]. Could you do [Tuesday 2pm] or [Wednesday 10am]? If neither works, name a slot [Thursday] and I’ll make it fit — just let me know by [end of day tomorrow].
To a client (formal)
Dear [Ms. Rivera], I’d welcome the chance to discuss [the Q4 proposal] at your convenience. Would [Tuesday, March 4 at 2:00pm] or [Thursday, March 6 at 10:00am] suit your schedule? If you could confirm by [Friday], I’ll send a calendar invitation with the details.
To a friends group
Dinner soon? I’m thinking [Friday 7pm], [Saturday 7pm], or [Sunday 1pm] — vote for any that work. I’ll book wherever the most votes land by [Wednesday night], so speak now or eat wherever we tell you.
The follow-up nudge
Quick nudge on [Thursday’s planning call] — still need your pick between [Tuesday 2pm] and [Wednesday 10am]. If I don’t hear back by [tomorrow noon], I’ll lock in [Tuesday 2pm] and send the invite.
Adapting the templates
Three adjustments cover almost every situation. For time zones, always name the zone (“2pm ET”) or, better, use a link that shows each person their local time. For bigger groups, keep the same structure but move the options into a poll — past three people, replies stop fitting in a thread, and you’ll spend more time tallying answers than it took to ask. For anything formal, keep the deadline but soften it into a courtesy: “so I can hold the room” reads better than “or else.”
Frequently asked questions
How do I ask for availability without sounding pushy?
Offer choices instead of demands — two or three options with an easy out (“happy to find another time if these don’t work”). A deadline framed as logistics (“so I can send invites Thursday”) reads as organized, not pushy.
How many time options should I include in the message?
Two or three for one person; five to seven in a poll for a group. One option invites a counter-offer and ten options invite a skim — a short, deliberate list signals you’ve already done the thinking.
What if people still don’t reply to my availability request?
Send one nudge with a default: “if I don’t hear back by noon, I’ll book Tuesday.” Most silence is indecision, and a default converts it into consent. After that, book the time and move on — you announced the rules.
Or skip the wording question entirely: create a free poll on Meeting Time, paste one link into any of the templates above, and let the answers collect themselves. Participants never create accounts, each person sees the options in their own time zone, the response deadline does your nudging, and the best time rises to the top — ready to finalize in one click.