Remote work made scheduling the hardest part of collaboration: New York's morning is Beijing's midnight. A few principles plus a free converter tool will save you from the guesswork.
Time Differences vs. Beijing (UTC+8), Cheat Sheet
| City | Zone | Diff vs Beijing | 8 PM Beijing = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | UTC+9 | +1h | 9 PM |
| London | UTC+0/+1 | -8/-7h | 1 PM |
| New York | UTC-5/-4 | -13/-12h | 7-8 AM |
| Los Angeles | UTC-8/-7 | -16/-15h | 4-5 AM |
| Sydney | UTC+10/+11 | +2/+3h | 10-11 PM |
The double values exist because of daylight saving time. The US switches in mid-March and early November, Europe in late March and late October — recurring meetings that cross these dates will silently drift by an hour.
Three Golden Rules
- Find the overlap window: Beijing-Europe overlap is 3-6 PM Beijing (morning in Europe); Beijing-US East is 8-10 AM Beijing (previous evening in the US).
- Rotate the pain: if someone must take an odd hour, alternate teams so the same people don't always lose sleep.
- Avoid edges: early Monday and late Friday have the lowest attendance; double-check DST status around switch weeks.
Convert in 30 Seconds
- Open the Time Zone Converter, pick two cities and compare directly
- Watching multiple cities at once? Use the World Clock
- Send the confirmed time as UTC to avoid any ambiguity
Recommended Tools
World Clock
Live current time for major cities worldwide on one screen.
Time Zone Converter
Convert time between two cities for meetings across time zones.
Timestamp Converter
Convert Unix timestamps to dates and back, in seconds or milliseconds.
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FAQ
Is writing '3 PM CST' acceptable?
Not really. CST ambiguously means US Central, China Standard or Cuba Standard Time. Always write the UTC offset (UTC+8) or share a converted comparison table instead.
Why is the offset different from what I remember?
You probably hit a DST switch, or memorized the winter offset. Live tools showing the current difference are always safer than memory.