Spakowicz Lab

LAB NOTES

Scheduling meetings

February 16, 2026

Scheduling meetings

I want you to be able to get time with me without waiting on an email reply. How you schedule depends on whether I have already shared my Outlook calendar with your OSUMC account (i.e., whether you’re officially “in the lab”). Once you have access, this video tutorial walks through the process. The user manual for Dan explains why I share the calendar this way, including that Focus Time is for people in the lab.

Until I have shared my calendar

Use the Microsoft Bookings link in my email signature to schedule a 30-minute meeting. This is the right option while you are waiting for an OSUMC account (for example, while a background check is still in progress) and until I have granted you calendar access.

After I have shared my calendar

Once I have shared my calendar with your OSUMC account, please stop using Bookings and send meeting invitations for available blocks. If none are available, use Focus Time. You will need your OSUMC address—an OSU-only address will not work.

You can see my calendar details, not just generic “Busy” blocks, but you do not have write access. Look for an open time, then send me an invitation from your own calendar.

When to book

  • Meeting hours are 9:30 to 4:30.
  • First, look for times that are completely free.
  • If nothing is free, book over a Focus Time block. Outlook automatically blocks up to four hours a day as Focus Time. Administrative staff see those as busy; for people in the lab, they are available.

How to send the invitation

  1. Create the meeting on your calendar.
  2. Give it a clear title.
  3. Invite me.
  4. Choose Teams or in person.

The event will appear on my calendar automatically. You do not need to send a separate email asking me to meet.

Come prepared, and book only what you need

Please arrive with a clear agenda. Capture what we discuss in a scratch document or the project’s meeting minutes so we have a record.

Err on the side of booking less time than you think you need. If we run out of time, we can schedule a follow-up. Please do not take more of the calendar than the meeting requires.

Project-focused data reviews are usually set during gpmtg, rather than being scheduled as an “individual” meeting, so we can be sure to invite any relevant personnel and quickly identify a time that works for everyone.