How to block part of a day

Not every change to your day is a whole day off. A dentist appointment at 11, a school assembly at 2, an early finish on Friday, or a morning kept clear for walk-ins: these are the everyday adjustments that make a diary real. Here is how to handle part of a day without closing the lot.

Block a few hours

When you need a few hours out of an ordinary working day, block that time on the date. The rest of the day stays open on your booking page, and only the times that would overlap the block disappear. A ninety-minute treatment that would run into a 2pm block is not shown at 1pm, because it would not fit.

This is the right tool for appointments of your own, a school run, a supplier visit or a long lunch. It is a one-off change to that date and does not touch your regular week.

Set one-off special hours

Sometimes the whole shape of a day changes: you open late, close early, or work a Saturday you normally take off. Special hours for a date replace your usual hours for that day only. Set 10am to 2pm on a particular Friday and your booking page shows exactly that, then goes back to normal the following week.

Special hours are also handy around public holidays and events, such as a late night before Christmas or a short day before a long weekend.

Keep a window clear for walk-ins

Many barbers, nail technicians and cafes-with-a-chair keep part of the day for walk-ins. If that is you, block that part of the day for online bookings. Walk-ins fill it on the day, and online clients see only the times you want booked ahead.

If walk-ins are a regular pattern, such as every Saturday morning, it may be simpler to set your regular week so those hours are not bookable online, rather than blocking them date by date.

Whole days off and leave

When you are away for the whole day, block the whole day. If you have a team, each calendar has its own days off, so one person's leave does not close the business. Public holidays can be suggested and closed in a click.

If a whole-day block and part-day hours ever both sit on the same date, the whole-day block wins and the day stays closed. Check the date on your calendar if a day you expected to be open is not showing times.

Check what clients see

After any change, open your own booking page and look at the date. It is the quickest way to confirm the times clients will see are the times you meant. A minute of checking saves a client turning up during your dentist appointment.

A worked example

A Hamilton nail technician works Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. Every Saturday she keeps 9am to 11am for walk-ins, so she sets her regular Saturday hours to start bookable times at 11am. Next Thursday she has a school assembly at 2pm, so she blocks 1.30pm to 3pm on that date only. The week before Christmas she opens late on Wednesday, so she sets special hours of 9am to 8pm for that date.

Online clients see each of those changes on the right day and nowhere else. Her regular week is untouched, so after Christmas there is nothing to undo.

Blocks for a team

If more than one person takes bookings, think about whose time you are blocking. A block on the business closes that time for everyone, which suits a staff meeting or a training session. If only one person is out, use that person's days off or adjust their working week, so the rest of the team keeps taking bookings.

A short team habit helps: whoever books a personal appointment adds it to the calendar the same day. It is much easier than untangling a double booking on the morning.