Working day
to
How much of the day do you actually share?
Two places, two working days. The overlap is smaller than anybody plans for, and it is the same two hours for the rest of the arrangement.
Pairs people keep asking about
- London and New York3 h a day
- Paris and Los Angelesno shared hour
- New York and Kolkatano shared hour
- Berlin and Singapore2 h a day
- Los Angeles and Sydney2 h a day
- London and Tokyono shared hour
- New York and Berlin2 h a day
- Kolkata and Sydney2½ h a day
- Chicago and Lisbon2 h a day
- Amsterdam and Sao Paulo3 h a day
- Toronto and Manilano shared hour
- Madrid and Mexico Cityno shared hour
What this counts
A working day is eight hours by default, and two working days in different places overlap by whatever is left after the distance between the clocks. That remainder is the only time you will ever have together: every call, every question that needs an answer in the same breath, every decision that cannot wait a day.
The rest is the tax. It is paid in evenings, in early mornings, and in questions that sit unread overnight — and it is paid every weekday for as long as the arrangement lasts, which is why it is worth knowing the number before you agree to it.