A colleague suggests an evening call because their afternoon is full. You are unavailable then, but feel pressure to make the shared task happen. Your own commitments may be less visible to them than the meetings on their work calendar.
Offer the working windows you can use and ask for theirs. If the task does not need a live conversation, suggest exchanging a short written update before choosing a call. Include when each person can respond.
Find the smallest useful overlap
Use the shared time for the decision that genuinely needs discussion. Read the background beforehand when that is possible, and leave routine updates in the written channel. A shorter call may fit where a large meeting does not.
If there is no workable overlap, raise the scheduling problem with the person who owns the deadline. Ask whether the deadline, staffing or communication method can change. Avoid treating one person's private time as the automatic solution to a coordination problem that belongs to the whole task.
