Map the overlap first
Pakistan is on UTC+5 all year with no clock changes. Compared with Pakistan, the UAE is one hour behind, the UK is four hours behind in summer and five in winter, and the US East Coast is nine or ten hours behind.
- 9:00 in Dubai = 10:00 in Lahore
- 9:00 in London in summer = 13:00 in Lahore
- 9:00 in New York in summer = 18:00 in Lahore
The smaller the overlap, the more you rely on clear written updates and a short daily check-in.
UAE and UK: a comfortable shared day
With the UAE, almost the whole working day is shared. With the UK, your morning is the team’s afternoon, so live calls, quick questions and approvals fit naturally into the first half of your day.
A project for the Lahore team?Describe it in two minutes. We reply in English or French.
Get an estimateUS teams: use the early morning
With the US East Coast, the shared window is short. Plan a 15-minute check-in in your early morning, which is the team’s evening, and keep the rest asynchronous. The team can also prepare work during their day so that you find progress waiting when you start.
Write first, talk second
Keep a shared task board and write each task with a goal, a due date and an owner. Use calls for decisions and blockers, not for status updates that can live in writing. A good task contains:
- The goal: why this task matters
- The expected result, with an example or screenshot
- The deadline
- The person who approves it
Simple tools that are enough
- A team chat for quick questions
- A task board such as Trello, Notion or Asana as the single source of truth
- Video calls for weekly demos and important decisions
- A shared drive for designs, content and access details
Fewer tools used well beat many tools used badly.
Routines that keep projects moving
A 15-minute daily check-in in the overlap, a weekly demo of what is ready and a short written summary after each meeting. At the end of the team’s day, a brief note on what was finished, what is next and what is blocked. Over a few weeks these habits build trust and speed.
Handovers and documentation
Document decisions, access, site structure and how to publish a change. Good documentation lets anyone pick up a task and protects you if someone is away.
Holidays, weekends and Ramadan
Plan around local public holidays such as Pakistan Day on 23 March, Independence Day on 14 August and Eid, whose dates depend on the sighting of the moon. Working hours can change during Ramadan. The working week runs Monday to Friday, so weekends are Saturday and Sunday, usually with a break for Friday prayer. Ask the team for its yearly calendar.
Building trust across distance
Be clear about expectations, say thank you when work is good and give regular, honest feedback. Teams that feel informed and respected invest more in your project.
Frequently asked questions
Does the time difference slow projects down?
Not when tasks are written clearly and a daily check-in exists. Work can even progress while you are offline.
Do I need to be online in the evening?
No. A shared window of a few hours is enough for live discussions.
Which tool should we choose?
The one the whole team will actually use. A simple tool used well beats several advanced ones.
Next step
See how we work and meet the aliphbay team in Pakistan.
