Resizing Time Blocks

One of the most powerful features in Align is the ability to quickly adjust your time blocks by resizing them. Whether your meeting ran long, your workout took less time than expected, or you need to make room for an unexpected task, resizing gives you the flexibility to adapt your schedule on the fly.

How to Resize a Time Block

Resizing a time block is simple and intuitive:

1. Tap and hold on either edge of a time block
2. Drag the handle up or down to adjust the duration
3. Release when you've reached your desired time

You can resize from either end of the time block:

• Drag the top handle to adjust when the task starts (keeping the end time fixed)
• Drag the bottom handle to adjust when the task ends (keeping the start time fixed)

This gives you complete control over your schedule without having to open the time block editor.

Understanding Overlap Avoidance

Align includes a smart feature called Overlap Avoidance that helps keep your schedule organized and conflict-free.

When Overlap Avoidance is Enabled (Default)

With overlap avoidance turned on, Align automatically shifts your time blocks to prevent scheduling conflicts. Here's what happens:

Extending a time block into another task: When you make a time block longer and it would overlap with neighboring blocks, Align automatically shifts those blocks out of the way, maintaining their duration.

Example: You have "Morning Workout" from 8:00-9:00 and "Team Meeting" from 9:00-10:00. If you extend your workout to 9:30, Align automatically shifts your team meeting to 9:30-10:30.

Cascading shifts: If shifting one block causes it to overlap with another, Align will shift that one too, creating a smooth cascade effect that keeps your entire schedule organized.

Example: You have four consecutive one-hour blocks starting at 8:00. If you extend the first block by one hour, all subsequent blocks shift forward by one hour automatically.

When Overlap Avoidance is Disabled

Sometimes you need more flexibility. When you disable overlap avoidance in Settings, you have complete freedom to create overlapping time blocks:

• Time blocks won't shift when you resize them
• You can intentionally overlap tasks to show concurrent activities
• Overlapping blocks are visually grouped so you can still see conflicts

This is useful when you want to:

• Show multiple tasks happening at the same time
• Plan flexible schedules where exact timing isn't critical
• Experiment with different schedule arrangements

Changing the Overlap Avoidance Setting

You can toggle overlap avoidance on or off from the main icons at the top right corner of the home screen. The setting applies immediately to all future resizing actions. Learn more about overlap avoidance.

Working with Locked Time Blocks

Locked time blocks have special behavior when resizing:

Locked blocks never move: When you resize other time blocks, locked blocks always stay in place. They act as anchors in your schedule.

Other blocks may collide with locked blocks: If overlap avoidance is enabled and a block would need to shift but encounters a locked block, it stops there and creates an overlap rather than moving the locked block.

Example: You have a locked "Important Meeting" at 10:00-11:00 with "Prep Work" at 9:00-10:00. If you extend an earlier task so it would push Prep Work into the meeting time, Prep Work will stop at 10:00 and overlap with the earlier task, preserving the locked meeting's time.

This feature is perfect for fixed appointments like meetings, classes, or events that can't be rescheduled. Learn more about locking time blocks.

Tips for Effective Resizing

Review your day regularly: At the end of each day, resize your time blocks to reflect what actually happened. This gives you valuable insights into how you're spending your time.

Build in buffer time: When planning your day, consider making some blocks slightly longer than needed. You can always resize them shorter if you finish early.

Use with drag and drop: Combine resizing with Align's drag and drop feature for complete schedule flexibility. Resize to adjust duration, drag to change position.

Lock your non-negotiables: Mark fixed appointments as locked to ensure they don't accidentally move when you're adjusting your schedule.

Common Questions

Can I resize recurring time blocks?
Yes, but changes only affect that specific instance. To change all occurrences, edit the time block and update the recurrence settings.

What's the minimum size for a time block?
Time blocks must have a duration greater than zero. You can't resize them to have the same start and end time.

Can I resize calendar events from other apps?
This depends on whether those calendars allow editing. Events from read-only calendars can't be resized in Align.

Need More Help?

If you have questions about resizing time blocks or any other Align features, feel free to contact us. We're here to help you master your schedule.