Friends double-booking?
I (23F) have started to notice a trend where my friends (also early 20s F) invite me to do something and then later on, tell me that they need to join some meeting or take a call while we're spending time together.
For example, I had a friend invite me over to her place to have dinner and watch the finale of one of our favorite shows together. She suggested I come over at 6 pm so we could catch up before the finale started at 7. When I arrived at 6, she told me that she had a meeting in 30 minutes but that it would be quick. At 6:30, she went to her room and joined a Zoom meeting for about half an hour, leaving me in the living room to wait for our food to be delivered.
If I know that this will be the situation in advance, I typically suggest that we reschedule. For example, I had plans to go shopping with a different friend one night, and about an hour beforehand, she told me she would need to join a Zoom meeting while we were out. I suggested that we reschedule for a time when she would be fully available. She seemed surprised by this suggestion, which makes me wonder if this is the norm or becoming the norm.
I really value being present with my friends when I see them, especially because I tend to see my friends about once a month or once every few months. As such, I would prefer to spend time with them when they have a few hours free and don't have a call or meeting scheduled during the time we're set to be together. However, it's starting to feel like it just won't be possible to see my friends if I'm not willing to hang out when they are double-booked.
Are other people experiencing this too? Do you make plans with your friends when you know you'll need to step away and do something else during your time together? I guess I'm trying to figure out whether this is normal and just something to get used to, or whether it's reasonable to ask that we only make plans for times when we don't have other things scheduled.
Posted Apr 1, 2026, 8:23 PM UTC · edited