Scheduling guide
Chicago and Berlin are 7 hours apart all year: both observe daylight saving on near-identical schedules, so the difference never moves. The workday overlap is 9:00 to 11:00 AM Chicago time, which is 4:00 to 6:00 PM Berlin: a compact 2-hour window.
Two hours is enough for a standup and a focused working session, but not for open-ended collaboration. Book the window deliberately: 9:30 to 10:30 AM Chicago (4:30 to 5:30 PM Berlin) is the sweet spot, late enough for Chicago to be online and early enough that Berlin is not watching the clock.
Because the window is short, preparation pays off: circulate agendas the day before so the hour is decision time, not discovery time. For US-Germany teams, remember German work culture guards evenings: regularly pushing past 6:00 PM Berlin time will cost you trust. When the window is not enough, extend with async: record a walkthrough in Chicago's afternoon and get Berlin's feedback by their next morning.