Rowan

Ways to use Rowan

Rowan works in your email, in Slack and from Claude. Here are ten little scenes from its working day, written the way they really happen.

Cc Rowan, close the tab

You write one line. Rowan plays the "does Tuesday work?" ping-pong for you and puts the winner in your diary.

Email

  1. You

    To maya@northwind.example · Cc rowan@tryrowan.co

    Maya, good to meet you last week. Copying in Rowan, who keeps my diary. Half an hour next week?

  2. Rowan

    To maya@northwind.example

    Hi Maya, happy to find a time. Would Tuesday at 2:00, Wednesday at 10:30 or Thursday at 4:00 (Pacific) suit you?

  3. Maya

    Tuesday at 2. Look at us, being efficient.

  4. Rowan

    Done. The invitation is on its way, with a Google Meet link.

On your calendar

You / Maya

Tuesday, 2:00 to 2:30 PM

Google Meet link attached

Tuesday, 2:00 to 2:30, in your calendar. You wrote one email and Rowan wrote the rest.

Already agreed? Bcc and forget

Sorted the time yourself? Bcc Rowan on your reply and the meeting slips quietly into your calendar.

Email

  1. You

    To sam@acme.example · Bcc rowan@tryrowan.co

    Monday at 8:30 works. See you then.

  2. RowanOnly you see this

    To you only

    Added Monday 8:30 to 8:55 with Sam. Sam has the invitation from your calendar.

On your calendar

You / Sam

Monday, 8:30 to 8:55 AM

Sam gets the calendar invitation and no surprise email from someone they've never met.

Pass the baton

Bcc Rowan instead of copying it in, and it takes over the thread while you step quietly out of the room.

Email

  1. You

    To priya@fieldwork.example · Bcc rowan@tryrowan.co

    Priya, lovely to hear from you. Rowan will find us a time.

  2. Rowan

    To priya@fieldwork.example · Bcc you, once

    Hi Priya, I look after the diary. Would Monday at 11:00 or Tuesday at 3:30 work for a 25-minute call?

  3. Priya

    Tuesday, please. Lovely to meet your assistant!

  4. Rowan

    Booked for Tuesday at 3:30. Invitation sent.

On your calendar

You / Priya

Tuesday, 3:30 to 3:55 PM

You get one blind copy so you know it's in hand. After that, your inbox is yours again.

Slide into Rowan's DMs

Ask in Slack the way you'd ask a colleague. Rowan writes to the other person for you, after a thumbs-up.

Slack · direct message with Rowan

  1. Y

    You

    find 30 minutes with humans@tryrowan.co next week

  2. Rowan

    Email the Rowan team with three times next week and your booking link?

    ConfirmCancel

  3. Y

    You

    Confirm

  4. Rowan

    Sent, with you copied. I'll take it from their reply.

  5. Rowan

    Booked with the Rowan team: Thursday 3:00 to 3:30 PM.

On your calendar

You / the Rowan team

Thursday, 3:00 to 3:30 PM

One tap to send it. The booking lands back in Slack when it's done.

What's on, and can it move?

Peek at tomorrow and rearrange it from Slack. If other people are in a meeting, Rowan asks them nicely before anything budges.

Slack · direct message with Rowan

  1. Y

    You

    what's on tomorrow?

  2. Rowan

    Three meetings: 9:30 standup, 1:00 1:1 with Jo, 4:00 design review. The afternoon is otherwise free.

  3. Y

    You

    move the 1:1 with Jo to Friday morning

  4. Rowan

    Jo is on that meeting, so I'll ask them first. Ask Jo to move it to Friday at 10:00?

    ConfirmCancel

  5. Y

    You

    Confirm

  6. Rowan

    Asked. Nothing moves until Jo says yes.

Next on your calendar

1:1 with Jo

Friday, 10:00 AM

Waiting for Jo to say yes

Jo gets a polite note, and your calendar stays put until Jo says yes.

Nosy questions, polite answers

Rowan can see your whole calendar. The people you're meeting get your free times and nothing juicier.

Email

  1. Dana

    To rowan@tryrowan.co

    What's on Thursday afternoon? Is that the board meeting? Is it about me? Kidding. Mostly.

  2. Rowan

    Thursday has one commitment from 2:00 to 3:00 PM and is otherwise open. Would 11:00 or 4:00 work?

Times only. Rowan doesn't share titles or names, and it doesn't do gossip.

Send help (for your calendar)

Ask Rowan to sort out your week and it asks one question back: what do you want more of?

Email

  1. You

    To rowan@tryrowan.co

    Can you help me figure out my calendar? I haven't had a focus morning since March.

  2. Rowan

    Happy to. What would you like your calendar to do better? A. Fewer gaps B. Protect focus time: no new meetings before noon C. Lighter days: nothing new once a day has four meetings

  3. You

    B

  4. Rowan

    Done. Mornings stay clear of new meetings. I'll suggest moving a few existing ones to fit, and ask anyone on them first.

On your calendar

Focus time

Every morning until noon

No new meetings land here

Mornings stay clear from now on, and a meeting only moves if the people in it agree.

Rowan spots the double booking first

Clashes, quiet threads, next week's trip. Rowan mentions it once, suggests a fix and waits for your go.

Email

  1. RowanOnly you see this

    To you only

    You're double-booked Thursday at 3:00: the Acme call and the team review. I'd move the team review, since it's internal and easier to shift. Say go and I'll write to them with some other times.

  2. You

    Go.

  3. Rowan

    Written to them with some other times.

Next on your calendar

Team review

Thursday, 3:00 PM

New times sent, waiting for a pick

One email, one word from you, and it's handled.

Book it without leaving your editor

Connect Rowan to Claude, Cursor or VS Code and book a meeting halfway through whatever you were doing.

Claude, with Rowan connected

  1. Book 30 minutes with priya@fieldwork.example next Tuesday afternoon about the pilot. Then back to this bug.

  2. Claude, using Rowan

    Booked Tuesday 2:30 to 3:00 PM with Priya, with "the pilot" as the agenda. She has the invitation.

On your calendar

You / Priya

Tuesday, 2:30 to 3:00 PM

Agenda: the pilot

Priya gets the invitation. You get back to the bug.

Rowan is invite-only while in beta.

Join the waiting list, or move your Zoom Scheduler link before it stops working on 23 October.

Join the waiting listMoving from Zoom Scheduler