Business Idioms - Pencil in

To pencil it in



This expression is used to talk about setting a date for an upcoming event - like a meeting, presentation or lunch - that might not happen on the scheduled time or date.
Since you are only using a pencil (and not something more permanent like a pen), you are leaving open the possibility of canceling or rescheduling the event.
A common phrase with the opposite meaning is 'to set in stone'. While writing in pencil can be erased, messages carved into stone can not. Therefore, if something is 'set in stone' then it cannot be changed.

Some examples:

- Hi Maria, can we meet next Tuesday at 1 p.m. to chat about the upcoming campaign?
- I'm not too sure about my schedule. Let's pencil it in and see closer to the date, ok?

▪️  I pencilled in the meeting for Friday afternoon but I told them it could change based on your schedule.

▪️ Pencil in the compliance review for anytime next month. I don't have time to consider the specifics at this early stage.