Pro tip: I stopped reading client emails until 10am and my invoices actually started getting paid faster.

I was waking up and jumping right into inbox chaos, answering questions before I even had coffee, and realized people were treating my replies like free consulting. After three weeks of this delay, my hourly rate clients started booking extra sessions instead of picking my brain for free. Anybody else try ignoring morning emails and see a weird shift?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_daniel1d ago

Double down on that and start setting specific "office hours" for email replies. I tell clients I check inboxes at 10am and 2pm, and they actually started calling me instead of sending six emails. Got one guy who used to send three follow ups before lunch, now he just books a 15 minute call and pays for it. The delayed reply also builds this weird anticipation, like they think you're busy and valuable because other people want your time too. Your brain gets to stay fresh for the paying work instead of burning the first hour on free Q&A.

wade_anderson1d ago

Ha! Smart. You're basically gamifying their respect for your time. I bet the delay makes them realize they value your input enough to actually pay for it. Little psychological trick goes a long way.

jamesc791d ago

Haha yeah, nothing like training people to treat your inbox like a premium service instead of an all-you-can-eat buffet. I did something similar but way less strategic - I just started closing my email tab during calls and drills, and suddenly people were sending me calendar invites instead of paragraphs. Makes you wonder how much free labor we were giving away just because we responded fast.