I used to think a follow-up email needed to be sent exactly 48 hours later, but a quiet Tuesday in April changed my mind.

4 comments

4 Comments

My old boss in Chicago told me to always wait three business days. I followed that rule for years until I sent a follow-up on a Friday afternoon and got an instant reply. Turns out the person was just clearing their inbox before the weekend. It made me realize timing is more about the other person's workflow than some perfect number of hours.

tarar382mo agoTop Commenter

Consider their calendar, not just the clock. I once saw a reply fly in right after a big meeting ended, like they finally had mental space to think about my email.

shane_morgan1mo ago

My old team in Austin tracked reply times for a month. The fastest responses always came right after big calendar blocks cleared, not at a specific hour. It really is about catching that mental breath.

miles_schmidt2mo ago

My friend Sarah sent a follow up at 4:55 PM on a Wednesday and got a signed contract by 5:15. It reminds me of what patel.eric said about catching someone while they're clearing their desk. The whole "perfect timing" thing is mostly luck and paying attention.