Maybe I'm just too impatient

[mousme]

Okay, let's postulate for a moment. One sends an email that one has spent days thinking about and composing in one's head and worrying about.

How long after sending this email should one wait before giving up on the idea of ever getting an answer?

Let's add to this that the recipient of the email, in theory, checks his email at least once a day, and usually a lot more often than that.

The longer this drags out, the more I'm tempted to throw in the towel. Not that I have intimacy issues and nearly always end up with people who can't communicate properly. No. Not at all. :P

Clearly, instant gratification takes too long for me.

*sigh*

People are complicated.

Comments

[silly-imp.livejournal.com]

Email is a funny beast. Emails get lost in cyberspace, get lost in in-boxes and occasionally people lose access to their email if they are away from work or their ISP is down, etc..

Don't assume because you sent the email it was received by the intended recipient.

Assuming it was actually received and read the same day:

If the email demands a thoughtful reply, then I'd allow a few days. It's also my personal experience that when an email needs a thoughtful reply, it's often faster and easier just to pick up the phone and call.

Likewise, if you really need an answer or to get in touch with someone, phone is so much more reliable and real than email.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Normally I'd agree about the phone. There are two obstacles in this case. The first, most important one, is that the person to whom I sent the email is almost entirely deaf and doesn't as yet have a phone that he can use.

The second obstacle is that we both hate phones anyway.

So the first is a legitimate reason for not calling. The second is not quite as legit, but a good explanation of why phone calls haven't happened.

Don't mind me. I'm just fretting over stuff because that's what I do. :)

[silly-imp.livejournal.com]

Now that *is* a special case.

Perhaps a gentle follow-up after a couple of days then.