May 01, 2026

Even in our right-now world, it can sometimes be useful to delay delivery of a text or email. Most messaging tools give you the ability to type a message while you’re thinking about it but schedule it to arrive later. Here are scenarios when a delayed communication could come in handy:

• Information arrives late at night, but you want your client to receive your message about it the next day when she can take action.
• You don’t want to interrupt your assistant during a family obligation he told you about.
• You’re about to head into a meeting but want a recipient to receive your message when you’re available to respond to any replies.
• You know your colleague is driving and you don’t want to distract her.
• You don’t want to miss someone’s birthday or the anniversary of their closing.
• You want to control when a message arrives in a different time zone.
• You want to send yourself a reminder in the future and have information or attachments that can’t easily be handled in a calendar app.

If a “schedule send” or “send later” option isn’t apparent in your email program, phone, or messaging app, a quick internet search should uncover easy instructions to take advantage of this useful feature.