Do you know why I send emails on Saturday morning (and have for many years)?

Because I get the highest open rates when I send on Saturday morning! For whatever reason Saturday morning is a time when business owners get caught up on their email (or at least open and read my emails).

But one of my team members challenged me on this — “Brad, you’re so big on folks taking time off on the weekends, and ignoring their devices for long stretches of time…” It’s true, I do advocate for that. “Why do you send your emails on Saturday mornings? Shouldn’t we be ‘off-line’ at that time?”

Busted.

First thing I should clear up — I’m not actually in front of my computer writing and sending these on Saturday mornings. The magic of automation means that I schedule them ahead of time so that I can be baking my bread while these messages get to you. 

I do try to go off-line on Saturday and Sunday. I typically don’t respond to work emails or work on the weekends. It’s important for me to have a break to recharge and engage in interesting activities outside of work. So I bake bread on Saturday mornings. I take my kids on adventures on Saturday afternoons. I go out with my wife and friends on Saturday night. I go to church on Sunday morning, etc.

But, my open rate statistics tell me that you don’t. 

So you tell me… 

Am I enabling a desire or feeling of obligation to work when you should be focused on non-work things?

Should I ignore my open rates and send it on Friday instead? Would that be better for you?

Do these messages on Saturday serve as a reminder to you to set boundaries around your working hours? 

Could you hit reply and tell me what you think would help you most?

Then put down your phone, shut down your computer, and do something fun! Work will be there for you on Monday either way.