Alright, it’s time to face facts – we’ve all been ghosted. You send a message, and then… nothing. Not even a “Seen” at the bottom. Just the soul-crushing, existential silence of an unanswered text. And there you are, spiralling. “Did I offend them? Have they thrown their phone into the ocean? Maybe they’ve Frisbee’d that cursed work laptop out the window?”

(And honestly, who could blame them? It’s one of my favourite daydreams. Picture it: the laptop, flung from several storeys up, soaring in a graceful arc. It glides past windows, miraculously avoids pedestrians below, and then smashes into the pavement with a spectacular crash – shattering into a thousand tiny pieces, scattering like my motivation after lunch, reflecting the sun like forgotten coffee cups and good intentions. Truly cathartic. Anyway, this is probably why I sometimes forget to reply to things…)

But as fun as that image is, let’s be real: that destroyed laptop isn’t really why people don’t reply. Because, honestly – did they decide I’m not worth the six seconds it takes to send a thumbs-up emoji? A “cheers”? A “noted”?

Look, I get it. We’re all busy. Between back-to-back Teams meetings (because apparently one a day is too reasonable), pretending we’re wellness gurus because we did yoga once in February, and convincing ourselves that scrolling through Instagram counts as “downtime,” sometimes replying genuinely slips through the cracks. You open a message, think, “I’ll get to this in five minutes,” and suddenly it’s three weeks later. And now you’re staring at that message like, “Is it too late to just send a thumbs-up without looking like a total weirdo?”

We’ve all been there. But let’s be honest – there’s a limit.

One day? No problem. Two days? Fine, maybe your WiFi had a meltdown. A week? Now I’m starting to wonder if I should check your LinkedIn for sudden job updates. And speaking of work-related silence? That’s when things really start to get awkward, isn’t it? You know that special moment when someone casually says, “Did you get my email?” and you feel the temperature in the room drop by about ten degrees. Cue the panicked mental replay… did you? You definitely opened it. Probably. That’s when you start fantasising about your WiFi crashing just long enough to avoid answering.

But here’s the thing – a quick thumbs-up, a “Got it!” or even a one-word reply could’ve saved everyone the trouble. It’s really not that hard, and yet, we let it get harder by doing… absolutely nothing.

Why do we do this? Is it really because we’re busy, or are we just overwhelmed by the sheer volume of notifications, emails, and pings coming at us like some sort of digital avalanche? I mean, yes, we’re all juggling a million things, but that unopened message isn’t going to vanish just because you ignore it. It’ll still be lurking there tomorrow. Like a passive-aggressive ex posting cryptic quotes on Instagram.

With friends, you can get away with a bit of radio silence. Send a meme two weeks later, and they’ll probably forgive you. But in a professional setting? Completely different ballgame. There’s an unspoken timer ticking away. At some point, you cross from “busy” into “I’m definitely avoiding you,” and no one’s buying the “Oh, sorry, it must’ve slipped through the net!” excuse anymore. (Seriously, we all know Teams has read receipts, Tiffanee, don’t play coy.)

But let’s be honest – I’m guilty of it too. I’ve got messages festering in my inbox right now. I mean to reply. I really do. But between the dopamine hit of scrolling LinkedIn and the sheer overwhelm of 236 unread notifications, sometimes… I genuinely forget. It’s not personal, I swear! And yes, I know that makes me part of the problem.

So, what’s the cut-off point? For friends, maybe you can stretch it to a week or two, assuming they’re equally guilty of inbox neglect. But for work? Two days, max. After that, things start to get dicey. Not because anyone’s expecting a novel – just an acknowledgement, a virtual nod that says, “Yep, I’m still alive and I saw this.” That’s it. It’s really not that hard, is it?

And here’s the thing – a quick reply might not seem like a big deal, but it’s more than just ticking off a box on someone’s to-do list. It’s a small act of sanity-saving kindness, both for them and for you. Imagine: no more fretting over that unopened message, no more mental guilt piling up while you scroll past it for the 12th time.

Because really, none of us are that busy, right? (At least, that’s what I tell myself while I continue to ignore my inbox.) So if you’re waiting on a reply from me… it’s coming. Eventually. Maybe.

But let’s make it easier on ourselves – and on each other. The next time that little red notification glares at you, just hit “send.” Because sometimes, a quick reply is all it takes to keep everyone’s inboxes – and sanity – intact. Trust me, your future self will thank you. Or, at the very least….

….I’ll stop dreaming about smashing laptops.