Stacking the odds for asking a favour - blog

I’ve been carrying out a strange experiment into when it’s best to ask for help. And I think I’ve discovered some useful insights…

A beautiful beach in the sunshine

I’ve had to ask for several favours lately.

They weren’t big, or urgent, just fairly useful.

And as the jeopardy wasn’t high, I thought I would try one of my curious experiments.

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Content warning here:

- This is totally unscientific, and in no way rigorous.

But! The results were interesting, especially when combined with a little research, so I thought worth sharing.

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I was testing what day of the week was best to ask for help.

Now, instinctively, Monday was definitely out.

Who likes Mondays, with that post-weekend glum?

Tuesdays I thought likewise, for similar reasons.

Just too early in the week, too much to do, too much coming up.

Which left Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

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So, on with the experiment.

My first request was on a Friday…

And it was successful.

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My second came on a Thursday…

And it was also successful.

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My third was on a Wednesday…

But this one flunked.

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Now, I appreciate this is nothing like a big enough sample size to be definitive.

But it's interesting, anyway.

So I did some research, and found out there had been studies on the best times to ask for help.

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In terms of days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were indeed favourable, and Friday perhaps most of all.

As so often with research, it confirmed what we intuitively expect:

Fridays, with their nearness to the weekend, tend to put people in a more receptive mood.

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But there were also some other interesting findings:

- Firstly, regarding time of day to make a request.

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According to the research I read, first thing in the morning, and straight after lunch were wise times to choose.

Why? Well, apparently because having more energy, as with first thing in the morning…

And not being hungry, as in after lunch…

Both meant requests for help were more likely to land well.

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The other interesting factor, which I hadn’t thought about, was the weather.

Again, this may be intuitive:

- But the research suggested asking for a favour when the sun is shining means you’re far more likely to get a thumbs up.

(Hence the lovely picture from a recent trip to Portugal to illustrate this blog!)

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So, in summary, and repeating my uber unscientific research health warning:

If you’ve got something you need to ask for, and you’re being cunning…

Choose a sunshine Friday, first thing in the morning or right after lunch.

Assuming you can wait that long!



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