The other day my friend texted me a question. I told him that I did have a response but I needed to hop onto the computer for it. From the computer I can type a response more quickly than I can on my phone—so most of the time you text me, I’m replying from the computer. In fact, my phone doesn’t often stay by me, so it isn’t uncommon for me to miss a call from someone I’m texting because they assume my phone is on me (it isn’t).
On days that I get up early (there haven’t been many this year) I’ve likely responded to my first email or text before 6am. I have a side hustle doing grading for Dallas Seminary. I tell students that I try to turn around any emails within 24 hours and, if easy to address, right away. My students have my phone number and know that if they have a question about the course, they can text me.
“Don’t call me,” I say.
“I don’t even answer the phone when my wife calls.”
(That’s actually not true, but the hyperbole helps drive home the point.)

I put a high value on responsiveness—both personally and when I see it in others. I don’t want to waste people’s time, so I don’t try to reach out to them for something I don’t need. Hearing, “Thanks for the quick reply,” brings me a lot of satisfaction. I know who, in general, is going to turn around a quick response and I appreciate it a thousand times over. (Also, if I don’t respond, there is almost always a reason why—even if that reason is just that I don’t want to respond.)
But, as you can likely see, this value is a two-edged sword. . .
Continue reading “Responsiveness: Such a Fast Turnaround that You Get Dizzy”