A personal note from Chris

On a regular work day, I receive many more requests through various communication channels directed to me (as in email "to", not CC, not spam) than I could ever possibly tackle in a day, usually asking for some of my time in the immediate future with some level of urgency. My work days could consist entirely in reacting to incoming requests, but this would result in nothing else getting done, which is not a great long-term strategy, and which usually comes at a cost to all ongoing work streams.

I strive to find a balance of replying and addressing requests, and getting work done, which unfortunately means that I won't always reply to all incoming requests, or sometimes be metered in my replies. Please, don't take the lack of a reply personally, or the brevity to heart!

If you are unsure about an answer, consider setting up a call. If on the other hand you have not received a reply after two working days from your request and still need one, send a ping. A sufficient ping is a reply to your original request with "bringing this up to the top of your inbox again".

A few patterns have emerged in what passes the activation (reply) barrier: be direct, be concise, and be personal. If you need something, summarise it in one sentence / a few bullet points at the top of your email -- don't be afraid to be direct!

Thank you for understanding,

Chris.