As I am launching BBEdit to start this new post, there is a sense of pointlessness raining on me. World news, with the U.S. at the epicentre, seriously stinks these days. Whatever topic I choose to ramble on about today, I already know that it won’t make the bitter taste in my mouth go away. This is why I wonder if I should even bother writing about it, in the face of all the fascism, oligarchies, racism, billionaires, hatred, lies, imperialism, and imminent doom running around.
But if writing, as a meditative activity, can help me feel more hopeful and joyful for at least a few minutes, I’ll take it. If reading what I have to say about software features, app updates, or a new internet service manages to lift the spirit of someone for the three minutes it will take to read this, I’ll take it too. If this post somehow manages to trigger somebody else to do the same, in turn motivating someone else and so on, we are talking about a non-negligible amount of time spent not thinking: “The world is going to hell with itself.”
This is why today I decided to share my thoughts on a seemingly underrated feature of technology: delayed actions. I’m talking about the “delayed start” option of washing machines and the “send later” feature of Slack, Apple Messages, and some email clients. This feature, in the middle of others, may be unremarkable, but the more I think about it, the more I realise it is a wonderful thing, perfectly suited to our times and busy lives.
For example, when I wake up early in the morning and read something funny or interesting, I immediately want to share it. But at six o’clock in the morning, I know the people I want to send it to would either be sleeping or thinking “what the hell does Nicolas want at this hour” and therefore not fully appreciate my little gem of a link, my digital present, my thoughtful message.
That’s when I use the Send Later feature. At six o’clock, I schedule the message for around 9:30 in the morning, a time of the day I know they will pay attention, when it won’t bother them, when they will take the time to answer and say something, I believe, along the lines of: “Thank you Nicolas. As always, your links are the height of my days, and I don’t know how you manage to always deliver such quality. You must have a special talent; I’m so glad to know you and to have you in my life.”
In short, it lets me take care of things in the moment, so I don’t have to think about them later or risk forgetting, all while ensuring the timing works for when it actually happens, for maximum convenience.
I also use this Send Later feature all the time at work. I like to work early in the day, sending emails and catching up with Slack messages from the previous day. What I do is schedule most of these messages and replies to be sent from 9 am, so that my colleagues, in the case where they check their messages on their phones while commuting, don’t feel pressured by a morning person like myself, already bothering them at 7:30 am or something.
This feature has become such a big part of my daily habits that I miss it when it is not available (this is how you know a feature is good). On WhatsApp for example, what I do instead is let messages remain unsent as drafts, but it’s not as clean as the Send Later functionality.
Not only do I miss the feature when I expect it and it’s not there, like on a messaging app, but I also wish it was available on other devices and appliances. Our Roomba vacuum cleaner is frustrating for this reason. It can be scheduled via the app, sure, but there is not a proper “Start Later” option. You either “Start Now” or create a regular schedule. I would love a quicker-to-use “Start Later” button and a second screen asking me if I want to start in 10, 30, 60, 120 minutes or something. My basic washing machine offers this feature, but not a robot vacuum cleaner. Call me unimpressed.
This feature is not the same as procrastinating or a read-it-later tool. When I add an article to my read-it-later app of choice, GoodLinks, I still have to read the article later; I just postpone the actual action. At work, when I decide to work on a task the next day, I may clear my day, but the work still needs to be done.
The joy of using a “Send or Start Later” feature comes from the fact that your share of the task is done instantly. The rest of the action is the device’s, the app’s, or the machine’s problem. You click on “Send Later”, and you’re done. When I delay the start of my washing machine cycle until the moment I leave the flat, I’m done: the laundry detergent and the dirty clothes are already in the machine. It’s just as good as launching the washing cycle immediately, but without the annoyance of the washing machine noise while I’m still there.
You’d think this simple feature would be more common, but, for instance, we had to wait for iOS 18 to get this feature on Apple Messages. I don’t know when it appeared on Slack, but it should have been one of the app features right from the start.
More apps and more devices supporting this option, please.
