If It Takes More Than Three Messages to Explain — Just Call

Some conversations spiral in text. You type a paragraph, they misunderstand, you clarify, they ask a follow-up, you re-explain. What could have been a two-minute phone call becomes a thirty-minute message chain where both people are frustrated.

The three-message rule is simple: if after three messages the topic is not resolved or is getting more complicated, switch to a call. Text is great for quick, clear exchanges. But for anything nuanced, emotional, or multi-layered, voice is faster and causes fewer misunderstandings.