Unseasonable kindness gets no thanks.

Help offered at the wrong moment lands as something else. Advice after the decision, sympathy once the person has steadied themselves, a favour they no longer need and now have to be grateful for. The kindness is genuine, but it arrives serving you rather than them, and they can feel the difference even if neither of you says so.

Before you step in, work out whether this is the moment they need it or the moment you thought of it. Asking what would actually help right now takes a few seconds and changes what you offer.