Asking for help when you’re halfway underwater is easier than asking when you’ve already sunk.

Waiting until things are unrecoverable is common because asking early feels like admitting you could not manage something small. The cost is that the easy version of the help is no longer available, and what is left is damage control for everyone. Early is when a problem is still a favour rather than a rescue.

Think of the thing you are currently hoping will sort itself out. Tell one person about it this week while it is still the small version. Being early is the whole advantage.