Put the hard conversation on the calendar. Avoided talks don’t disappear; they just collect interest.

Delay does not shrink a difficult conversation, it enlarges it. The original problem stays where it was and the avoidance gets added on top, so by the time you speak you are explaining both the issue and your six weeks of silence. Meanwhile the other person has noticed the distance and drawn their own conclusions about it.

Put a time on it rather than waiting for the right moment, since the right moment is a way of not deciding. Keep it short and open with the plain version. Most of these go better than the rehearsal in your head.