The longer you put off a reply, the harder it gets to write.

Unanswered messages gain weight while they sit. A reply that would have taken nine seconds on Tuesday needs an apology by Friday, so the cost of writing it rises as your willingness falls. Eventually the message is not about the original question at all, it is about the silence. That is the part people dread, and it is self-made.

Answer the oldest thing in your messages today, briefly, with no apology longer than a clause. Short and late beats perfect and never. For anything new, set a rule that you reply the same day or say when you can.