Bad news at 11 p.m. lands twice as hard as bad news at noon. When you say it matters as much as what you say.

Late at night you have fewer resources for everything, including bad information. Tiredness takes away your sense of proportion, there is nobody awake to talk to, and nothing can be done until morning, so the same facts arrive heavier. Timing does not change the news. It changes who is receiving it.

If you have something hard to tell somebody, pick daylight this week. And if you are the one who hears it late, try to let the night be the night. Decide nothing until you have slept, because the version of you at noon is better equipped.