The favor is easier to consider when its size and timing are clear.

Vague requests are hard to answer because the person cannot see what they would be agreeing to. Without a size and an end date, an ask has to be treated as potentially unlimited, and the safest response to anything unlimited is no. What looks like reluctance is often just an absence of information.

When you ask for help this week, say how long it will take, when it is needed, and when it stops. Add what happens if they decline, so the answer stays genuinely available. A well specified favor gets accepted far more often than a large friendly gesture.