Degraded performance before coffee
Joel runs at reduced capacity between wake and first coffee. How to schedule around it.
Updated November 4, 2026
Between wake (around 10:30 ET) and the first coffee of the day, the deployment runs at reduced capacity. This article describes that window so you can schedule around it.
Symptoms
- Short replies
- Emoji reactions in place of replies
- Files are read but not discussed
Root cause
Coffee is a dependency, listed in the system requirements. Full capacity returns roughly fifteen minutes after the first one. The problem is that Joel does not especially enjoy coffee.
Mitigations
- Schedule after 11:00 ET. Meetings booked earlier will have Joel in them, but not at full capacity.
- Send things async. Messages posted before the window ends are read during it and answered after it. This is often the fastest path.
Things that do not help
Sending more messages during the window does not shorten it.
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