Mercury retrograde, calmly: a working person’s field guide

Mercury retrograde happens roughly three times a year for about three weeks each, and the standard advice — “don’t sign anything, don’t buy electronics, don’t travel” — is half-useful and half-superstitious.

What is actually true: signals get crossed. Drafts get sent before they’re ready. Old conversations resurface. People you stopped thinking about appear in your inbox.

The intelligent response is not paralysis. It is 30 extra seconds before sending. Read the email twice. Reread the contract. Have one more coffee with the recruiter before accepting.

Use the window for finishing rather than starting. The retrograde is not your enemy — it is asking you to pay attention.