Timing can be everything, and the saying is especially likely to apply when you’re asking a favor.  So if you decide to ask for links - hey, it happens, right? - it’s important to consider when exactly you should starting sending some nicely worded emails.

Barry Schwartz recently ran a poll on this issue, and 160 people responded.  The absolute worst day to send link request emails, according to these folks, is Saturday.  You’ve got to figure everyone will spend most of the day away from their computers, and be pretty quick with the “delete” button when they do check their email.

Next up in terms of bad ideas is Thursday.  How or why it appeared here is anybody’s guess.  But then come Friday and Sunday, and it’s likely that some of the same I-don’t-want-to-be-bothered attitude that people adopt on Saturdays will be present here.

Wednesday’s next, followed by Monday.  Monday’s presence this high on the list seems a bit odd, considering that people will have all sorts of stuff to catch up with and probably be in a bad mood from the weekend ending, besides.  You’re on your own with it.

Finally, though, is Tuesday.  A full 28 percent of Schwartz’s respondents identified this as the best day to send link request emails.  Why?  Well, it’s a good bet that everyone will be a little settled into the pattern of the week at this point and ready to accomplish some stuff.

As for the best time to send link request emails, we’ll cut to the chase and reveal that 40 percent of the survey’s participants favored the 8 AM to noon chunk of time.  Then 1 PM to 6 PM is popular with another 30 percent of the crowd.

Plan your schedule accordingly if you decide to seek out any links.