Cadence measures how consistently you engage with a relationship over time. It helps you understand whether you are maintaining an appropriate rhythm of communication, or if engagement is becoming irregular.
It is designed to answer a simple but important question:
"Am I staying in touch at the right frequency?"
Overview
Cadence evaluates the spacing between interactions and compares it to the historical pattern of the relationship.
Rather than looking at a single gap in isolation, it looks at:
- How often you typically interact
- How consistent that pattern has been
- Whether recent behavior matches or deviates from that pattern
This allows the system to identify when a relationship is:
- Being maintained consistently
- Starting to drift
- Becoming irregular
Cadence is a foundational signal that supports many of the system's follow-up and prioritization decisions.
What It Measures
Cadence focuses on timing and consistency, not content.
It considers:
- Time between interactions
- Historical interaction intervals
- Consistency of engagement over time
- Variability in communication patterns
It does not evaluate:
- The quality of a conversation
- The outcome of an interaction
- The importance of the relationship
Instead, it answers:
- Is this relationship being maintained at a steady rhythm?
- Are gaps getting longer or shorter?
- Is engagement predictable or inconsistent?
Why It Is Useful
Most relationship breakdowns are not caused by a single missed interaction. They happen gradually through inconsistent engagement.
Cadence helps prevent this by:
- Highlighting when communication gaps are forming
- Providing early signals of relationship drift
- Supporting timely follow-ups before relationships go stale
- Creating a baseline expectation for how often you typically engage
It is especially useful when managing multiple relationships where it is difficult to track timing manually.
How to Interpret Cadence
Cadence should be read as a measure of consistency relative to your own history, not a universal standard.
A long gap is not always a problem if that relationship typically operates on longer cycles.
A short gap is not always positive if it is inconsistent with prior behavior.
Cadence is most useful when answering:
- "Is this normal for this relationship?"
- "Has my engagement pattern changed?"
- "Am I drifting from my usual rhythm?"
It provides context that helps make follow-up signals more accurate.
When Cadence Becomes Meaningful
Cadence requires a pattern of interactions to become reliable.
In early usage:
- New accounts may not have enough data
- Interaction history may be too limited to establish a pattern
- Signals may be minimal or less precise
As you log more interactions:
- A baseline rhythm is established
- Variations become easier to detect
- Signals become more accurate and more useful
Important: Cadence improves over time. It is not immediately fully accurate on new accounts.
Where It Appears
Cadence is used behind the scenes and may also be surfaced in:
- Signals and relationship insights
- Daily brief prioritization
- Account-level context
Even when not explicitly shown, cadence influences:
- When follow-ups are suggested
- How urgency is determined
- Which relationships are prioritized
How It Improves Other Signals
Cadence is a core input into many other system behaviors.
It helps improve:
- Follow-Up Signals - by identifying when a gap is longer than expected
- Momentum Signals - by adding context to engagement patterns
- Daily Brief Prioritization - by ranking relationships based on timing relevance
Without cadence, the system would treat all time gaps equally. With cadence, it understands what is normal for each relationship.
What Affects Cadence Quality
Cadence becomes more accurate when:
- Interactions are logged consistently
- Activity is recorded close to when it happens
- Relationships have enough history to establish patterns
Cadence is less reliable when:
- Interactions are logged inconsistently
- Large gaps in logging create artificial patterns
- Accounts have very limited history
Consistent logging is the most important factor in improving cadence.
What Cadence Does Not Do
Cadence does not:
- Judge the quality of a relationship
- Replace your judgment about when to engage
- Account for external context you have not logged
- Guarantee that more frequent interaction is better
It is a timing signal, not a full relationship evaluation.
Best Practices
- Log interactions consistently and close to real-time
- Use cadence as a guide, not a strict rule
- Pay attention to relationships where cadence begins to drift
- Combine cadence with momentum and context for better decisions
- Do not overreact to cadence on new or low-activity accounts
Cadence becomes more valuable as your interaction history grows and stabilizes.