# Wait

Wait pauses the contact for a fixed period of time or until a specific weekday and time.

## When to use Wait

Use Wait when progression should depend on **elapsed time** rather than on a later condition or event.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you want to continue as soon as an event happens — rather than waiting a fixed amount of time — use [Pause Until](/journey/concepts/pause-until.md) instead.
{% endhint %}

## Wait modes

### Duration

Choose an amount and a time unit.

| Unit     | Minimum | Maximum        |
| -------- | ------- | -------------- |
| Hours    | 1 hour  | —              |
| Days     | 1 day   | —              |
| Weeks    | 1 week  | 52 weeks       |
| Combined | —       | 365 days total |

**Examples:**

* Wait 2 days before a follow-up activation
* Wait 12 hours before a reminder
* Wait 1 week before a check-in message

### Until day

Choose a target weekday and a time. The contact will wait until that weekday and time is next reached.

**Examples:**

* Wait until next Tuesday at 09:00
* Wait until next Monday at 08:30

Use this mode when activation should happen at a business-appropriate time regardless of when the contact entered the Journey.

## Constraints

| Constraint               | Value                                                            |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Minimum duration         | 1 unit                                                           |
| Maximum duration         | 365 days                                                         |
| After Pause Until branch | A Wait step cannot be placed directly after a Pause Until branch |
| Before Stop              | A Wait step cannot be immediately followed by a Stop step        |

## Common patterns

**Onboarding series — delays between messages:**

```
Start → Wait 1 day → Activate → Wait 3 days → Activate → Wait 7 days → Activate → Stop
```

**Send at a business-appropriate time:**

```
Start → Wait until Monday at 09:00 → Activate → Stop
```

**Re-engagement buffer:**

```
Start → Wait 2 days → Segment by status → [branch A] Activate → Stop / [branch B] Stop
```

## Best practices

* Add a Wait before the first Activate to give contacts a buffer after entry.
* Avoid chaining many Wait steps in a row without any Activate or Segment between them — it makes the flow hard to review.
* Keep long Wait durations intentional and easy to justify. A 30-day wait should have a clear business reason.
* Use Until day mode when you want activations to land on consistent days of the week.

## Related pages

* [Pause Until](/journey/concepts/pause-until.md)
* [Choosing Wait vs Pause Until](/journey/best-practices/choosing-wait-vs-pause-until.md)


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