Over Chinese New Year, I found myself back at the mahjong table, hands on the tiles, trying to keep up with the pace.
I’m no expert, but I know enough to hold my own.
And just like with any game, I hate the feeling of knowing I could git gud…if only I had prepared more by reading more, practicing more, instead of heading into the game blind.
So, right after the game, I went down the rabbit hole of mahjong strategy.
And one of the biggest lessons I found? Pattern recognition.
Mahjong moves FAST.
You have 5 to 10 seconds to make your decision.
No time to second-guess or figure it out on the spot.
So pattern recognition is your best friend here.
And to build that skill up, go through enough hands, study enough strategies, and eventually, your brain starts seeing the patterns automatically.
Poker pros and chess grandmasters do the same, they recognise familiar board positions and apply their unique strategy.
They remember matches from years ago, down to the exact hands, the chips, the pieces in play.
It’s also obvious in how people consume emails.
When someone asked me what what are my favourite newsletters, I don’t think about who emailed me the most frequently.
I thought about those with a distinct pattern, a recognisable style in their voice or content.
Of course, the ones who emailed daily and stood out in style were right at the top of my mind.
But they were closely followed by those who emailed less frequently, but with content was so unique that I could never forget them.
Instead of asking:
"Is thrice a week too much?"
"Is once a week too little?"
A better question would be:
How do we make our emails fun to read, our offers exciting, and our content unforgettable…
…and do it often enough that it sears a brand imprint on their minds?
Sending more emails won’t drive people away if the style is strong and engaging.
In fact, that makes the brand more memorable.
But sending too few, too bland, too boring emails?
That’s how we lose people’s attention.
Because just like mahjong, poker, and chess—what wins in the long run isn’t randomness.
It’s familiarity, strategy, and patterns that will help you identify the winning hands.
If you want to build that kind of presence in your emails, here’s a helpful article to get you in the right direction:
