Use Wait Time in GoHighLevel

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How to Use Wait Time in a Recurring Timer in GoHighLevel

Automating workflow timing between tools like ClickUp and GoHighLevel can be confusing if you are not sure how wait steps and recurring timers interact. This guide explains exactly how wait time behaves inside recurring timers so you can build predictable, reliable automations.

The information below is based on the official documentation, showing what happens when contacts enter a recurring timer and how wait time affects each contact pass.

Understanding Recurring Timers in GoHighLevel

Before adjusting wait time, it is important to understand what a recurring timer does in GoHighLevel. A recurring timer is a workflow step that repeatedly runs at a defined schedule, sending contacts through the workflow again and again.

Common use cases include:

  • Weekly nurture messages
  • Monthly membership reminders
  • Daily follow-up checks
  • Regular internal task or notification triggers

Inside these recurring timers, you can place actions and wait steps. How those wait steps are processed is critical to how your automation behaves.

How Wait Time Works in GoHighLevel Recurring Timers

When you add a wait step inside a recurring timer in GoHighLevel, the system treats the wait as a delay that applies only to the current pass through the timer. It does not change the underlying recurring schedule itself.

Key principles:

  • The recurring timer schedule defines when contacts are allowed to re-enter the loop.
  • The wait step defines how long a contact pauses after the timer runs and before the next action.
  • Each loop through the recurring timer re-applies the wait step independently.

GoHighLevel Wait Time: Per-Pass Behavior

For each pass through the recurring timer in GoHighLevel:

  1. The contact reaches the recurring timer step.
  2. The system checks the recurring schedule (for example, every 7 days or every month).
  3. When the schedule condition is met, the contact moves forward.
  4. The contact then hits the wait step and pauses for the time you configured.
  5. After the wait is completed, the following workflow actions run.

This means wait time delays the actions that come after the timer, but does not delay when the next recurrence is evaluated.

Setting Up Wait Time in a GoHighLevel Recurring Timer

Follow these steps to configure wait time within a recurring timer in GoHighLevel based on the behavior documented in the source article.

Step 1: Open Your Workflow in GoHighLevel

  1. Log in to your GoHighLevel account.
  2. Navigate to the Automation or Workflows area.
  3. Select the workflow where you want to add or adjust a recurring timer.

Step 2: Add or Locate the Recurring Timer

  1. Inside the workflow canvas, find the existing recurring timer step, or:
  2. Click to add a new step and choose the recurring timer option.
  3. Configure the recurrence (for example, every X days, weekly, or monthly).

The recurring schedule defines when contacts are eligible to go through the loop again.

Step 3: Insert a Wait Step After the Recurring Timer

  1. Immediately after the recurring timer step in GoHighLevel, add a Wait action.
  2. Set the wait duration (for example, delay for a specified number of minutes, hours, or days).
  3. Place any messages, tasks, or actions that must happen after the delay below the wait step.

Remember that this wait applies only to each individual pass after the timer fires.

Step 4: Understand the Contact Flow Timing

According to the official documentation, each contact experiences the following pattern:

  • The recurring timer checks the schedule.
  • On each scheduled run, the contact moves forward.
  • The wait step holds the contact for the configured time.
  • Actions after the wait execute.
  • When the contact loops back to the recurring timer, the process repeats.

This design gives you precise control over when messages or actions are performed after each recurrence.

Best Practices for GoHighLevel Wait Time in Recurring Flows

To avoid unexpected behavior when using wait time inside a recurring timer in GoHighLevel, keep these practices in mind.

Align the Timer Schedule and Wait Duration

Ensure your recurring schedule and wait duration work together logically. For example:

  • If the timer runs every 7 days and the wait is 1 day, actions occur 1 day after each weekly recurrence.
  • If the wait is longer than the recurrence (for example, a 10-day wait with a 7-day recurrence), contacts may still re-enter the timer loop based on the schedule, even if they have just completed a previous pass.

Plan your timing to avoid overlapping or overly frequent messages.

Place Time-Sensitive Actions After the Wait

Any message or action that must occur a specific amount of time after the recurring date should be placed after the wait step. Examples:

  • Sending a follow-up email one day after a weekly check-in
  • Triggering a reminder SMS a few hours after a calendar-based touchpoint
  • Creating internal tasks that appear a fixed period after a recurring event

Test Your GoHighLevel Workflow With Sample Contacts

Use test contacts in GoHighLevel to confirm the timing:

  1. Enroll a test contact into the workflow.
  2. Monitor when the contact hits the recurring timer.
  3. Track how long the wait lasts.
  4. Verify that the following actions execute at the expected time.

This helps confirm that your combination of recurring schedule and wait time produces the desired automation behavior.

Troubleshooting Wait Time in GoHighLevel Recurring Timers

If your automation does not behave as expected, review these areas first.

Check the Recurring Timer Settings

Make sure the recurring schedule in GoHighLevel is configured correctly:

  • Confirm the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, custom interval).
  • Check any specific days or times if applicable.
  • Ensure contacts are allowed to loop back to the timer as intended.

Review the Wait Step Configuration

Verify that the wait time matches your intended delay:

  • Confirm the unit (minutes, hours, days).
  • Check the exact number entered.
  • Ensure the wait is placed immediately after the recurring timer and before the actions that must be delayed.

Monitor Contact History in GoHighLevel

Look at individual contact timelines in GoHighLevel to see when they:

  • Entered the recurring timer
  • Started and finished the wait period
  • Executed subsequent actions

This detailed view makes it easier to see whether the timing matches the documented behavior.

Official Documentation and Further Help

The behavior described in this article is documented in the official support resource here: How to Use Wait Time in Recurring Timer.

If you need additional strategic guidance on building automation systems around GoHighLevel, you can also review expert resources at Consultevo, which focuses on optimization and implementation best practices.

By understanding how wait time functions inside a recurring timer in GoHighLevel, you can design workflows that deliver messages and actions at exactly the right time, on every pass through your automation.

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