Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.
Phones - The Bane of my Existence
I wonder if anyone else has the same problem I do. I procrastinate greatly from any telephone calls. I even panic whenever I hear the phone ring and my stomach twists up. I have to take deep breaths if I have to make a call. And If there is no deadline to when this call must be made, I just keep on delaying it until it is embarrisingly late and I'm too embarrassed to call. It is becoming a real problem. What can I do?
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I have the same issue. . .
Phone calls make me soooo nervous, and my parents are really hard on me for being shy about them. There's just so many things I don't like- I hate my voice after someone I loved made fun of it, I worry about awkward silences or saying the wrong thing, and I worry about crying if it involves discussing something personal. I have no problem with in person social situations, but I HATE the telephone.
I generally like to have a gameplan of what I want to say, especially if it is a more. . "professional" phone call. And one of those things I try to follow even if I don't always do it is thinking that it will probably be over in less than five minutes and will be one less of a thousand monkeys on my back. But that is an issue I'm clearly still working with, and definitely sympathize with.
Wow, I'm not alone!
I don't have to make many phone calls, but I hate it when do, like thanking extended family for Christmas cards and stuff ... And I like talking to my friends on the phone like any other teenager, but ever since I was little I've always dreaded calling because for some reason I hate it when I have to talk to thier parents and ask if so-and-so is there. I still hate that and try to tell them to call me instead of vise versa when ever possible... any insight on why this is? Would have never linked it to procrastination until I saw in on this forum... weird...
Phone is the bane of my existence too!
Yes, yes it is horrible! And other people think I'm crazy! "Why don't you want to call??" they say. I'm not sure why I despise it so much but I know the longer I procrastinate about phoning someone, the worse I feel. Lately, I've been trying to convince myself to make the phone call sooner rather than later to get rid of the bad feeling I get. Sometimes it works.
I think one real problem for me is that I have trouble understanding what people say to me over the phone. Haven't figured out a solution here either. So if a phone call is important, it makes me dread it that much more. I don't want to *not* hear/understand what the person is saying when it is so important it depends on really have a good conversation. Yuck.
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LookAtYourselfAndWhatYourDoin'RightNow-StandBackAMinuteJustToCheckYourselfOut-StraightenOutYourLifeAndHowYou'reLivin'EachDay-JustKeepYourEyesOnThePrizeAndYourFeetFlatOnTheGround-MJ's "Keep the Faith"
You too?
I hate to repeat, but I thought I was the only one too. I've lost some potential friends because I cannot bring myself to phone people. Luckily there are a few who tolerate me nonetheless.
I'm new, and I can't believe how great it is to find people who experience these things too. Not that I would wish them on anyone else, tho.
the !@#$% telephone
Me too! I hate, hate, hate making phone calls. It's a totally unrealitic fear/dread, but it exists nonetheless. There are many of us here that hate phone calls, so many that it is interesting to speculate on the relationship between the two things (chronic procrastination and fear/dread of phone calls)
Jo
'I'm going to put a smile on my face, put forth a good effort, and be better today than I was yesterday.' - Huma
(Enya J.)
Wow, I thought I was the only one!!!
Besides everything Kromer listed below, one thing I found helped is going on the chatbox and saying I am going to make the call now. Sometimes praying and telling my hp, whatever happens, I give it to you.
I have the same problem
Oh man I hate the phone!
I haven't made great progress but here are some things that have helped me with making phone calls:
*If things can reasonably be done over email or face-to-face, I'll do them that way. I think these are totally valid alternatives to the phone
*When I have to make a phone call, I'll block out a specific time for it (eg, in the morning, I'll schedule myself time to make a call 4-4:15pm)
*I often write out what I plan to say on the phone before I make a phone call, and even run through the conversation out loud to myself
*This is a little drastic, but I actually took a part-time job (6 hrs a week) making fundraising phone calls. I still hate the phone, but this did make me more comfortable.
I still am terrible about answering the phone (I essentially never pick up, always let it go to voicemail). I would like to change this, but it's not something I'm actively working on right now. (Let me know if you have strategies for this, though!)
Phone and errands for me
I put off phone calls, too - and errands, as well! I feel like a hermit! I would rather scrub a toilet or clean the garage than do either of the above. I honestly haven't figured it out yet. I wondered if I was a bit agoraphobic but once I get out it's very nice! I actually feel bouyed by my contact with others.
I'm trying to follow the "Just do it" method, knowing that I'll feel better afterward. Sure wish I could understand what's going on, though... I'm surprised to find so many others on here with similar issues! Guess I shouldn't be. =)