Why I Never Answer My Phone

Depending on how well you know me, or if you have ever tried to get a hold of me, you will have quickly realized that calling me is pretty much useless, but if you send me an email, you will usually get a response in a decent amount of time. I've never really thought about why I'm like this, but I'm reading a book called, "Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital World," and I realize that it's my attempt to get some space. Picture in your head a friend who has a Bluetooth device hooked up to their phone. Have you ever noticed that people with them tend to talk on them a lot and have difficulty not answering the phone, even if they are involved in a real live conversation.

The phone has become the ultimate instant communication tool, demanding immediate response. When you receive a call, you are expected to answer it. If I am busy and phone rings, Jodie will ask, "Are you going to get that?" to which my typical response is, "If it's important, they will leave a message.". Why? There are only a few things in my mind that rise to the level of needing instant response and those types of things come from a small group of people (caller ID is a wonderful thing). Every thing else tends to fall into the categories of needing a quick response, a response, or no response at all. By waiting for a message, it gives me the opportunity to sort the message to the appropriate response.

This is why I love Google Voice. It allows me to filter incoming calls to my contacts only, and the rest it sends to voicemail, which is transcribed and sent to me in an email. Once in my inbox, it can be responded to immediately, starred for later response, or read and digested with no response needed. The difference is that I get to set the time when I will interact with my email. Now, granted, my iPad (by the way this is the first post I've written on the iPad) dings when I get an email, but I choose whether or not I check the ding. When I'm at work, I check my email immediately and respond immediately. People have figured out that if you email me during the day during the week, they get an immediate response. I used to check voiemails once a day at best and often slower than that. During my days off, I check emails a couple of times a day, and respond slowly or star for a later response.

Long story short, I have attempted to exert some kind of control over the busyness and sense of urgency in my life. I would encourage you to take a look at the things in life that are adding to your hectic day and yet don't really need to. This could be emails (I have a friend who checks emails once a day because then he can control the amount of time it takes), facebook, your Bluetooth, perhaps even something like checking the news constantly. Consider how you might gain a measure of control back.

If not, please know that if you need to get a hold of me, don't call, send me an email, and I'll get back to you!