Hey, I've hit the 100 blogs mark! (marching band enters stage left) Pretty exciting. I've felt a bit absent lately as far as contributing any original thoughts. Mainly because... I haven't had any original thoughts. I've really been in full blown loser mode lately. Hopefully, I will snap out of it soon. I must share with you my new simple request of all people who use the phone. When you call someone, ask one of these three questions immediately.
Do you have a second? Are you in the middle of something? Can you talk right now?
Also it's important to listen to their answer to this question. Try to be considerate of the fact that the friend/co-worker/loved one might be in the middle of something. I know several people who NEVER ask me one of these questions. This leads me to not answer the phone as often as I would like or it keeps my short and irritated on my end and that's not good for either of us.
I hope this doesn't come across as snotty. It's something I try to do when I'm placing the call.