How to make a phone call you've been putting off
Phone calls are short, but they're live. You can't edit what you say, you don't know who'll answer, and you might be put on hold for forty minutes. No wonder they sit on the list for weeks.
Your first step
Find the number and save it in your phone. Don't call yet.
Do only this, for two minutes. When the timer ends you can stop, and it still counts. If even this feels like too much, do half.
Why making a phone call you're dreading is so hard to start
Unlike an email, a call happens in real time, with no chance to think before you answer. For a lot of people that's enough to make a five-minute call feel like a big deal.
Calls also have hidden steps: finding the number, finding your account details, finding a time when they're open and you're free. Any one of those can stop you.
After the first two minutes
- Use a script. Write your opening line word for word: "Hi, I'm calling to book a check-up. My name is..." Reading it is fine.
- Call at a set time. Pick a time and treat it like a meeting. Calling first thing, before the dread builds, often works best.
- Plan the reward. Decide what you'll do right after the call. Having something to look forward to helps you get through it.
If you're still stuck
- Check whether you can book or ask online, by chat or by email instead. Avoiding the phone is fine if there's another way.
- Ask someone to sit with you while you call.
- Dial and let it ring. Once it's ringing, you've already started.
