Do Not Disturb

Here's a tip for anyone who ever answers a phone: Sometimes it's okay to purposefully not answer it, if you are in the middle of something and don't want to be interrupted.

Today I called a colleague of mine with a pretty simple question. This person works for a different organization, in a different part of the city. My long-range X-ray vision was on on the kaputz, so I was unable to see that she was in the middle of another project. I asked her my question, and as she was looking through some of her files to find the answer, she said something to the affect of 'I'm really busy in the middle of something here'.

Now, my need was not pressing and could have waited. She was very gracious to take the time to help me out, even though it was an interruption, and I am grateful for that. This experience though, has confirmed in my mind the beauty of the "Do Not Disturb" feature most phones come equipped with. This great little feature makes it so that your phone does not ring and callers are sent right to voice mail, and - viola! - no interruption. It's one of my favorite feature of the phone.

Now, some people may think this is rude or inconsiderate. I disagree. I think it hurts a person's feelings more to tell them 'I'm in the middle of something', as if you should have known better and waited to call at a different time, even when you had no way of knowing they were busy. I say, if you really can't be interrupted, don't take the call. (A caveat here: sometimes you have to answer your phone because the work that is keeping you busy requires that you wait for and get a call from someone else. This complicates matters. How do you politely get off the phone with someone you don't really have time to talk to in order to wait for the call you need to receive?)

I understand moms are excused from answering the phone if they are in the middle of something where they can't leave the kids unattended - like giving baths. I say the same rule applies to the office.