People often say, “Just pick up the phone, it’s so much more efficient!” It’s true that phone calls are more efficient if you measure from dialing to hanging up, since most people don’t reply immediately to emails. But phone calls take longer for me overall, if you include all my steps before and after the call: • Write down what I plan to say, usually as bullet points but sometimes as full sentences. • Plan a flow chart of additional things I might need to say, depending on how the call goes. • Breathe deeply to gather courage. • Make the call, reading my notes aloud. • Write down any
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