The Green-Chair Technique for Handling Phone Calls

My home office has a long desk of plywood; on it are the keyboard, monitor, mouse and telephone.

The phone rings. I pick it up, push my chair away from the desk, and sit eight feet away in a green chair, fabric covered, thin wooden arms.

Why?

When someone phones me, it is a substitute for a face-to-face visit, and I like to give them my full attention; I can't give them my full attention when my eyes are staring at the screen, wondering what's new in Google News or what the weather is like in Paragonicia.

Here is a chance for me NOT to sit, shoulders-hunched over a keyboard, a chance to move my two feet eight feet, a chance to stretch, and to enjoy whatever the conversation might bring.

Sometimes too I can't immediately place the caller, so I am more relaxed as I try to figure out who and why the call.

There in the not-totally-comfortable green chair, I indulge in the to-and-fro, but then after a while, my back gets sore.

It's time to end the conversation and get back to work.

Well, not quite sore, but while the break from the computer was welcome, it still calls to me, and the call becomes more insistent as time passes, so there is a steadily-growing urge to bring the conversation to an end and get "back to work".

If you don't have a Green Chair, I suggest you pick one up at a second-hand store this weekend. It doesn't have to be fancy, and it ought not to be too comfortable, or too large.

You may be surprised at how well your phone conversations go, after you get your Green Chair.