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This Week's Question
If you are at a really good point in
a book, and either the phone or doorbell rings, do you stop
reading, or let the phone or doorbell
go unanswered?
(Submitted by Elizabeth @
My Answer
I wish I could say that I would be able to ignore the phone or doorbell, and just keep on reading.....However, I'm totally unable to do that. Once I hear that very annoying sound (my husband and I don't have a doorbell, but, if someone were to knock on the door, the effect would be the same), my concentration is completely broken, and I'm thrown "out of the book" -- whether fiction or nonfiction -- that I happen to be reading at the time.
If it's the door, I do need to answer it, because it might be something important, such as the delivery of supplements from the pharmacy, or an urgent message from the Condo Association, for example.
If it's the phone, and my husband is not at home, I also need to answer it, because it might be him calling with something important, or perhaps he wants me to get him some information that he needs, and forgot to take with him. It could also be one of my relatives, with some urgent request, or simply wanting to have a nice little chat. (Of course, sometimes I do let them know -- ever so subtly -- that they've interrupted my reading. Lol.)
I do get spam calls sometimes, but I have a call block app that takes care of them, so that's not even an issue anymore.
After I deal with these interruptions, I will then go back to whatever I was reading. Unfortunately, it will take me a while to get immersed in the book again, but it's not impossible for me to do so -- eventually.
I think it's better for me to deal with the interruption, and get it out of the way, so that I will then be free to continue with my reading. If, instead, I were to stubbornly refuse to answer the phone or the door, I would be left with a nagging doubt as to what it could have been about, and this will DEFINITELY make it impossible for me to focus on my book once more.
The perfect alternative would be to simply shut off my cell phone (we no longer have a land line at home) when I want to get down to some serious reading. Lol. But that leaves the problem of the door....
I have indeed found the perfect solution, though. I just read late at night. People don't make calls at midnight or thereafter, unless, of course, there's some emergency (God forbid!). As for the door, no one would come knocking at those hours, either, unless, again, there were some emergency.
Yes, indeed.....the late hours are the absolute BEST for reading! (Or blogging, for that matter, lol.) I happen to be a lifelong night owl, and it's not at all unusual for me to turn in around 4:00 AM! Since I no longer have a 9 to 5 job, this is perfect for me! After all, I don't have to start my part-time job until 3:30 PM, and I get off at 9:30 PM. I'm usually back home by 10:00 PM. Then I change into something more comfortable and settle down to do some blogging. After I'm done with that (usually around 1:00 AM), then it's uninterrupted reading time, until I start nodding off......
Needless to say, I LOVE the night owl life!!
If it's the door, I do need to answer it, because it might be something important, such as the delivery of supplements from the pharmacy, or an urgent message from the Condo Association, for example.
If it's the phone, and my husband is not at home, I also need to answer it, because it might be him calling with something important, or perhaps he wants me to get him some information that he needs, and forgot to take with him. It could also be one of my relatives, with some urgent request, or simply wanting to have a nice little chat. (Of course, sometimes I do let them know -- ever so subtly -- that they've interrupted my reading. Lol.)
I do get spam calls sometimes, but I have a call block app that takes care of them, so that's not even an issue anymore.
After I deal with these interruptions, I will then go back to whatever I was reading. Unfortunately, it will take me a while to get immersed in the book again, but it's not impossible for me to do so -- eventually.
I think it's better for me to deal with the interruption, and get it out of the way, so that I will then be free to continue with my reading. If, instead, I were to stubbornly refuse to answer the phone or the door, I would be left with a nagging doubt as to what it could have been about, and this will DEFINITELY make it impossible for me to focus on my book once more.
The perfect alternative would be to simply shut off my cell phone (we no longer have a land line at home) when I want to get down to some serious reading. Lol. But that leaves the problem of the door....
I have indeed found the perfect solution, though. I just read late at night. People don't make calls at midnight or thereafter, unless, of course, there's some emergency (God forbid!). As for the door, no one would come knocking at those hours, either, unless, again, there were some emergency.
Yes, indeed.....the late hours are the absolute BEST for reading! (Or blogging, for that matter, lol.) I happen to be a lifelong night owl, and it's not at all unusual for me to turn in around 4:00 AM! Since I no longer have a 9 to 5 job, this is perfect for me! After all, I don't have to start my part-time job until 3:30 PM, and I get off at 9:30 PM. I'm usually back home by 10:00 PM. Then I change into something more comfortable and settle down to do some blogging. After I'm done with that (usually around 1:00 AM), then it's uninterrupted reading time, until I start nodding off......
Needless to say, I LOVE the night owl life!!
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Super post Maria.
ReplyDeleteInterruptions of this kind do not usually bother me too much. As you say, it is best to take care them out of the way and dealt with so one can get back to reading.
WhatIi occasionally struggle with, as I know many others do to. Is the distraction of being pulled into social media or other forms of online activity. These are self made distractions and are best resisted. This type if distraction can wreck havic with reading time and concentration.
Hey, Brian!
DeleteThanks for the compliment!! <3 :)
Fortunately, they're not all that common with me, either. I now do most of my reading at night. But when these interruptions do take place, I find that the best thing to do is just get them out of the way.
You're so right about the distractions of social media! Sometimes that does happen to me! I go on either Twitter or Facebook and start sharing other people's posts, or putting up my own, and that's TIME that I'm taking away from my blogging and reading. I sometimes wonder if it's even worth it to go to these sites at all.... I do have to tweet my blog posts, though, especially when I participate in blog tours. I also feel an obligation to keep posting as many anti-Trump articles as I can. But I do have to slow down on this, too.
Thanks for the nice comment!! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday! (I got up at noon, lol.) <3 :)
Interruptions always take me out of the book I'm reading as well! I normally can go right back in if the book is good enough, but sometimes I'll have to really try to immerse myself again. I always have to answer the door, but I'm able to ignore the phone pretty easily if it's a number I don't recognize. If it's a relative or friend though, I would answer immediately. It seems like night-reading might be my perfect solution as well!
ReplyDeleteHi, Gennnifer!
DeleteI wish I could right back into my book after one of these interruptions, but unfortunately, I usually can't. So I'm glad that they're not all that common!
Yeah, night reading is really the BEST!! As I explained in my post, there are definitely NO interruptions in the wee hours! So do give it a try!
Thanks for the nice comment!! Have a nice weekend!! <3 :)
We get so many salespeople, both on the phone and at our door. It's really rather annoying--although I do know they are doing their jobs. People need to work, after all. Fortunately, I don't get too many sales calls on my cell phone--those come on the landline. And anyone important in my life knows to use my cell number because I don't answer the landline. I'm registered with the Do Not Call Registry, but that hasn't helped. There are too many loopholes for certain types of companies to get around it. I come home and my Caller ID on the landline phone shows five to ten calls a day. It's really rather absurd. We only keep the landline around because it's cheaper to bundle than get just cable and internet--believe me, we've looked into every option!
ReplyDeleteAs for my cell phone, I do check when someone calls (or texts) because, as you said about your husband, it could be mine or my daughter's school calling. I rarely answer unless it's one of those or my mom. And I should add my brother because if he's calling (which he never does), it's an emergency.
You know, it's kind of funny (although maybe not in a hahaha sort of way), but whenever I think of someone knocking on my door late at night, I don't think emergency I think burglar. Maybe because of my own experiences--although even then, that was during broad daylight. But then again, I don't have family that lives nearby, so they would call before they would come to my door.
Tying it all into reading, I can generally block out outside noises when I am very engrossed in a book, although it happens less often than it once did. I am more likely to block out the phone than I am the door.
I hope you have a great weekend, Maria! (My cat just say on my computer mouse and your blog disappeared for a minute--thank goodness my comment wasn't lost. Haha)
Hi, Wendy!
DeleteOMG!! I feel for you!! That would really drive me crazy! Fortunately, we don't get that many salespeople at the door. And, since we don't have a landline anymore, that's not a problem on the phone, either.
You're SO right that being on the "Do Not Call Registry" doesn't help! I've had my cell phone on that list for several years now, and I STILL get those spam and scam calls!! The best thing to do is to get a call blocking app. I use one called "Hiya". Cute name, right? Lol. It's very effective, and totally free, too. The Google Play Store has many of these free apps. So now I'm not getting those calls. What happens is, when one of them tries to come through, I will get a notification from the app that there has been a blocked call. Sometimes they try to leave a voicemail, but the app won't even let them do that. Lol. So my advice to you is to get one of these apps. They DO work! As for the DNR list, it really does no good at all to be on it. I have stopped putting in complaints to the FTC. I just rely on my "Hiya" now! Lol.
We really don't worry about burglars at night. We live in a condo community. It's not gated, but they do close all the gates except one at 9:30 every night, and they constantly have a security guard going around.
Yeah, my family would always call first. I do the same with them. You don't just show up at somebody's house, even if they're related to you! Lol.
Blocking outside noises is hard for me. The Condo Association takes care of all the landscaping here, and they do make noise sometimes. Plus, there are the garbage pickup trucks that come by.
All in all, the very BEST time for me to read without any interruptions (especially after hubby is asleep) is at night.
OMG, how funny that your cat momentarily made my blog disappear on the screen! Well, I'm glad you got it back, and that your comment went through! :) :)
Hope you have a great weekend, too, Wendy!! Thanks so much for such a WONDERFUL comment!! HUGS TO YOU & MOUSE!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)
P.S. Speaking of noises, sometimes we can hear hammering going on, or furniture being moved, in one of the apartments -- whether the one next to us, the one above, or the one below. The walls are thin here! Lol.
DeleteI LOVE your answer, you little night owl. :)
ReplyDeleteYour detailed answer is wonderful...thanks.
It is difficult to ignore either the bell or the phone, but Caller ID helps me. We normally do not get too many door bell rings, but we get tons of solicitor calls on the landline. Ughhh.
And it is difficult to get back to what you were doing after being interrupted.
HUGS, and Happy Hopping!!
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog Hop Answer
Hi, Elizabeth!
DeleteYou're so sweet!! Thanks for the compliment!! <3 <3 <3
Having a landline is indeed a problem. We got rid of ours when we moved into our condo. Unfortunately, there's no way to block those stupid calls on a landline. It's good you have Caller ID, but the calls will STILL come through. On a cell phone, though, you can get a call blocking app that will take care of the problem. The Google Play Store has LOTS of FREE call blocking apps. I use one called "Hiya", which I think has a very cute name. Lol. Now, one of those calls might try to come through, but the app blocks it IMMEDIATELY. They can't even leave a voicemail, lol. Problem solved!
BTW, I've had my cell phone on the "Do Not Call Registry" for several years now, as I was telling Wendy in my reply above, and it doesn't do ANY good! These spammers and scammers will STILL call! I've given up sending in complaints to the FTC. I simply rely on my "Hiya" now! Lol.
Night reading is really the BEST option for me, especially since I no longer have to get up every morning at 7:00 AM in order to get to work on time. OH, how I HATED that!!! You see, I used to have TWO jobs. One of them was a full-time job, and the hours were from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday. The other was a part-time job, and the hours were from 7:00 to 9:30 PM. Well, I got laid off from the full-time job in January of 2014, and was able to extend my hours at the part-time job. So now I only work from 3:30 to 9:30 PM, from Monday to Thursday. I have three-day weekends EVERY single week now, too! YAAAAAY!!!!!
So yeah, night reading is the way to go for me!! Now I can get up at noon every single day!! Lol. (Although sometimes I do get up around 11:00 AM.)
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a GREAT comment!! HUGS TO YOU, TOO!!
Happy Hopping, and I hope you're enjoying your Saturday!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)
Thanks for the tip on Hiya!! Did you ever have any problems with it blocking a doctor's call?
DeleteSo glad you could extend your hours. I was laid off back in the 80's from my teaching job, but it worked out perfectly because I had just had my son. I was able to stay home with him for four years. They called me back when he was 4 1/2. :)
I was up until 1 a.m. last night reading THE BREAKDOWN and slept in until 8:30. I never could sleep in. LOL!!
It was nice reading when everything was quiet in the house and on the phones. :)
Nice chatting to you. HUGS.
Luckily, these sorts of interruptions don't happen to me too often.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nicky!
DeleteThey don't really happen all that often to me, either, but I still prefer to read at night. Then I'm GUARANTEED NO interruptions at all! Lol.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!! <3 :)
I do the same thing as you do : reading late at night. No interruption. Tbh, I can't really read during daytime (too many other things to do like.. school or homework and so on)
ReplyDeleteHi, Sandrine!
DeleteOMG!!! I had not seen this comment..... 😞 SO sorry!! I'm on my cell phone right now, so I can put in emojis! 😄😄😄
Reading at night is really THE BEST!! As you say, there are NO interruptions! It's MUCH easier to focus on the book!
Thanks for the comment!! Hope your week is GREAT!! 💖😘💖😘💖😘💖😘💖