# Putting Off Phone Calls: Why You Keep Pushing the Call Back and What Makes the First Sentence Easier

> Putting off phone calls: why you push a five-minute call back for days, and how a prepared first sentence makes the start easier.

- Author: Impruvement (https://impruvement.com/en/story)
- Pillar: Action
- Published: 2026-10-23 · Updated: 2026-10-27
- Canonical URL: https://impruvement.com/en/blog/putting-off-phone-calls-why-you-keep-pushing-the-call-back

You put off the call because you aren't dreading five minutes. You're dreading the conversation you've already played out in your head, and every day you wait makes it heavier. Three lines on a note make the start easier: your fear, your first sentence and a fixed time.

## Why do you put off a call that only takes five minutes?

You aren't paying for the five minutes. You're paying for the conversation you picture beforehand. The call itself is short. What you expect from it isn't.

A customer is waiting for you to call back about a complaint. The number sits next to your keyboard. First you clear three emails, then the filing, then one more email. Each of those tasks has a clear end. The call has an open end, and that is exactly what keeps your hand off the phone.

A callback, a complaint, a follow-up on a quote. That's three conversations with three different expectations. On the callback you fear the question you don't have a finished answer to yet. On the complaint you fear the argument. On the follow-up you fear the no.

I'll put it plainly: you're not putting off the call. You're putting off the answer it might give you.

## Does the procrastination get worse the longer you delay the call?

Yes. Your expectation grows with every day you go without a real answer. In your head, "the customer is unhappy" turns into "the customer is angry because I haven't been in touch."

On day one you call about a question. On day four you call about the same question and also have to explain the delay. By waiting, you've made the conversation you're avoiding harder for yourself. I've worked out what waiting costs you overall in [What Waiting Costs You — the Bill Behind Procrastination](https://impruvement.com/blog/what-waiting-costs-you-the-bill-behind-procrastination).

## How do you prepare for a difficult call without getting lost in the preparation?

You need three lines on a note, not a call script. On the first line you write what you fear. On the second, your first sentence. On the third, the time you'll dial.

Writing down the fear sounds trivial. But it separates what you expect from what you know. "He'll turn down the price" is an expectation. Whether he does, you'll only find out on the phone.

The first sentence takes care of the hardest second for you, the one right after "hello." For a follow-up it might be: "I'm calling about Tuesday's quote and I'd like to check where things stand." If it's a complaint, you might say: "I'm calling about the complaint, and first I'd like to hear what happened."

The fixed time replaces the next round of planning. "Later today" is an intention. "10:15 a.m., before my first email" is a decision. That's all the preparation you need. Anything beyond it is preparing to prepare.

## What is your next step?

Take the call that has sat on your list the longest. Write the three lines and dial at the time you set, before you open your inbox. Afterwards you'll know what the conversation actually asks of you, not just what you feared it would.

[Try the free four-day challenge](https://impruvement.com/en/challenge)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Why do I put off a call that only takes five minutes?**

Because you aren't paying for the five minutes. You're paying for the conversation you picture beforehand, and that picture has no clear end.

**Does waiting make the call harder?**

Yes. On day four you call about the same question and also have to explain why you took so long.

**How much preparation does a difficult call need?**

Three lines on a note. Write down what you fear, your first sentence and the time you dial. Anything beyond that is preparing to prepare.

## The Next Step

The Challenge: four days, free, one video a day — https://impruvement.com/en/challenge