How to Make a Phone Call You've Been Putting Off

Use this for an ordinary call that keeps slipping

The kitchen tap has been dripping for nine days. You know the letting agent needs a call. Each morning you think about it, feel a small knot of dread and decide that later would be better. The drip continues, and so does the thought.

This walkthrough is for everyday calls: booking, rearranging, asking a question, reporting a repair, chasing a reply. It is not a plan for calls involving emergencies. If something is urgent or unsafe, such as a gas smell, a leak near electrics or a medical emergency, call the appropriate service straight away instead of preparing.

Why dodging the call feels good, then worse

The Centre for Clinical Interventions' procrastination workbook describes procrastination as a cycle. Approaching the task brings up some discomfort, such as anxiety or embarrassment. Putting it off brings quick relief, often with a reasonable-sounding excuse attached: I'll call when I've got everything in front of me. That relief makes it more likely you will put it off again.

Meanwhile, the cost builds. The workbook notes that delay can add guilt and self-criticism, and can make the task feel even more unpleasant next time. That is why a call that felt mildly awkward on Monday can feel strangely enormous by Friday. The call has not changed; the pile of avoidance around it has.

Step 1: write the call's one job

Finish this sentence: By the end of the call, I want… In the example: By the end of the call, I want a repair booked for the kitchen tap. One line is enough. If you find three jobs, pick the one that matters most and let the others wait for a second call or an email.

The Centre for Clinical Interventions' procrastination workbook lists making phone calls among the tasks people commonly put off. Part of what makes a call heavy is that it feels open-ended. A single job gives it an edge.

Step 2: fill in a three-line call card

Write a short card on paper or in a note. It is not a script to read word for word; it is something to glance at if your mind goes blank.

Template: Opening: Hi, my name is [name], I'm calling about [topic]. I'd like to [the one job]. Details to hand: [reference number / address / dates you're free]. Voicemail: Hi, it's [name] calling about [topic]. Please call me back on [number], or I'll try again on [day].

This template is an original editorial example, not a required script or a tested method. Adjust it to the call and to how you naturally speak.

• Keep the opening to one or two sentences.
• Gather only the details the other person is likely to ask for.
• Write the voicemail line now, so an unanswered call still counts as progress.

Step 3: choose a time, not a feeling

NHS problem-solving guidance suggests turning a chosen solution into a specific plan: what you will do and when. For a call, that means a real time when the other side is likely to be open: Wednesday, 9:30, before I start work.

The CCI workbook describes how procrastination often comes with sensible-sounding excuses, such as being too tired or not having everything ready. Notice if I'll do it when I feel more confident turns up. You have the call card, and the time is set, so readiness is no longer the deciding factor.

Step 4: dial through the awkward bit

At the chosen time, put the call card where you can see it and dial before you reread it too many times. The CCI information sheet on tolerating discomfort suggests the attitude I don't like this, but I can stand it, and compares discomfort to a wave that rises and eventually subsides.

For many people, the ringing tone is the highest part of the wave. When someone answers, say your opening line. If you lose your place, it is completely fine to say: Sorry, let me just check my notes. If nobody answers, read the voicemail line. Either way, the call has started.

Worked example: the dripping tap

One job: get a repair booked for the kitchen tap. Opening: Hi, my name is Priya Shah, I rent 14B Elm Road. I'd like to report a dripping kitchen tap and book a repair. Details to hand: tenancy reference, mornings free Thursday and Friday. Voicemail: Hi, it's Priya Shah at 14B Elm Road, calling about a dripping kitchen tap. Please call me back on this number, or I'll try again on Thursday.

Time chosen: Wednesday, 9:30. Result: the agent answers, asks two questions and books a plumber for Friday morning. Total call: about three minutes. Priya writes Plumber Fri a.m. on the card and puts it on the fridge.

Stopping point: when the call is done

Ask one question: did the call do its job, or is the next step now written down? If a repair is booked, you are finished. If you left a voicemail, the next step is already on your card: try again on Thursday. You do not need to review how you sounded.

If you notice yourself replaying the call afterwards, write one line instead: Called at 9:30, plumber booked for Friday. Reading that line is often more settling than rehearsing the conversation again.

If phone calls cause intense fear, or avoiding them is affecting your work, health care, finances or relationships, consider talking with a GP or another qualified professional. This guide is educational and cannot diagnose or treat ongoing anxiety. Using email, online forms or text-based services when they are available is also a perfectly reasonable choice.

Sources

• Centre for Clinical Interventions — Put Off Procrastinating, Module 1: Understanding Procrastination (PDF; making phone calls among commonly delayed tasks)
• Centre for Clinical Interventions — Put Off Procrastinating, Module 3: Changing Procrastination (PDF; the procrastination cycle, excuses, short-term relief and longer-term costs)
• Centre for Clinical Interventions — Procrastination information sheet: Tolerating Discomfort (PDF)
• NHS Every Mind Matters — Problem solving (making a specific plan: what you'll do and when)

Related resources