Attention Span

Has this ever happened to you?

You call up a business, and get their automated system. The voice begins to rattle off your options: "Press One for Customer Service, Press Two for Maintenance, Press Three for..." You know the routine.

It's at this point that I always give myself a pep talk. Okay, Rachel, listen carefully. You can do this. Don't get distracted - just listen to the options and find the one that you need. Just LISTEN.

It is usually around option four or five that I realize that my mind has drifted. I haven't heard any of the options so far! How does this always happen??? I hope against hope that the next option I hear is the one I'll need...but it never is.

What should I do? Should I press one or two and just hope it is right? Should I wait for the operator? But when I explain what I need, she might just tell me that I should have pressed option three, and then my secret will be out. I cannot pay attention to anything for more than 0.3 seconds. Should I explain to her that I tried really hard to listen but somehow just missed it?

I hang up and start again, promising myself that I'll pay closer attention this time.

And yes, this happened to me today. Again.