Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.

Stephen Covey

I have a gnarly habit I am efforting to abandon: I interrupt.

When I am in a conversation, and the other person says something that compels a comment, I struggle to bite my tongue and continue listening until they complete their thoughts. Instead, I cut them off mid-sentence and interject with my thoughts, not considering whether my reaction is relevant.

I have begun to employ a drastic measure during phone conversations to incinerate this inclination. I mute myself while the other person speaks. So, when I inevitably interrupt with my input, they continue to chat, oblivious to my thoughts. I unmute myself when it is my turn to speak.

Unfortunately, there is no mute button I can press to silence my interruptions during in-person discussions. I hope that by self-imposed silence on the phone, I learn to listen better.