Ever had friends who somehow manage to turn a quick "I am just stopping-by" into a 3 hour ordeal, and the "stopping-by" sessions are almost daily or at least 3-4 times a week? It's frustrating when people overstay and "getting rid" of them is not always easy. I really do not mind if we just chit chat for 1/2 hour or even 1 hour, but anything beyond that would actually seriously affect my day.
I used to use a little body language. For example, I will take out the ironing board or the feather duster or even the vacuum cleaner. But somehow the person still could not get the hint. Several times she actually sat through my one-hour long ironing sessions and still continued to talk even after I finished ironing!
I actually get set back quite a few hours of my time just because I feel I have to be "nice", and my plans or routine for the day gets seriously derailed.
I finally learnt that I just had have to be direct. Last week I said to her "I'm sorry, but I have something else to do. Can we talk another day?". She must have been hurt because she had stopped her "stopping-by" habit for a whole week already! Well, at least I get my "life" back!
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