You Might Be A Skimmer

By JoJo Tabares

As so many of us scramble to make ends meet, we have become a nation of caffeine-addicted rushers.  We’re late!  We’re late!  For a very important date!  No time to say hello, goodbye.  We’re late!  We’re late!  We’re late!

A bunch of Alice in Wonderland White Rabbits, we race from one thing to the next and seldom slow down enough to understand what’s going on around us.  We can’t.  We don’t have time!  As Willy Wonka stated, “I have so much time and so little to do!  Strike that.  Reverse it!”

With so little time and so much to do, we find ourselves becoming a nation of skimmers.  We skim through our emails and even our conversations.  We listen with our “To Do” List running through our brains and we miss half of what is said.  That gets us into some hot water when we either miss an important piece of information or Aunt Mildred’s upset because we were only pretending to listen to her.

So how do you know if you’ve become a skimmer?  How do you know when it’s gotten so bad and you are missing so much that your relationships are suffering?  Well, fortunately, I’ve developed a test.  Of course, it’s written in my comedic style…and, as Wonka also said, “A little nonsense now and then…”  Here are seven ways to tell if you’re a …SKIMMER!

1. If you have ever run into a friend on the street and, as she’s talking, you begin planning your dinner menu for the week and when you get to Thursday you realize you are nodding to NO ONE…you might be a skimmer.

2. If you have ever read an email three times for the first time…you might be a skimmer.

3. If you have ever had a conversation with someone who repeatedly says, “I just said that.”…you might be a skimmer.

4. If you have ever shown up to a party on the wrong date, …you might be a skimmer.

5. If you have found yourself at a black tie affair dressed in blue jeans…you might be a skimmer.

6. If you have had a conversation with your mother about several emails she sent you and find only half of it even vaguely familiar…you might be a skimmer.

7. If you ever had a one-hour, in-depth conversation with someone after which you not only couldn’t remember who it was with, but what you talked about…you might be a skimmer.

Skimming can be dangerous for your information and your relationships.  Believe it or not, skimming costs you more time to do things over again than you saved by skimming in the first place.  Slow down, America!

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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication.  Her Christian and humorous approach to communication skills have made her a sought-after speaker.  JoJo’s articles have appeared in various homeschool magazines and websites such as Dr. Laura.com.  Her Say What You Mean curricula is endorsed by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and her eBook, Say What You Mean When You’re in Business, has been used by direct sales leaders and small business owners alike.  For more information, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com