I'll expand on my previous comment to make this more clear: the grandparent's approach is terribly flawed because the Do Not Call registry only covers a narrow range of annoying phone calls.
Calls that are not covered by the Do Not Call registry include:
- Any survey by telephone (even if they are being conducted by a for-profit company)
- Any charity
- Any political campaign, candidate, or committee
- Any company with whom you have had contact in the last 3 months, or done business within the last 18 months
In short, saying let's always answer phone calls because of the Do Not Call registry is like saying let's open every email because of the CAN-SPAM Act.
The only way to reliably manage telephone interruptions is on the client side, i.e. the phone itself. When I don't want to be interrupted I send all calls on the landline to voicemail, and put my cell phone on vibrate--only picking up numbers I recognize, like family or friends, in case it is an emergency.
Calls that are not covered by the Do Not Call registry include:
- Any survey by telephone (even if they are being conducted by a for-profit company)
- Any charity
- Any political campaign, candidate, or committee
- Any company with whom you have had contact in the last 3 months, or done business within the last 18 months
In short, saying let's always answer phone calls because of the Do Not Call registry is like saying let's open every email because of the CAN-SPAM Act.
The only way to reliably manage telephone interruptions is on the client side, i.e. the phone itself. When I don't want to be interrupted I send all calls on the landline to voicemail, and put my cell phone on vibrate--only picking up numbers I recognize, like family or friends, in case it is an emergency.