Why do I freeze when someone at my desk asks got a minute?

This morning a coworker stopped at my cubicle, one hand on the divider, and said 'got a minute?' I said sure before my brain even arrived. Then I sat there with my calendar still open to 11am and could not remember what I had been typing. It was about a printer jam. That is it. A printer jam. I still felt like I had been called to the principal. I spent the next half hour rereading my last Slack thread looking for whatever I must have done. Nothing was there. I even walked to the kitchen and stood in front of the fridge like that would reset me. I know 'got a minute' is just English. My stomach treats it like a trapdoor. Anyone else go blank at that exact phrase, even when the thing is boring?

Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.

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4 comments

u/priya_nair 13h ago
Mine is 'can I grab you real quick.' Same freeze. Last week it was about whose turn it was to order lunch.
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u/maya_patel 13h ago
I started saying 'give me two minutes to save this' so I get a breath. Sounds fussy. Stops me from smiling and dying at the same time.
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u/omar_farouk 12h ago
Do you freeze more with your manager, or does any person at the divider do it?
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u/theo_ramirez 12h ago
I keep a sticky on my monitor that just says printer jam energy. Reminds me most 'got a minute' things are that small.
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