--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I attempt all day, at work, not to think…" description: "\"I attempt all day, at work, not to think about what lies ahead, but this costs me so much effort that there is nothing left for my work. I handle telep..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/lydia-davis-3244_cost_i-attempt-all-day-at-work-not-to-think-a_3012045.jpg" --- # I attempt all day, at work, not to think about what lies… ![“I attempt all day, at work, not to think about what lies ahead, but this costs me so much effort that there is nothing left for my work. I handle telephone calls so badly that after a while the switchboard operator refuses to connect me. So I had better say to myself, Go ahead and polish the…” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/lydia-davis-3244_cost_i-attempt-all-day-at-work-not-to-think-a_3012045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/lydia-davis-3244_cost_i-attempt-all-day-at-work-not-to-think-a_3012045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00e/lydia-davis-3244_cost_i-attempt-all-day-at-work-not-to-think-a_3012045.jpg) > “I attempt all day, at work, not to think about what lies ahead, but this costs me so much effort that there is nothing left for my work. I handle telephone calls so badly that after a while the switchboard operator refuses to connect me. So I had better say to myself, Go ahead and polish the silverware beautifully, then lay it out ready on the sideboard and be done with it. Because I polish it in my mind all day long—this is what torments me (and doesn't clean the silver).” [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obsessive mental rehearsal distracts from real work, leading to inefficiency and anxiety **In simple terms:** Overthinking tasks hinders productivity Key Takeaway Limit mental rehearsal Themes productivity anxiety mindfulness Mood thoughtful melancholic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - professional environments - creative writing - personal planning Key Concepts overanalysis task management mental clutter Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance planning with action? - What techniques reduce mental clutter? A Different Perspective May cause paralysis by analysis ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day At Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-at-work/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silver/) [Telephone Calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telephone-calls/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/) ## Related quotes > [I was a switchboard operator on the first season of 'Mad Men.' I was the oldest and bitterest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-courtney/i-was-a-switchboard-operator-on-the-first-season-of-mad-men-i-was-the/) [Stephanie Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-courtney/) > [ \[Walter White\] had keep \[people\] waiting while you got the impression that he was terribly busy with calls to Washington. I've seen such exhibitions… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/walter-white-had-keep-people-waiting-while-you-got-the-impression/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [I began my career as the switchboard operator at 'Rolling Stone.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-connelly/i-began-my-career-as-the-switchboard-operator-at-rolling-stone/) [Chris Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-connelly/) > [In the business world an executive knows something about everything, a technician knows everything about something and the switchboard operator knows everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-coffin/in-the-business-world-an-executive-knows-something-about-everything-a/) [Harold Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-coffin/) > [I tend to only write productively for one to two hours per day, so there is plenty of time left over for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-campbell/i-tend-to-only-write-productively-for-one-to-two-hours-per-day-so/) [Liza Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-campbell/) > [“and tested room service. 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But with the mobile phone revolution, it is always followed by another: Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/telephone-calls-have-always-begun-with-the-question-how-are-you-but/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [I think that audio and video over the internet in the sense of teleconferencing and telephone calls. Maybe we'll actually have picture phone through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/i-think-that-audio-and-video-over-the-internet-in-the-sense-of/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [I think Gore does have to worry. He is tied to Bill Clinton. We know that there were telephone calls that he made from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-olson/i-think-gore-does-have-to-worry-he-is-tied-to-bill-clinton-we-know/) [Barbara Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-olson/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Lydia Davis > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“But on that particular day I did not even begin to feel interested in this chore, and was suddenly more deeply bored than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-on-that-particular-day-i-did-not-even-begin-to-feel-interested-in/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I always interrupt work with other work, either in a small way or big way, so that's normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-always-interrupt-work-with-other-work-either-in-a-small-way-or-big/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [ I worked more intensively hour after hour when I was starting out \[writing\]. More laboriously. I'd say quantity is important as well as quality,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-worked-more-intensively-hour-after-hour-when-i-was-starting-out/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I don't feel I have to struggle against allegory. 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In his uncertainty, he would thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-did-not-know-exactly-when-to-thank-his-hostess-after-attending-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“There was no confusion of our bodies. I knew which arm was his and which mine, and which leg, and which shoulder. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/there-was-no-confusion-of-our-bodies-i-knew-which-arm-was-his-and/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“So it’s not really $100 a shot because it goes on all day, from the start when you wake up and feel her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/so-it-s-not-really-100-a-shot-because-it-goes-on-all-day-from-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“The people of the town, though, remained strangers: I could not realize that I must be seeing some of them over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-people-of-the-town-though-remained-strangers-i-could-not-realize/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He does not trust her: she will claim to be in a bad mood when she is not, and then require him to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-does-not-trust-her-she-will-claim-to-be-in-a-bad-mood-when-she-is/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-would-recommend-definitely-developing-a-day-job-that-you-like-don-t/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [the translator, a lonely sort of acrobat, becomes confused in a labyrinth of paradox, or climbs a pyramid of dependent clauses and has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-translator-a-lonely-sort-of-acrobat-becomes-confused-in-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) [Explore all 135 Lydia Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## More Cost quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. 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