I have a problem because I have no problem.

Drez

Okay, I swear this isn't a joke, but I think I need help or something. I seem to have developed this obnoxious quirk of responding to just about anything with "no problem."

Guy: "Do this!"
Me: "No problem."

Gal: "Thank you!"
Me: "No problem."

God: "I hate you."
Me: "No problem."

But seriously, I don't catch it until after the fact, but it bugs the shit out of me. I must say "no problem" at least 20 times in any given work day. How do I train myself to stop doing this?

Double_Faces

The more you catch yourself saying it and wanting to change it, the more you'll be in control of it.

You'll eventually get it under control.

Daenris

You just need to become more conscious of what you say and how you say it. Instead of responding instantly to everything, give it a moment to consider what you're going to say. Just a quick pause before responding should give you the time to catch the offending phrase and replace it.

enderwiggin13

Putting a rubber band on your wrist and snapping it whenever you do something tends to make you stop doing something...as long as its not an actual addiction like smoking or something.

drhazard

Think of it this way. If you respond to a 'thank you' with a 'no problem', you're belittling their thanks. Say 'my pleasure' instead.

On the other hand, this is just a quick no-think response, and I'm sure we all have them. Most people go with a simple OK. How often is too often?

Drez

drhazard wrote: »

Think of it this way. If you respond to a 'thank you' with a 'no problem', you're belittling their thanks. Say 'my pleasure' instead.

That's exactly why it bugs me.

drhazard wrote: »

On the other hand, this is just a quick no-think response, and I'm sure we all have them. Most people go with a simple OK. How often is too often?

Thing is, lots of stuff here moves at a fast pace so I may say "no problem" pleasantly but I still think it's pretty obnoxious. I don't have much time to think though.

Sarcastro

It's a good phrase.

It can mean:

It wont be a problem (Sure thing, boss)
It wasn't a problem (you're welcome)
That is not a problem for me. (Your opinion has been considered and subsequently ignored)

So no problem!

(I don't see a problem here)

Deadfall

This is an extreme measure, but it works.

I'm a teacher, and one of the things we learned in college was that teachers (us P.E. teachers, in particular) say "You guys," or just, "guys" all the time.

"Guys, get over here."
"Guys, line up."

You get the picture. To help us break the habit, we had to audio-tape ourselves teaching a class and then listen to ourselves, marking how many times we said it.

After a few classes of listening to ourselves and marking down each time we said it, believe me we caught ourselves easier and eventually stopped doing it.

Something to think about. Record yourself, then listen back.

EggyToast

On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with having a "regular phrase" that you trot out. I have a teacher in my masters classes right now who says "look hear" all the time. He's brazillian and I figured he's in the habit of saying it because he's slipped once or twice and said "aqui" which sounds like "OK" in his accent. It's just something he says.

I notice, though, because he says it like 50 times in 2 hours.

20 times during a day when people are asking work from you? That's not that big of a deal. But if you are sick of it yourself, just switch it up a bit. Say "gotcha" when you're asked for compliance, for instance.

Here's a list of phrases you can use to say the same thing, as well:

I'd be happy to
Sure thing
Don't mention it
You're welcome

And if you're feeling goofy, the ever popular "well, don't thank me yet"

Doc

Have people start calling you out on it if you really want to stop.

desperaterobots

In a typical Australian way, I say 'no worries!' a lot to people who thank me over the phone at work. When we both hang up I always feel like a bit of a dick for saying, but what else am I going to say when people say thank you?

You're welcome is too formal. My pleasure is a lie. Don't mention it: too wordy. Conundrum.

Doc

fuhgeddaboutit

Dark Moon

I find the best responses are uttered by Starcraft units when I tell them to do things. Firebats lead the pack with "Fire it up," but Marines are a close second with their melodic "Pro-ceedin."

That said, I actually alternate between "No problem," and " No trouble," most of the time. I think it's a superior response to a simple "Okay" or "Right", but if you really want to get rid of it just spend more time thinking about your conversations. Perhaps I'm strange, but I tend to construct at least the basic structure of my next conversation before it occurs, and if I keep specific responses in mind I'll usually manage to use them as opposed to reverting to my default phrase bank.