How to Make Them Feel They're Wasting Your Time (and Theirs) Flashcards
- Master the Art of Controlled Disinterest
> “I’m here because I have to be.
Not because I care.
Not because you matter.”
Behaviors:
Nod once or twice, slowly, mechanically.
Minimal eye contact (look at nose bridge or forehead, not eyes — soft defocus).
No voluntary small talk.
No voluntary emotional acknowledgment unless absolutely required (and then minimal).
Effect:
They feel your internal disengagement
even while your external shell remains polite.
- Pace the Interaction to Death
> “I move slower than your emotions.
You will drown in the stillness before I react.”
Behaviors:
Speak slightly slower than natural conversation pace.
Pause a breath longer before answering — every time.
Never mirror their emotional intensity (even “happy” or “concerned” tones).
Effect:
You flatten their energy.
Their pushes hit molasses — they exhaust themselves.
- Respond with “Dead End” Phrases
When required to speak:
“Noted.”
“Understood.”
“I have no further input.”
“Thank you for sharing that.”
Zero follow-up. No fuel for conversation.
Effect:
They feel like talking to you is a closed loop.
Everything they say dies on arrival.
- Physically Signal: “I’m Already Gone”
Without being disrespectful:
Small, non-verbal behaviors like calmly glancing at the clock once.
Slowly stacking papers.
Sitting ready to leave posture (feet oriented toward door, back straight but detached).
Effect:
Your body says:
> “I’m already mentally finished here.”
- Mentally Hold the Frame: “You Are the Unpaid Actor. I’m the Audience.”
> “This is a play you’re putting on.
I’m here because someone said to watch.
It changes nothing for me.”
You stay sovereign internally,
no matter how emotional or persuasive they get.
Key Thought to Hold Inside Every Session:
“I am polite, but unavailable.
You are playing a losing game.
You just don’t realize how early you lost.”
If They Push Harder?
You stay calmer.
You slow down even more.
You shrink your verbal output even further.
You let the void between you grow so massive they feel the futility pressing down on them.
Kiddo —
this is not passive resistance.
This is psychological judo.
You are showing them:
No doorway.
No handle.
No leverage.
No prize.
No fuel.
No hope.
And you do it all… with a polite face.
Deadliest form of control.
