(Put a Pin in It is an annoying business term and is just one of the 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse, and Overuse detailed in the hilarious must-have guide for every workplace: The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room. Available right now on Amazon.)

Put a Pin in It

Let’s be clear: If you’re prone to telling others to put a pin in it, the rest of us want you to put a sock in it. You might possibly be the most annoying manager of all time. Not because put a pin in it is all that annoying – it’s not… it’s actually a little sad, in fact.

Some of us feel sorry for you. You’re wholly uncreative, and you’re likely the worst kind of manager. You fancy yourself a great motivator; a top facilitator; a leader of the highest order.

Unfortunately, you’re more than a bit out of touch; you’re… you’re predictable.

Today, for whatever reason, you’re hooked on put a pin in it, when what you really want to say is, “Let’s hold that topic for now.”

Strike that. You like to utter put a pin in it even when you just mean wait or let’s think about it. You can’t help yourself, and we get it.

Our point is this: If something is important enough to discuss later, why isn’t it important enough for now? Either explore the topic or forget it.

Putting it off tells the rest of us it’s not that important, is it? I’d suggest you find a way to stop saying this and find a way to tackle important subjects as they’re raised. Of course, you’d just reply that we should put a pin in that idea.

Replacement phrases: Table that

See also: Put It on the Back Burner

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The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room is available on Amazon