If there’s one restaurant I associate with togetherness, it’s Pizza Hut.

As a kid, Pizza Hut was THE place for birthday parties and school fundraisers. During sleepovers, parents would dial up a Pizza Hut delivery, and we’d crowd around laughing, joking and devouring slice after slice.

When a steaming pie landed on the table, life slowed down. At least, it used to.

Now Pizza Hut plans, for the first time, to offer pizza by the slice. Why? Because we, the uber-connected, multitasking, hopelessly overloaded people of Planet Earth, are too busy to sit in a booth and talk to one another. We must, MUST eat on the go.

Sadly, we can’t slow down our world, even though eating alone at our desks makes us less creative.

Nevertheless, below are 10 phrases we should always find ourselves saying — no matter how crazy life becomes.

1. “Let’s get together for lunch.”

Sometimes, lunch with friends, colleagues or business associates is a breath of air in an otherwise manic workday. Who wants to sit at a desk for 8, 9 or 10 straight hours?

That’s a sure way to lose an appetite.

2. “That’s fine. It can wait.” (also will accept: “No rush”)

Just because we can have it now doesn’t mean we need it now.

Yes, the Internet keeps us moving at lightning speed, but there’s nothing wrong with a rest stop along the information superhighway. [TWEET THIS]

3. “I thought I’d call you to catch up. It’s been too long.”

Why spend 20 minutes on the phone with an old friend when we can just Gchat a few quick lines? Because instant messages and texts (even hilarious auto-corrects) aren’t the same as an actual conversation, and you and I both know that.

4. “I’m going to write a thank-you note…with pen and paper.”

Yes, handwritten notes are tedious, require actual postage and hurt your wrist. But think about it this way: fewer and fewer people actually do thank-you notes today, which makes the ones you write 10x more valuable than they once were.

5. “You have my undivided attention.”

It takes all the focus we can muster to look up from our cell phone, tablet, laptop, TV, iPod, Kindle, PS4, XBOX and Smartwatch to make eye contact and hear someone 100%.

And when it comes to Google Glass, forget about it. The technology is everywhere we try to look!

We’re up against a lot, but it’s worth the struggle.

Look away?! I can’t look away!

6. “Sure, I can help you with that.”

The more you give, the more you get. And there’s nothing wrong with being busy helping others. That’s still allowed.

7. “Board game night!”

A few rounds of Scattergories, Cards Against Humanity (involving these 21 awkward cards), Jenga and plenty of beer with your best pals.

Who needs technology on a night like that?

Source: BuzzFeed

8. “I think I’m just gonna go read for a bit.”

The outside world is noisy. The inside of a book is not.

9. “It’s too late at night to be dealing with these work emails.”

I control my phone. It does not control me.

I control my phone. It does not control me.

I…should probably answer this terrifying email subject line as I doze off at 11:15 pm.

A slave to wireless communication once again…

10. “Hey…wanna grab some pizza?”

Pizza Hut be damned. Take your individual slice of pepperoni and plop down in a booth with the people who matter. Your inbox can wait 30 minutes.

Modern technology is a beautiful thing, but so is a table, three friends and nothing but time on our hands.

What’s your favorite board game to play with friends?

Share below!

Feature photo: Mark Hillary (Flickr)