What would you find easier to ignore, the phone, or the door bell?

The phone, for sure. The doorbell is proof that someone has made the effort to come over.

The phone. The doorbell is a direct presence and has me on edge. Generally, I hate the sound of these two things. Even if I know who it is or I am expecting someone, the sound of them freaks me out. It feels like a tiny shock each time. Weird? I know it is, but I have never liked the sound of bells on phones or doors!

The phone

The phone. I can turn off the phone, but not the bell.

The phone I look at to see the number and then I can ignore it for the time being. I’ll see if there’s a message indicated later.

When someone comes to my house, knocking, which is rare, I can’t ignore it. It could be something urgent.

The phone. The doorbell takes precedence over almost anything – which is why it is so freaking annoying when someone rings it to flog their wares, religion, or political beliefs. And why I silently scream “Get the f*** of my property!!!” as I smile and gently close the door.

@jca makes an important point. Even without an answering machine, the doorbell takes precedence. If the phone call is that important, the person can call again. With the answering machine, the phone call loses any urgency that it might have had. It is highly unlikely to be a last desperate attempt by a loved one to flee a killer. There will be time to check the answering machine. If the call was from an advertiser, there will not be a message. If there is a message, I can determine if and when to return the call.

Both pretty equally, depends on my mood.

And because of caller-ID, I can decide specifically to ignore,

The phone as my dog doesn’t bark like a possessed demon when it rings.

Phone. Infact I often turn off the phones and let things go to voicemail. Especially at night. If you’re dead at 1 a.m. you’ll be just as dead at 7 a.m. don’t interrupt my sleep. lol

Both. Especially if I am working.

The phone.
I don’t have a doorbell, but even the knocking I ignore piques my interest enough to get up and look out the big front window. I don’t have caller ID, so there’s nothing to look at on the land line phone. The cell phone is most easily ignored by leaving it on the other end of the house.