Thursday, March 9, 2023

No Time Like the Present

Have you ever noticed that despite how busy some people are, they’re still the most reliable people?

By André van Heerden, Communications Director

Benjamin Franklin once said that “if you want something done, ask a busy person.”

Conversely, it seems that those who don’t get much done, and who don’t have many responsibilities, can’t really be relied on to be efficient with new tasks.

Maybe there’s a reason that they haven’t been given much to do?

I recently emailed a question to our phone receptionists at CLAC. I worried that they would struggle to get back to me as I’ve seen how busy they are with servicing members who call in, or working with reps looking for support, or helping with other administrative tasks at their member centres.

I was shocked when about ten of them responded within two minutes. It was so fast that I thought I had received a number of out-of-office notices. Instead, they were complete and detailed answers to my question.

When I thanked them for their very quick reply, one answer that I got back was “If I don’t do it right away, I would forget all these things!”

And I think that’s a big reason why truly busy people are so efficient: they have to be. If they didn’t properly plan their days, or prioritize their tasks, or tackle challenges right away, they would quickly fall behind.

Benjamin Franklin was known as a very disciplined and efficient person himself and famously said, “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”

It’s noteworthy that Franklin is known not only as one of America’s founding fathers, but was also an active writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, forger, political philosopher, and the first United States postmaster general.

Phew! What a list! Getting things done without procrastination certainly benefitted Franklin.

Deepak Chopra, who has written over 90 books and founded the humanitarian Chopra Foundation, wrote, “Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment.”

It makes sense that if you don’t have a lot of time, you value it and want to make the most of the time that you have. But what you want to avoid is being busy with superficial or counterproductive activities. That will waste more time and tire you out more than doing nothing.

Philosopher Henry David Thoreau notes, “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”

I’m happy to say that those answering the phones at CLAC are busy looking after the needs of CLAC and its members. If I ever have a pressing question to answer, I know who to ask.

No Time Like the Present

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