【冲浪英语】Are We Really So Busy?

I guess that many people have noticed the same thing and some must have already written or blogged about it eloquently. However, today I just cannot help writing this down and asking ourselves: Are we really so busy?

This afternoon, I was in a video conference, where a manager at our site said to some colleagues at another site via the Internet phone, "Just one sec." Of course, everyone understood what she meant. I just wondered how much increase in productivity really resulted from saving the three letters "ond", though.

Similarly, there are acronyms everywhere nowadays, especially at work. For example, everyone wants to get things done "ASAP". Here, when speaking, one is not supposed to pronounce the "ASAP" out as "as soon as possible". In the 21st century, it is no longer soon enough. Instead, one should say it as a word, something like /'eisep/. Well, you know what I mean. And, sure enough there is one or more acronyms for each of those terms and jargons at work, so much so that an important part of new employee orientation is the familarization with all those pseudo words with all upper-case letters.

This fast pace inevitably affects personal styles as well. Actually, without thinking much about it, I myself have changed the finish of my emails from "Best wishes (or regards)" to simply "Best" in order to save a fraction of a second each time. It may be kind of late to change it back now - I don't want all my colleagues to feel different or strange when they notice this. Incidentally, some of my colleagues are using the simplified finish "Regards" instead. It seems as if we are reminding each other what we have omitted.

Well, I am for simplified, casual greetings, especially in emails that are sent back and forth so frequently, and I am for improved personal efficiency. However, I do not want this to be over done. In the end, are we really so busy?

2011.1.24