Americans believe that no one will stand still. If you don't advance, you will fall behind. This attitude has created a nation devoted to research, experiment and exploration. Time is one of the two factors that Americans carefully save, and the other is labor.
"We are nothing but clocks," someone once said. Time is treated as something almost real. We budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it and explain it; We also charge. This is a valuable resource. Many people have a keen sense of the brevity of each life. Once the sand flows out of a person's hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to be valuable.
Foreigners' first impression of America may be that everyone is in a hurry-usually under pressure. City dwellers always seem to be in a hurry to go where they want to go, anxiously seeking attention in shops, or elbowing others when they try to finish shopping. Eating in a hurry during the day is part of the rhythm of life in this country. Working hours are considered precious. Other people in the public restaurant are waiting for you to finish eating, so that they can get service and go back to work within the allowed time. You will also find that drivers will be rude and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, short conversations and small conversations with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people attach great importance to time, and they hate that others "waste" time beyond a certain point.
For example, many people who have just arrived in the United States will miss the opening remarks of business calls. They will miss the ritual interaction with a welcome cup of tea or coffee, which may be a custom in their own country. They may miss a leisurely business chat in a restaurant or coffee shop. Usually, Americans don't evaluate their guests by chatting for a long time in this relaxed environment; Not to mention taking them out to dinner, or hanging out on the golf course, and cultivating their trust. Since we usually evaluate and investigate from a professional perspective rather than a social perspective, we soon began to talk about business. Therefore, time is always ticking in our hearts.
Therefore, we try to save time. We produce stable labor-saving equipment; We communicate quickly by fax, telephone or e-mail, instead of personal contact. Although it is pleasant, it takes longer-especially in our congested streets. Therefore, we leave most private visits to social gatherings after work or on weekends.
For us, the impersonality of electronic communication has nothing to do with the importance of the matter at hand. In some countries, there is no major business activity without eye contact, and face-to-face conversation is needed. In America, the final agreement is usually signed in person. However, more and more people meet on TV screens and have "teleconferences" to solve problems, not only in this country, but also internationally through satellites.
America is definitely a telephone country. Almost everyone uses the telephone to do business, chat with friends, arrange or cancel social appointments, say "thank you", shop and get all kinds of information. Telephone saves feet and endless time. Part of the reason is that the telephone service here is very good, while the postal service is inefficient.
Some newcomers come from a culture where working too fast is considered impolite. Unless a certain period of time passes, in their view, the task under consideration seems insignificant and does not deserve proper respect. Therefore, with the passage of time, the weight of homework has increased. However, in the United States, it is regarded as a sign of proficiency or ability to solve problems quickly or successfully complete work. Generally speaking, the more important a task is, the more capital, energy and attention will be invested in order to "make it move".
Time-conscious Americans
Americans think that no one can stop. If you don't make progress, you will fall behind. This attitude has created a country devoted to research, experiment and exploration. Time is one of the two elements that Americans pay attention to saving, and the other element is labor.
People always say, "Only time can dominate us." People seem to regard time as something almost real. We arrange time, save time, waste time, grab time, kill time, shorten time and explain the use of time; We must charge for time. Time is a precious resource, and many people deeply feel that life is short. Time is gone forever. We should make every minute meaningful.
The first impression foreigners have of the United States is probably that everyone is in a hurry-often under pressure. City people always seem to be in a hurry to go where they want to go. In the store, they are eager for the clerk to serve them at once, or push others to finish shopping quickly. People are also in a hurry when eating during the day, which reflects the pace of life in this country to some extent. People think that working hours are precious. In public dining places, people are waiting for others to finish eating as soon as possible so that they can eat in time. You will also find that drivers are reckless and people push past you. You will miss smiling, talking briefly and chatting casually with strangers. Don't take this personally, because people cherish time very much and don't like others to "waste" their time to an inappropriate degree.
Many people who have just arrived in the United States will miss the greetings at the beginning of business visits and other occasions. They will also miss the polite communication when drinking tea or coffee, which may be a custom in their own country. They may also miss the relaxed and leisurely conversation when talking business in restaurants or cafes. Generally speaking, Americans don't judge their guests by chatting for a long time in such a relaxed environment, let alone take them out to eat or play golf in the process of enhancing mutual trust. Since we usually evaluate and understand others through work rather than socializing, let's get to the point. Therefore, time is always ticking in our hearts.
Therefore, we try to save time. We invented a series of labor-saving devices; We communicate with others quickly by fax, telephone or e-mail, instead of direct contact. Although face-to-face contact is pleasant, it takes more time, especially when there is heavy traffic on the road. Therefore, we arrange most private visits at social gatherings after work or on weekends.
As far as we are concerned, there is little relationship between the impersonality of electronic communication and the importance of the matter at hand. In some countries, if you don't make eye contact, you can't do big business, which requires face-to-face conversation. In America, I usually need to sign the final agreement. However, nowadays, people are meeting more and more on TV screens, and teleconference can not only solve domestic problems, but also solve international problems through satellites.
America is undoubtedly a telephone kingdom. Almost everyone is doing business by telephone, chatting with friends, arranging or canceling social appointments, expressing gratitude, shopping and getting all kinds of information. Telephone can not only save walking effort, but also save a lot of time. This is partly because the telephone service in the United States is first-class, while the postal service is inefficient.
Some newcomers to the United States come from other countries with different cultural backgrounds. In their country, people think it is impolite to work too fast. In their view, if you don't spend a certain amount of time to deal with something, then it seems insignificant and doesn't deserve proper attention. Therefore, people think that spending a long time will increase the importance of what they do. But in the United States, being able to solve problems or finish work quickly and successfully is regarded as a sign of proficiency and ability. Generally speaking, the more important the work, the more money, energy and attention will be invested, and its purpose is to "get the work started".