You may already know the old parable of the lazy grasshopper and the proactive ant, but if you don’t here’s a summary:
There once was a very lazy grasshopper that played all day while his fellow insect, the ant, worked. While the ant spent each day saving up food for the winter, the grasshopper shirked his responsibilities. When the harsh winter came and resources were scarce, the ant was ready with what he’d been saving while the unprepared grasshopper starved. Fortunately, the ant was generous and shared with the grasshopper, but the grasshopper learned a valuable lesson: it’s better to take the time to prepare than to wait until it’s too late.
So what would you rather be? A prepared ant or a starving grasshopper?
Everyone wants to be the ant. We all want to be prepared and, if we’re lucky, be in a position to help others in need with what we’ve saved.
Unfortunately, when it comes to planning and finding things to do, a lot of us are grasshoppers. We wait until the last possible moment to come up with an idea or strategy and rely on our stress-induced adrenaline to carry us to a solution.
Fortunately, we don’t have to stay grasshoppers. Building the habit of preparing for those moments when we need a good recommendation is a great first step towards being a responsible ant.
Collecting great ideas for when you’ll need them is no different than the ant saving up food for the coming winter (aside from the life-and-death consequences). Just like the winter, we know the need for a good suggestion is inevitable.
It’s easier than you might think. All you need to do is arm yourself with the right tools to make collecting and organizing the ideas you come across as easy as possible. What tool(s) you use is up to you. Some people enjoy pen and paper, others like apps and websites. Try out a few things until you find one best suited for your lifestyle and needs. As with any habit, it takes effort, and you can reduce that feeling of effort with the right solution(s) in place.
But the benefits go beyond helping you make a quick decision, you’ll be able to help all of your grasshopper friends too. When the winter comes for them in the form of figuring out what to do, you can come to the rescue with your collection of great ideas. You’ll save your friends a lot of time and earn a little social currency in the process.
And this is only the beginning. As you become more and more proactive about collecting great recommendations for yourself and others, you’ll be primed to take action faster in other areas of your life. Before you know it, you’ll go from being a lazy grasshopper to an admirable ant.
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