If only your office were the only place you worked! But “office”
Time Management 124
Maximize Your Memory
Some people remember numbers better than names, while for others names are easier than numbers. If you really need to recall something later and have no way to write it down—for example, the name of someone to whom you’ve just been intro- duced—it might work to use a mnemonic device to help trigger your memory later.
How do you remember, for example, that Frank James isn’t James Frank? One way would be to remember that F comes before J in the alphabet.That’s a mnemonic device. Another way would be to remem- ber that Frank James is a forthright person. He’s French (Frank). Or that he’s not a hotdog named James—“James frank.” Yes, it’s silly—but if it works for you, that’s what matters.
has become a portable concept. Increasingly, as part of an overlapping strategy, because of deadline pressures or out of sheer boredom, people work on planes, on commuter buses and trains, and while waiting in line. Indeed, one poll recently indicated that over half of all executives on vacation bring at least some work with them.
Is this good? Surprisingly, it can be. If you’re doing some work you enjoy and not disturbing the people with you, then a holiday environment can, in fact, enhance rather than distract.
Air Travel
Air travel represents a major time leak for business travelers. To guard against time leaks in air travel:
• Select a nonstop flight over a direct one and a direct flight over connecting ones. Each stop represents a potential for additional delay and another opportunity for losing lug- gage. What’s the difference between nonstop and direct?
A nonstop flight doesn’t make any stops between a pas- senger’s departure and destination cities. A direct flight stops in at least one city along the way; there’s just no change of planes.
• If you must connect, do so between flights on the same airlineand in a city that usually has good weather at that time of year. For example, Chicago can have major snow- storms in the winter, but Dallas doesn’t. On the other hand, in the summer, Dallas is more likely than Chicago to have thunderstorms.
• Use carry-on luggage to avoid wasting time at the lug- gage claim area.
• Consider buying travel insurance from your travel agent. If your flight gets cancelled, your luggage gets lost, or you have a medical emergency, such insurance can take on a value far greater than the cost. It also has a little-known benefit: most travel insurance carriers operate a 24/7 call center, accessed through a toll-free number. The multilin- gual staff can provide assistance and solutions that will
Plugging Time Leaks 125
almost surely save you time and stress.
• Request a seat that has an empty one next to it. Ideally, your seat would be in a three-seat configuration, with the middle seat empty. Unless the plane is full, that seat has a good chance of staying unoccupied and can become a
“desk” for your briefcase. Then at the airport, have the gate attendant check on that middle seat. If it’s no longer empty, try to relocate to another seat that provides what you want.
• Think about seat advantages and disadvantages: an aisle seat (more legroom) versus a window seat (the view might serve as an occasional, welcomed distraction).
• Position your seat to maximize work. If you’re handwriting things, get a seat that gives you elbow room on your writ- ing side.
• Unless you’re very tall and need the extra legroom, avoid bulkhead seats (the ones with no seats in front of them).
They rarely provide any place accessible for your brief- case or bag.
• If the airline provides the option, use your frequent flyer miles to upgrade to business or first class, which will be far more conducive to work. Upgrading is especially ben- eficial on long flights. Upgrades are most available on wide-body jets, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and at departure hours other than 8-10 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.
Commuting
Whether it’s on a train into Manhattan or on freeways around Los Angeles, commuting has dramatically expanded the “dead time” required for work. Yet commuting offers many opportuni- ties. The New Yorker reading the newspaper on the subway or the Californian with cell phone in hand—these images now come to mind when we think of commuting. Are these com- muters killing time? Or are they enhancing it? Or even putting themselves in danger? (One study found that talking on a cell
Time Management 126
phone while driving was about as dangerous as driving drunk.) The important thing: commuting shouldn’t become an opportunity for workaholism. If you want to work on your laptop computer during a flight or on a train, do it. If you don’t feel so inclined, there’s no reason to feel guilty. (And if you try to do it while driving, you should definitely feel guilty!)
In a broader sense, the strategy for tackling potential time leaks, like commuting and air travel, is multitasking. Multitasking is carrying on two activities more or less simultaneously. One is inherently a “no-brainer,” while the other is more lively, engag- ing, or productive. Examples:
• Eating while watching an instructional video.
• Bringing a magazine to read at the doctor’s office. (Hint:
make your appointment the first in the morning, when it’s less likely that you’ll have to wait.)
• Listening to a motivational tape while commuting to work.
• Filling out a form while waiting in line at the bank.
• Downloading a computer virus protection program update while talking on the phone.
One wonderful benefit to multitasking—it not only doubles your productivity, but also defuses boredom, anxiety, or frustra- tion. The example of waiting in a doctor’s office is a fine illustra- tion. Normally, the wait seems endless. But it would certainly seem shorter when you’re doing something else. In fact, you may be bothered that your reading is being interrupted.
A classic bit of useful multitasking: the portable to-do file.
Many people create a folder of easy and brief tasks to complete:
short readings, forms to fill out, and so on. They bring this file everywhere and work on it whenever they’ve got to wait.