New Year’s Resolution
I always thought I wanted to be an actor when I was growing up. I was in every school play, community theatre, went to college at one of the top acting schools, had my 5 minutes of fame, and even got a few pay checks for doing it. But in the end, I ended up getting a degree in Speech and going into Health Care IT. It’s so interesting how things happen. As we start a new year, I find myself introspective on why things happen, and what I should focus on this year.
I just finished watching Larry Crown, and a light bulb went off. It’s about a guy who worked at Target, loved his job more than anything, and was really good at his job. He ends up getting fired because of his lack of education. He decides to go to a local community college and learns so much, and not just in the classroom. He surrounds himself with people who care about him. The young girl who helps him dress right, the friend who gives him a job, the neighbors who help him through change, and a teacher who awakens him both in thought and heart. An inspiring movie to watch at this time of New Year’s resolutions and looking ahead to 2012.
Regardless of whether you plan for a or b…you really don’t have much control at what will happen to you. It’s how you handle and receive what happens to you that can make or break you. My new year resolution is to strive to be a better listener. I’m know I’m always eager to talk…but not always the best at listening. My friends tell me all the time. It’s a tall order for the actor in me, but a reasonable goal for the friend in me.
Regardless of what you resolution is for 2012, I wish all of you a happy, healthy, successful New Year! – Doug
No one is at the office…what am I supposed to do this week?
I love this time of year. People take extended vacations during the holidays, leaving the parking lot full of spaces, the elevator at my disposal, and an empty office. My phone doesn’t ring for hours at a time, and I don’t have any staff meetings on my calendar. What am I supposed to do with myself? Well, here are some ideas…
I’ve been putting off cleaning out my inbox for months. I get a reminder every day that my mailbox is full. What a great time to take a couple hours and clean up my inbox, sent folders, and junk mail. I’m also creating some rules that will automatically take incoming mail and assign them to their appropriate folder…something I’ve been meaning to get to forever.
My desktop has over 50 documents that need to be filed in their appropriate folder, that will kill several hours and really needs to be done. I need to create a better filing system for documents, so I can find them quickly and efficiently. I probably have a lot of duplicate files on my laptop, so I think I’ll clean that up.
I know I have a big presentation I have to give in a few weeks, I’m going to get that started now with minimal interruption. Not to mention it’s the end of the year, so I know I’ll be asked to provide all kinds of 2011 summaries…I’m getting a big head start on that as well.
Finally, my desk looks like a dump truck blew up on it. Do I really need 87 pens and 44 pencils in that huge cup? I think it’s time to create a more conducive workspace. I’ve got paper work piled on my desk from last March! I think I’ll go get a trash bag…
Happy New Year everyone!
Holidays – Do I decorate even if I’m going to be traveling the entire month of December?
Every year I go through the difficult decision of how much to decorate the house. I’ve gone years with limiting myself to only the tree because I’m on the road so much. I start thinking….Who is it for? If you have kids, you have no choice…but you also have man power to help you. The question really is…do I even bother if I’m not going to be home?
Looking ahead at my schedule for December I realized I won’t be home hardly at all. Dec. 1st – 3rd I’m in Indianapolis, 5th – 8th in Albuquerque, Dec. 12th – 15th in Cincinnati, OH, and 19th – 22nd in Santa Clara, CA. I go to Syracuse to see family…so that’s Dec. 23rd – Dec. 27th and finally Cape Cod for New Years Dec. 30th – Jan. 1st. That means I will only be home 8 days in December.
This isn’t the first year that I had to make this difficult decision. I love the holidays, and I normally decorate so much I put Macy’s Santa Village to shame! But in the past I’ve done the Monday – Thursday travel and enjoyed the festive ambiance of my home on the weekends. Plus I always worked remote the last week, so I got a full week of smelling the pine. Not this year.
I think a compromise is in order this year. I won’t settle for nothing…so no Dept. 56 village, train set, or unnecessary items. I will do my tree (in all Waterford and Swarovski again) with white lights and a few pieces here and there. I better get on it today…
Holidays – I’m hosting Thanksgiving and questioning my choice to use plastic…
The last several years I’ve had the honor of hosting Thanksgiving dinner. My partner does all the cooking and I’m responsible for set up and break down. I came across this really nice (and expensive) plastic plates and silverware set at BJ’s the other day. I was thinking, maybe I’ll use plastic!
Now, I have a beautiful table with William Sonoma table cloth and napkins. Awesome candles, Lenox salt and pepper shakers, and an incredible center piece. So I was thinking using plastic would take away from the ambiance. However, I don’t have a set of 12 matching plates or silverware. So I would have to invest a lot of money in buying a new set. From a cleanup perspective, plastic would save a ton of time too. It’s almost like I’m talking myself into it as I write this.
I think as long as the food is good, the family is relaxing, and everyone has a full belly…who cares what you eat on! Right?
Regardless of whether you are hosting or traveling (hopefully none of you are traveling for work), I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Holidays – The Office Pot Luck…do I have to participate?
It’s the time of year where our clients will often have pot luck lunches as a way to celebrate the holidays. As a traveling consultant, I don’t have the resources to bake a cake or make Mom’s famous meatballs. So the question is, if I don’t have anything to bring…do I have to participate? Yes, you do.
Like it or not, you really do have to make an appearence and bring something. I usually volunteer to bring the drinks, a few bottles of 2 liter sodas is easy to pick up. What about paper plates and utensils, also pretty easy to pick up. Not too hard to find a local bakery to bring cookies or cupcakes either. Just because you don’t have a kitchen to cook, doesn’t mean you can’t bring something. And don’t expense what you bring, that is just tacky.
Office parties are a great way to network with full time employees, your project manager, and other consultants. So although you may feel like you are not part of the team being a consultant, if you were invited…they think you are part of the team. Not showing up would be considered rude and might generate a negative reaction from your colleagues. Take a few minutes the night before and stop at the grocery store. Be creative and show up with your holiday smile.
Holidays – Buying gifts at the airport…not a bad idea
We all pass them every week, the little stores in the airport showcasing local city T-shirts and “stuff.” I can’t remember the last time I actually went into one, other than to get a bottle of water. So, the other day I went into one of the stores and looked at all the shirts, hats, and junk that said Indiana on it. What one of my nephews really wants an Indianapolis Colts sweatshirt? They haven’t won a game all season! But then I noticed, there are actually some really nice stores in here as well.
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Salt Lake, Detroit…all have really great stores. I usually just run to the Delta lounge and pay them no mind. This got me thinking, “hey, I’ve got several more flights. I could pick up a gift or two each time I’m at the airport.” Let’s face it, the Barnes and Nobles at the airport is way more convenient than driving to the mall. Plus the clothing stores are really nice. I just got my father a great shirt at the PGA Tour Shop. I don’t remember seeing one of those at the mall.
With names like Brighton, Brooks Brothers, Erwin Pearl, and Godiva…you really can get some great shopping done. No tacky Cincinnati coffee mugs, but certainly a great handbag from Brighton for my niece. Certainly not buying a cheese head in Madison for my brother in law, but he’ll love this box of chocolate covered pretzels. Who says you have to go tacky?
Now finally, there is one little logistical thing about doing this…getting the stuff home. I don’t ever check luggage, so I always have a carry on and personal bag/backpack. So another words, anything I buy has to fit into one of these bags. Keep that in mind. You don’t want to have 4 shopping bags and a carry on when trying to board the plane. Small simple items that can squeeze into your purse or briefcase are perfect. After a few weeks of travel, you’ll have 1/2 your shopping done and be ready to start gift wrapping.
How do we handle the holidays as traveling consultants??
This time a year seems to be a juggling game. There is so much I want to do…decorate, cook, shop, but no time to do it. Being on the road adds a challenge to getting ready for the holidays that our friends and family just don’t get. I thought over the next couple weeks I would do a series of articles on how to tackle those things we “have” to do and those things we “want” to do for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
Let’s start this limited series of holiday exploration with my list of 12 HAVE to do’s and LIKE to do’s…
- Get gifts – Who do I really need to buy for?
- Decorate – Do I really HAVE to?
- Christmas Cards – A tradition that I really enjoy
- Host Thanksgiving – our duty since we go to my parents for Christmas
- Travel – Flights for work, drive for holidays, and work out from where and when
- Bring in 2012 – I could just sleep…can’t I?
- Take everything down – How did all this crap get up in the first place?
There are a lot of things I would “LIKE” to do as well:
- Cook Apple pie – My years contribution for Thanksgiving
- Black Friday – It would be so much fun to get up at 4am for the big sales
- Bake Christmas Cookies – I love frosting cut out cookies
- Volunteer – I used to do this every year at the hospital …when now??
- See The Nut Cracker – Another yearly tradition that seems to be harder to do
Some of my friends think I’m just plan crazy…they don’t do this, and they don’t even travel. Well, if you are like me and enjoy the holidays, then you can understand the struggle. One thing I’ll never do…travel or not…is be a Scrooge!
FLY – Save yourself the trouble during the holidays, work remote!
There is no question that holiday travel can be tedious, expensive, and chaotic . Starting next week, expect the volume at airports to increase significantly and airfare to increase as well. I just purchased a ticket from Boston to Cincinnati for the week before Christmas for $600. A direct 90 minutes flight that usually is around $275-$300. Imagine the money you’ll save your client by simply working remote.
Ask your client about working remote now and communicate those airfare prices. Thanksgiving is usually a no brainer for working remote. No one wants to fly out on Sunday night and return Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Not to mention, you’ll spend more time traveling then doing work. From a productivity point of view alone, remote during this week makes sense. I don’t take PTO, simply because what am I going to do during that week, go shopping? Get at 4am to get the deal of the day at Wal-Mart? I don’t think so.
Now Christmas will be tricky this year. Both Christmas and New Years land on Sundays, giving most people the 26th and January 2nd off. Looking at the calendar, it looks simple to work on site Monday January 19th – 22nd with no problem. The only issue will be, everyone will be trying to get home that Thursday. So if you do this, give yourself tons of extra time for airport security. The next week your could ask your client if you could work Tuesday – Friday (27th – 30th)….but do you have to? This is the week I would suggest remote work for sure. Finally, the week of New Years, we will all have to deal with a Tuesday – Friday travel schedule most likely (Jan. 3rd – 6th). Expect massive lines at the airport that Tuesday morning. Even though Jan. 2nd is a holiday, I would suggest mid day flights.
It’s a love hate relationship with this time of year. Just remember, remote work can save your clients lots of money and you lots of headaches.
FLY – Is it Worth Buying Extra Legroom?
This week I was forced to fly to lovely Charlotte, NC on not so lovely US AIR (I call it US SCARE…I prefer not to land on rivers). When doing my seat selection online I noticed all the seats up front has different prices on them, $6 for a middle seat?? $25 for just a regular aisle seat, but close to the front. $35 for an emergency exit seat. This is crazy! I mean all the seats are the same, I didn’t see any difference when boarding with the exception of the emergency rows.
I decided to do some research on this. As an almost exclusive Delta flyer, I had never heard of such a thing. Here is what I found about various airlines:
- AirTran charges extra for extra-legroom “priority” seating—$20 for a one-way trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles for example. Because AirTran charges $6 to reserve any seat, the extra $14 seems like a reasonable amount. Charges may vary depending on schedules.
- Frontier is installing several rows of extra-legroom seats in its A319s and E190s, which you can buy and reserve starting when you check in, as early as 24 hours before departure, for $25 per flight segment.
- JetBlue has installed several rows of extra-legroom seats in its A320s and one row of its E190s, which you can buy and reserve at the time of original booking. The price ranges from $10 on short trips to $40 on transcontinental flights.
- Spirit charges extra for all advance seat assignments: $7 for a middle, $12 for an aisle or window, and $15 for an exit row. Jeez, I’ll pass on this airline.
- United has installed extra-legroom “Economy Plus” in all mainline aircraft. You can buy eligibility by the trip or by the year, but actual seat assignments are made at departure, subject to availability, and you may not actually get into the “Plus” section—a feature that severely degrades the attractiveness of the deal.
- US Airways charges a fee for several rows of “choice” seats, based on being the front of the cabin rather than extra legroom. I didn’t notice any difference when boarding.
- Virgin America calls its exit-row seats “premium economy,” and charges a fortune for the extra legroom plus a bunch of other less valuable features. It’s a bummer.
Alaska, American, Delta, and Hawaiian don’t charge for advance exit-row seating on their websites. These seats are held for their frequent flyers. You would think there was a way to buy a seat, but it doesn’t look like it. Continental doesn’t list pricing but states that they do charge for “premium” seating.
On a final note, I did pay the extra few dollars on my way down…and was allowed to go through the Elite line at security. That was nice. When I got to my seat, I had so little room I could not even use my laptop. I think I’ll save my $6, and next time just fly Delta.
Points – Do you take the welcome amentity or points when checking in?
It’s a hard choice sometimes, especially after a long day of travel. The real question should be, “what do I get?” I mean why can’t we ask that?? Some hotels give you huge wonderful trays of cheeses and crackers with wine. Others give you a tiny sliver of brie with 6 crackers and a water. I mean how do you really decide?
Take a look at the pictures to the side here. The first picture looks really nice, lot’s of cheeses and fruits with nice bottle (1/2) of wine. Can you guess the hotel? Hotel – Marriott
The 2nd picture is probably the most disappointing tray I’ve ever received at this hotel. The cheese was nasty, and it came with soggy toast points, 1 bottle of 
beer, and 1 bottle of water. Yuck! Hotel – Omni
This third picture is looks wonderful. Variations of cheeses, full pastries, and other goodies. Now this I would give up my 500 points for. Can’t see it, but there is a bottle of wine behind there. Hotel – Sharaton
This 4th picture makes me laugh. I was at a full service Marriott in San Diego by Qualcomm stadium (yes, during the power outage). They gave me an entire pack of brie cheese (unwrapped in the box) with an apple and banana. The bottle of wine was so small, why bother with two glasses? Sad tray, and seriously…what am I going to do with a whole box of brie? Hotel – Marriott
This one looks like someones left overs. Did they run out of cheese and nuts? Just sad really, I’ll take the points please!! What is strange is this same hotel gave me a 6 pack once with a great tray, during Mardi Gras. I guess other times of the year cheese is scarce. Hotel – Omni
Have other pics? Send them in and I’ll post!
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