Time Tip #79 A cautionary travelling tale

7th August 2006

Over the last few weeks I've had a very interesting lesson about prior travel precautions. I'm a pretty healthy character, and rarely get ill. So, even though I have medical insurance when I travel overseas, to be honest it's always been a bit of a grudge expense.

Just over three weeks ago I set off to Houston for a few days and then to Orlando, Florida where I've just been inducted as the World President, IFFPS (International Federation for Professional Speakers). It's been a wonderful time and I'm thrilled to be chosen to serve in this 10th year of Federation. However, a few days into the trip an insignificant cough appeared on my personal horizon. By the fifth day, aided by many hours of recycled plane air, cold hotel air-conditioning and extreme heat and humidity every time I stepped outside, I was barking all over the place.

At dinner one night, Sid, the incoming President of CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) leaned across the table. ‘Robyn', he said, ‘that sounds like bronchitis to me. You'd better get yourself to the doctor.' And certainly I'd been feeling very second-rate, despite the excitement of the events. Off my food, having to take naps to keep going – you know the scene. Frankly, it was a darned inconvenience.

The next day I skipped yet more seminar sessions and got myself down the road to a medical centre. Eventually the doctor turned up. 3 minutes and US$160 later he confirmed Sid's diagnosis – indeed it was bronchitis. US$93 later I had the antibiotics and cough mixture in my hand. My US readers are probably saying, ‘Yep, that's normal.' My readers from a lot of other countries are nearly having a coronary at the cost! For me, that converts to just over NZ$400.

I don't think anyone likes wasting money or time, and this little experience wasted both. Now I've got a whole different take on precautions before travelling, especially considering that I'll be in at least 12 different countries over the next year.

As soon as I got home my own doctor found me in his waiting room. I walked out of his clinic having spent about NZ$24 for the visit and a further $22 for enough medication to deal with all the regular potential problems such as food poisoning, bronchitis, diarrhoea. For a further $91 I'm well down the road on a course of vaccinations for the major really nasty things like polio, typhoid, tetanus and hepatitis.

I've taken two lessons out of this experience.

Firstly I'm reminded yet again that prior planning and preparation helps to minimise potential time-stealers (and money!). You might not currently do a lot of overseas travel, but what else in your world could pay dividends with a little investment of time and possibly only minimal money?

Is there a rough bit of concrete that sometimes causes people to stumble?
A loose piece of carpet?
A work process that doesn't flow smoothly?
A messy office (one of my favourite stress-releasers is to clean it up, as you'll know if you've been reading this column for a while)
Are things placed inefficiently? How often do you have to walk across the room for something you use constantly – at home as well as work? Or what's the work-flow? It's amazing how often we get used to doing something in a particular way and don't realise we're being inefficient with our movements.

In order to go faster, first you must go slower. Invest a small amount of time now to save much more time later. (For more time-saving tips, check out our ‘ About Time' series of books and CDs .)

The second lesson? Be grateful for your blessings. Of course there's always room for improvement, but remember to focus on what's good. The New Zealand health service gets its share of complaints. However, I'm singing its praises now.

If you're interested in finding out more about the professional speaking industry, you'll find links to all associations world-wide at www.iffps.org/)

Our new CD – ‘GettingAGrip On Business Efficiency'.

You'll hear me interviewed by Australian business coach Mark Holden as we cover great solutions for many problems such as:

How to position your office furniture to reduce interruptions
Quick tips to minimise telephone tag
Learn what the law firm partners did to stop themselves wasting their colleagues' time
How to get home earlier, with more work done
How to work in an open plan environment without losing concentration
The 3 key areas that must be applied in order to wipe out paper overload - forever
How to reduce email overload but still keep on top of it
The top 10 tips to make meetings run to time, and with excellent results
And you'll learn ways to create better life balance, from successful business people who also ‘have a life'.

Technology tip – a quick way to change case

Change information accidentally typed in with the CAPS LOCK on by highlighting the text and clicking Shift F3. This will toggle through the Changing Case options in the Format menu. From Donna Hanson, Prime Solutions Training & Consulting Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia. www.primesolutions.net.au/

From our readers & some movie recommendations

My husband Mike and I just watched ‘ Warm Springs' on DVD the other night. It's an inspiring story about the man who spoke the following words, a man who battled terrible adversity to be one of the truly great American Presidents.

"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena;
Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
Who strives valiantly;
Who errs and comes short again and again.

Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions;
Who spends himself in a worthy cause.

Who at the best knows the triumph of high achievement.
Who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place will never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(Thanks to my buddy Mike Cotton for forwarding the quote.)

If you enjoy fun movies with a message, don't miss:
'The world's fastest Indian' starring Anthony Hopkins, set in New Zealand and Utah.
' Kinky Boots' by the same folk who made 'The full Monty'. They're both funny, unexpected, a sheer delight, plus they pack a powerful punch.

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Time Tip #79 A cautionary travelling tale

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