Time Management - Marc Mancini

Plugging Time Leaks 125
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 luggage.
What’s the difference between nonstop and direct?
A nonstop flight doesn’t make any stops between a passenger’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
airline and in a city that usually has good weather at that
time of year. For example, Chicago can have major snowstorms
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 luggage
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 multilingual
staff can provide assistance and solutions that will