Well. I'm tired.
What about you?
Work, work, work, and then try and fit in all those other things we do; family, sport, etc, etc.
How would you feel, as you took your seat on a plane, knowing that the pilot's sitting up the front, in control of your life, were feeling the same way as you do now?
Lots of great events coming up as well.
After a few weeks of Party Hire work, that in the industry, we refer to as a period of Kaos, I allowed my oversight of a February and March newsletter. (I know you have missed it and I'm surprised no one rang me and asked when my monthly rant would be published). For the last 10 weeks, I have been looking forward to the opportunity to have a well earned sleep in and today was the day. As I arose after 9 and a half hours, (that is a sleep in for me), I thought I would grab my latest edition of my flying magazine. As I flicked through the pages of articles, one caught my attention.
It was about an aircraft crash that occurred in Cuba after the pilots had been working for an extended period of time, though the middle of the night, with very little sleep. They made decisions they would not normally make and the ultimate outcome was they crashed. Luckily it was a freight aircraft and the crew all survived, however the Captain was so ashamed in the fact that he allowed the aircraft to be placed in this position and did not realise what was happening.
As a pilot, we have strict limits on the number of hours we can work, to ensure a safe operation is maintained. But what about the rest of us at work?
It's no secret that I have been one of those pilots, and I have worked under various limits in work hours. But now I run my own business, fly planes in my spare time and head-up MBN. So what limits do I place I myself with doing all these things? Like most of us, not many.
So when I awoke and read this article, I instantly thought that I should start thinking about the hours I work.
I'm not referring to a work/life balance, but how we manage when our workload increases.
How many times have you worked a long day trying to finish the necessary things, only to realise the next day, that you have made an error in what you did. You also probably drove home and can only remember fragments of that drive. Are we being as responsible, or risking our life as the pilot who crashed his plane did?.
Maybe it is time we all stood up and started considering how fatiguing our work can sometimes be and to start realising the effect that it can have on our performance in our work and daily tasks.
I'm not suggesting we all start to say we can only work 6 hours a day, or that we will not do any overtime, but try to recognise when you may be effected by fatigue and either take a break or look for an alternative to ensure that you can maintain your peak performance. NASA have proven that a 30 minute power nap can dramatically increase your alertness and performance, while decreasing the effect of fatigue. I have also read of many business people, using a 30 minute nap as their thought process time.
Now that we have all taken that next step to maximising our performance, what is the latest with MBN?
We have many great events coming up:
1. Celebrate women in Business – Supper Club Wednesday April 28th
2. Bike Riding is the New Golf – Breakfast Thursday April 29th
These two events are next week, so if you have not yet booked, you need to do so now! Numbers are strictly limited and are almost booked out. Check out the Web Site.
Also, for all the latest on what is happening around Melbourne, please check in on Enterprise Melbourne. They have lots of great events coming up.
Finally, our Charity Partner, Whitelion also has a great event coming up. Have you ever want to know what it is like to be locked up in jail? Well here is your chance to know why it is not much of a life! The annual “Bail Out” event is coming around fast. Check out the web site for all the details and how to participate or attend the gala function.
See you at our events next week.
Happy networking
Dave King -
President
Melbourne Business Network