Gary Sheynkman dot com

OMFG I’m running late. My heart is pounding. I am pale. I do not know what to do.

I’ve never missed a flight in my entire life because of forgetting something or just not leaving early enough. Half a year ago I joined that club on both accounts.

The flight was to Cannes. The conference was MIPCOM. I am now planning MIPTV, so I need to heed some lessons:
What was the result of my panic?

• 4 speeding tickets (really)
• 1 bewildered coworker (I was Maverick, he was Goose) who I drove (quickly)
• 1 missed flight

The right thing to do was to drop off my coworker (which I ended up doing anyway, just much quicker). Calmly return to my apartment and rebook my ticket. I ended up doing that anyway… only I aged 7 years and lost more money in the process. In case you haven’t figured it out, I left my passport.

Here is the deal: IT IS OK IF YOU MISS YOUR FLIGHT. Sure, it is not a good thing to miss flights, but realize that there are always other planes and that at the end of the day your safety and nervous system are worth more.

Yes, I know….a novel concept. Although I am all about connectivity (can be reached by email, sms, skype, gchat etc…), that does not mean that if you send me an email with “important” in the subject line that I will get to it right there and then… especially on the weekend or in the middle of the night.

I have no aversion to working on the weekends, 3am, or other seemingly odd hours, but our uber connectivity culture is breeding bad habits. What I am noticing is that someone will send an email, and think that I am already on the task or have it completed next time they look into their inbox.

…um. Sorry. Doesn’t work that way. Although I do my best to stay available, I do not wait around for other people’s email to plan my objectives for the day/week/whatever.

Moral of the rant: if you need something. Pick up the phone, or wait for a confirmation. There is a human being on the other end of the phone line or computer screen and a little consideration and flexibility goes a long way.