Private aviation saves time - how will you spend yours? January is a natural time to evaluate how things went last year and what we’d like to see happen differently THIS year.  Most of us have a few things we’d like to change:

  • I’d like to spend more quality time with family and friends.
  • I’d like to take the time to exercise and eat more healthfully.
  • I’d like to start or finish an educational degree or complete a project.
  • I’d like to accomplish some of the professional objectives that didn’t happen in 2012.

The common thread among all these New Years Resolutions is often the reason that they don’t get accomplished – TIME!

Unfortunately, 2013 will be no longer than 2012.  If you ran out of time to do these important things last year, you probably won’t find the time to do them this year, unless you do things differently.

You may think that multitasking, working harder or working smarter is the answer.

Multitasking

Anyone who has tried a “working vacation” has probably discovered that neither objective gets accomplished as well as if the time had been spent focused on one or the other – working, or being on vacation and being “fully present” with family and friends.

Research by Clifford Nass and his colleagues at Stanford University showed that heavy multitaskers are worse than light multitaskers at filtering information, storing and organizing information, and switching back and forth among several activities.

Working Harder/Working Smarter

The many labor-saving and productivity enhancing software and gadgets that have come on the market in the last several years were supposed to help us get more things done more quickly, and “create more time” for us to do the things we really wanted to do.

Unfortunately, it seems the time they “created” is often consumed in learning to use them or getting them to work properly!

We now carry around more computing power in our pockets on on cell phones than was used by the Apollo 11 NASA mission. But we also make a lot more trips to the Apple or Verizon store to get our wonky phone fixed, or having some bright youngster showing us how to make something work.

Pacific Institute’s Lou Tice explained in a professional seminar:

“Working harder is usually not the answer. We’re all working hard enough, and our days are already packed full. What we usually need to do to accomplish our new objectives is to decide what we are willing to delegate or give up in order to accomplish your goals.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Why not take the time to go for a run and then eat a healthy breakfast at home with your family before leaving on a business trip?
  • Why not give up unhealthy fast food from the airport or overpriced airline snacks?
  • Why not have a quiet, confidential, roomy place to work, eat, rest or think while you travel?
  • Why not give up spending hours in security lines and departure lounges at the commercial airport?
  • Why not give up rushing around to check your bags,  and then pick them up again from the baggage claim? Why not take your luggage and equipment on the plane with you?
  • Why not give up traveling far from your intended destination to make connections or because the airlines don’t serve the closest airport?
  • Why not delegate the ground transportation arrangements and other travel details to the friendly, helpful SSC staff?
  • Why not give up waiting on the airplane?  Let the airplane wait for you!
  • Why not be home in time for that birthday party, baseball game, dance recital or date with your spouse?

If you currently own an airplane, you understand that it’s the closest thing ever invented to a “time machine.” But here are a few more suggestions:

  • Why not delegate keeping up with the research and paperwork to keep your airplane in legal compliance?
  • Why not delegate the details of your aircraft maintenance so that you can rest assured that your plane will be safe and ready to go when you are?
  • Why not be sure that when your aircraft is in service or OGB, (“On the Ground Broken”) that there is another that can be ready to serve any travel needs your company has in the meantime?

We understand that your New Years Resolutions probably also include saving money. Give us a call and ask us how SSC can help make your New Years Resolutions a reality in 2013!