Dec 02 2008
Late for a Time Management Workshop?!
Yesterday I set out for London – two days doing Time Management and Project Management.
I decided to “let the train take the strain” and headed out in a reserved seat in the “Quiet Coach”. It seemed to be a near perfect way to travel. Warm, comfortable and with space to relax, read, listen to music or prepare for the day.
And then we approached Swindon, still in darkness outside our metal cocoon, and came to a quiet halt. And we waited, and waited, and waited…
After 40 minutes we pulled alongside a platform and were invited (instructed!) to leave this train which was terminating at Swindon.
Apparently a frieght train had ploughed through a set of points ahead and had blocked all London-bound traffic. There was one service heading for London – that was very popular as people surged from one train to another, their bleary-eyed calmness replaced by a very keen competitiveness to ensure they had a seat on the London-bound train!
We were heading back to Chippenham before taking a very scenic route into Paddington avoiding Swindon.
The good news is that we did get to London, an hour and forty minutes late!
I was greeted with severe delays on the Circle Line (quick, back to the Hammersmith & City Line!) and then Baker Street Station was closed because of a fire alert and no trains were allowed to stop there…
Now, dear commuters, I don’t know how typical a day this is for regular commuters. I dread to think.
However, for me, the edge came in the knowledge that I was, through no fault of my own, being delayed en route to a workshop on Time Management!
In my workshops I teach that it is important to plan and to allow a sufficient buffer… I’d reserved seats and had allowed two hours to make a 20 minute journey from Paddington…
I teach that it’s not what happens and much as your reaction or response to events that will decide the course for the rest of your day… so I emailed ahead as soon as I knew my ETA in London and asked for the start time of the workshop to be delayed by one hour. Yes, I could have said “I’ll get there as soon as I can” but is that the best for the participants? I know I’d prefer a definite one hour delay – time to get something useful done and come back in time for a coffee.
So we reconvened after a slight delay… every delegate did show up and, with a slight smile on their face, was very sympathetic about my journey.
Not the way I would have chosen to start the day but damage control was successful…
