An interesting busy week. As stated last Friday I intend to review my week in this blog for a few weeks and encourage you to review yours. This week was marked by illness which gets all of us every now and then and really slowed me down. As a contract trainer you basically can’t be ill as it is very difficult to cancel programs at the last minute without causing major problems. You just have to work through it. For me it started last Saturday when I woke up with a sore throat, headache and a voice that sounded like Mickey Mouse going through puberty. As a person who earns a living by talking this is about the worse thing that can happen. As the week progressed the voice came back and out an a really good cough developed. Despite this I did a good job and the overall week featured:
4 full days of delivery – Diploma Project Management, C IV TAE (2 days), Diploma of Sustainability
3 night classes – C IV TAE & Diploma Project Management
Three Distance programs as facilitator
Distance Marking for another client
Development of a new contract with a client to write management assessment scenarios
Development of flexible work arrangement training for Supervisors
Day of marking etc for other programs
- What pleasant surprises did I discover this week?
Despite being sick you can still work effectively. You need more sleep and I chewed my way through a tonne of cough lollies but it still works if you are planned and organised. Good participants are also very tolerant and I think respect the fact that you didn’t just cancel.
- What lessons did my work teach me that I could build upon next week?
Be prepared even more in advance. If I get really sick you need to have some aspects ready to go as you might not be able to concentrate as much as you would like.
- Are my short-term efforts and long-term goals still aligned?
Same response as last week really. I don’t know. I am moving my long term goals around at the moment as a result of a week off. My short term efforts generate a great income but is that all I want? A question I am yet to answer.
- What could I have spent more or less time doing?
I could have spent less time travelling in future. It was just one of those weeks. After training a group all day at Rooty Hill and then driving back to Ourimbah to deliver a night class and then driving back to Rooty Hill to stay the night for an early group the next morning is silly. Do it twice and it starts to hurt. Catching some sleep in the car is about all you can do to provide some relief.
- How did fear and uncertainty affect what I did and didn’t do?
Fear of not being able to talk did affect me. I tried to look after my voice, took medicine and stocked up on lozenges etc. I drank lots of water and changed some sessions to be more activity based so I didn’t talk as much. Sleeping in the car was good to give me a rest when required and a quick power sleep does work.
- What mental clutter can I clear?
Some uncertainty has cleared regarding the next few weeks and I feel better about a week off that I am going to have. I also have some time to plan the rest of the year as I need to personally complete two learning programs as part of my own development.
- What is the first logical step for next week?
It is a relatively easy week ahead and I am basically prepared for it. I will be in NZ for most of the week training a group and then in Lithgow training a mining group. The first logical step for next week is making sure I make the flight to NZ on time.
That was my week. Glad it is over to be honest. I enjoyed the training as usual but I am tired and I am looking forward to a fun program in NZ. How did your week go. Let me know.
Leave a Reply