There is no such thing as time management…

Blog Post #7

There is no such thing as time management…

…one can only manage themselves. When I left Gisborne 2 weeks ago I was rather content with the prospect of 3 weeks off work having just completed my first contract. However those 3 weeks soon turned into 1. After taking the first Monday off, I headed back to Wellington which was nice, but f*#@ me I have not missed the traffic! Alas, I found myself looking for some office space as I still had items to finalise in my first contract, I had things to prepare before the move to Dunedin, as well as other extra-curricular commitments. Unlike cheap parking spaces, fortunately it did not take long to find some office space. As IPWEA secretary for the Wellington/Taranaki branch I was welcomed to join them in their city centre office, with a view across the capital city, I felt quite privileged.

During my time off I decided to take the opportunity to invest in numerous training courses and attend various industry events. The first in the calendar was a great evening on mental well-being in engineering hosted by Engineering New Zealand. Very informative presentations with both engineering and non-engineering contexts and examples, and some genuine and honest conversations which proved to be very stimulating; I walked away with a heavier toolbox. It goes without saying one’s own well-being is fundamental above all else, I needn’t go into any facts or figures, but it certainly rings true for me right now as I regularly move out of my comfort zone into this high pressure environment and frequent new territory. This is not the first time this event has occurred, and it won’t be the last, so keep your eye out for the next one… Manaaki tangata, haere whakamua.

On Thursday I headed to Taranaki before a full day’s training course on the Friday, facilitated by IPWEA and delivered by the lovely Priyani. The training course focused on asset management planning, in particular the writing, updating and living of asset management plans. With the upcoming round of long term plans, the asset management plan will be flashing on many organisations radars, so I took the opportunity to further develop my skills and knowledge in this area. I subsequently invested in a month of asset management e-learning provided by IPWEA, the first in a series of e-learning modules – the first being AM101.

I enjoyed New Plymouth, it was the 2nd time I had visited within the last few months, and again I drove away having had a great time. Attending a gig in the TSB bowl was certainly a highlight, not just because the acts were good and the venue was awesome, but the torrential rain made it unforgettable! I also brought a couple drowned rats along with me, they’ve certainly been enjoying the tiki-tour around NZ so far. First Gisborne, then New Plymouth. Dunedin next..?!

Another reason I drove away happy was because I left Taranaki with contract number 3!! On my way up on Thursday I popped in to see a client to discuss current work programmes and any opportunities for Asset BowManagement Ltd to provide support. I’ll say that IPWEA training could not have been more timely as the short contract involved reviewing and making recommendations to improve and update the client’s asset management plans. So for the past week I have been working remotely on this project, which in itself has been nice, a flexible working environment does have its advantages. The work itself has been a nice change away from the technical engineering to one more of a strategic approach. I do love a bit of strategy! I look forward to more similar contracts in the future.

This coming week will mark the beginning of the Dunedin contract as I will now start working remotely before I fly to Australia on Friday morning. So I suppose I can only blame myself for not having 3 whole weeks off! Alas, there’s no way I will be working whilst I’m in Australia, not only because I’m not taking my laptop with me, but my friend certainly won’t let me! We have a music concert on the Sunday and then we head off in a camper-van to explore the Great Ocean Road. Cannot wait!

So thing’s will be quiet on here for a while, I expect the next post will be made from Dunedin itself.

Mauri ora…