It’s a little weird actually. My last blog post was written on a plane, and here I am again. But, as you know, it’s all about SMART time management, along with seizing inspiration when it strikes.

So, here I am sitting in the emergency row of the plane having just received my instruction on how to disarm and dispose of the door in the event of an emergency.

The instructions went something like this: ‘blah, blah, blah, door, blah blah, smoke or fire, blah, blah pull up and in then throw it out, blah, blah, evacuate, evacuate, evacuate, blah, blah, do you agree to help?’

Huh?

‘Any questions?’

Umm, yes, what the hell did you just say?

I did a little better with the picture card, but even so, spent a few minutes clarifying with my neighbours the whole who, what, when, why and how of an evacuation.

After confessing we were all really just here for the extra leg room, we agreed that, for all intents and purposes, if it came to the point where we were required to manually open a door ourselves, we were pretty much so screwed that it was unlikely we’d be around to face the consequences.

But it did occur to me that there is a lovely little analogy here. As entrepreneurs full of ideas and passion and excitement and drive, we often jump before reading the safety card.

Sometimes, it’s not a bad idea to just calm the farm and imagine you are sitting in the emergency exit row of the plane. Remember to seek absolute clarity on your who, what, when, why and how. Be prepared to listen and learn. Look over the picture cards. Consult your support network. Ask questions when something doesn’t make sense. And if true disaster strikes, be prepared to  evacuate in a cool, calm and collected manner – leaving all of your personal items behind.