Make Important Tasks Fun

I recently had the pleasure of traveling from Baltimore to Nashville on Southwest Airlines. There were about 60 passengers on the plane so seating was plentiful.

After settling into my window seat about eight rows back from the entrance, I pulled out my iPad and connected to the the wifi to watch the Olympics. Let me just say that live TV on a plane is awesome, especially during the Olympics. Like many passengers, I was only halfway listening to the safety instructions given by the Flight Attendant named Josh……until he said that the plane would be going to WASHINGTON. I looked up just in time to see Josh crack a smile and say “oops, Nashville.” That was the beginning of the comedy show called Southwest Air Safety Instructions.

Just to be clear, I am a relaxed flyer. Yet on that night, I hung on Josh’s every word. First he described the location of the water floatation device stored under my seat, “in the event of a water landing between Baltimore and Nashville.” If you’re not good with geography, there are no large bodies of water on the flight path. Next Josh told us how to don the yellow vest and instructed us to pull down on the red tab to inflate. “However, overachievers are welcome to blow on the red tube, hyperventilate and risk drowning.”

At that point, I was laughing. Next up came the instructions on the air masks. I’m still listening to every word. Josh explained that if we were traveling with passengers who need assistance to put on our own masks first before helping someone else. The instructions continued. “If you’re traveling with children, look at each one and determine the child who is most likely to provide you with excellent care in old age, then place the mask on that child first.” Yep, by now I am laughing so hard I am crying.

Josh proceeded with additional instructions and I continued to listen. The plane took off at 8:10 pm ET.

In flight, Josh was still making the passengers laugh. He came down the aisle taking drink orders. One woman asked for water. He brought her a cup of ice and instructed her to wait a few minutes for the water to appear. The woman looked up, looked back at her cup and looked up again to see Josh smile and then handed her a can of water. When he got to me, I asked for a milkshake. I mean really, he had been making jokes since we got on the plane, so it was my turn to crack a joke. Josh never blinked, he pointed out the window and said “you’ll find it out on the wing.” I laughed, everyone around me laughed, even Josh laughed.

The rest of the flight was quiet. I watched the men swim at the Olympics, paying close attention to their laps times. I came to the conclusion that it takes me as long to get in the pool as it takes the men to swim 200 meters. Yep, I still have some work to do in that area. *grin*

As the plane was on final approach, I packed up my iPad and waited to land. BANG. THUMP. Holy cow, Batman, that was a rough landing!  Everyone was quiet. The next thing I heard was Josh. “Well…now that you’re all awake…welcome to Washington.”

Josh was funny. The passengers’ laughter indicated that they enjoyed his comedic talents. But Josh shouldn’t quit his day job, because he has a bigger talent than comedy. He found a way to get 60 tired travelers to listen to the boring safety instructions, just in case we needed the knowledge during an emergency.

Tinkering With Success means that I look for ways to improve. Josh reminded me that boring, routine, important tasks can still be fun, even after a long day. So I’m going to look for more ways to have fun while working.

Oh, and Josh’s final words to the passengers: “Oops, I mean welcome to NASHVILLE.”

BLT