Time management and Defcon [was:Video of the goon band (any online yet?)][t=12588]

[TheCotMan]

I took video of many things at Defcon, and a single fixed-point of the Goon Band ....
[video of goon band discussion is in the original thread: Video of the goon band (any online yet?) .]

This forked topic on time management has been pulled from that thread to continue here in the Post Defcon 19 forum.

[Bbox]

Re: Video of the goon band (any online yet?)

Wow,

TheCotMan you never cease to amaze!

Photography, Computers, editing, music, you sure cover a lot of ground! I am not sure how you get it all done.

I am thinking at a future Con you need to give a Talk on time management. With all the work you do on the forums and everything else you get accomplished you must have some great tricks and tips.

[TheCotMan]

Re: Video of the goon band (any online yet?)

I am thinking at a future Con you need to give a Talk on time management. With all the work you do on the forums and everything else you get accomplished you must have some great tricks and tips.

I see a few issues with this:
* Presentations on management of time seem out-of-place at Defcon to me, but more of something people would find in self-help books. (I think it would not draw an audience at Defcon.) Maybe today's attendees would appreciate it, but I don't feel comfortable contributing with such a topic at Defcon.
* I don't have any new knowledge or insight to offer on this topic that many talented and hard-working leaders, organizers, goons, and department heads understand and have more experience with, especially at Defcon. (There are many better candidates affiliated with Defcon that could be more helpful and instructional on this topic.)
* I do not like to work while at Defcon, as such a commitment denies other opportunities that may present themselves while at Defcon.

Maybe someone else would be interested in presenting on this? Consider Deviant Ollam; he runs several contests and events at Defcon and still manages to find time to socialize. People like Chris, Nikita, Lost[boy], Russ, and Pyr0 would also be good candidates for this topic, as they all have had to organize things like Vendors, Contests/events and resources, speakers, and much more before, during and after Defcon is over.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Video of the goon band (any online yet?)

Consider Deviant Ollam; he runs several contests and events at Defcon and still manages to find time to socialize

heh, thanks for the shout out... but this year at DEFCON nearly killed me. three talks, three contest, two shifts in the LPVillage, not to mention the DEFCON Shoot and the TSA dress-up shenanigans. relationships were strained to the breaking point, i had to decompress and cut loose so much that i basically missed out on the end of the last time ever of Gringo Warrior, and i'm still out $100 from the Beer Cooling fiasco.

but still... DEFCON continues to get better ever year.

i'm looking forward to seeing some of the other community members take over the BCCC event, however. i'll be glad to have Friday a little lighter.

Basically the only tips i can give to people about time management are...

1. Do your best to not double-book yourself at all at DEFCON. really, really plan out all of your events, talks, parties, etc and make certain that you don't have any overlap, thus letting people down.

2. Pre-plan the motherfucking SHIT out of your stuff. Every talk i give has been written months in advance, double-checked, and played back multiple times on the latop(s) that will be used. All contest hardware gets un-packed, checked, and tested the night before any contest runs. When you are responsible for something at DEFCON all you should have to do when the day comes is pull the trigger and watch things roll.

3. Have a support team. Having extra hands available to do things is so essential. This is going to sound a little bit asshole-ish, but be sure that your support staff is cognizant of the fact that fully half of what they will often be doing is staying put, at the ready, and WAITING to do the next thing. Listen, execute, self-manage, report back for the next thing... that's what you need people to do if they are helping out.

4. Drink. Drink heavily. Do drugs if that's your thing. Have loads of sex. Do all of this and more in your off-time in the evenings or else your brain will explode during the day. Some people advise being as wasted as possible when you're giving talks and such. While i usually don't condone such extremes (you should be able to form words on stage) i have no problem with people being half in the bag when they're running things.

5. It is impossible to get back your hotel room and then return to the con space in under 30 minutes. In a sense, nothing takes less than half an hour, as far as how you plan your time.

There may be more, but that's all i can think of right now.

[sintax_error]

Re: Time management and Defcon [was:Video of the goon band (any online yet?)][t=12588

Remember to train your body. Most of the time, a person's body isn't used to the DEFCON schedule. Get used to running around for 20 hours on a couple of small meals. Wake up a few hours earlier and go to bed a few hours later for a week or so prior to con. Also know your limits. Know when too much booze, partying, time in the sun, exhaustion, etc. is enough. Without knowing when it's time to take a minute, and without your body being somewhat ready for the insane schedule, all the planning in the world is going down the proverbial crapper.

[astcell]

Re: Time management and Defcon [was:Video of the goon band (any online yet?)][t=12588

NOT the best time to wear brand new shoes either.

[Zorlac]

Re: Time management and Defcon [was:Video of the goon band (any online yet?)][t=12588

NOT the best time to wear brand new shoes either.

Oh +1 for that :(