Top tips for coping with NYC

And life

Before I left London, I was given this brilliant book. You should buy it for anyone who’s even thinking about taking a trip to NYC

I’ve checked it every single day, mostly because it’s fun, but also to remind myself that it’s not just me that finds this city mad. Here’s three I think are the most pertinent; which I also think should be applied to life and work back home.

Be Decisive

Anyone who’s ever been to lunch with me knows I’m the most indecisive person. I need to read menus online before going out to give myself a headstart. And in the Big Apple, the number of choices is ridiculous; and not just in restaurants. Here’s the life lesson: make a decision, really, are you going to make one that’s *that* bad? Just do it, otherwise you’ll get swept away, or lose your place in the line.

Stand Back

The best views of the Manhattan are definitely from the other side of a river; New Jersey, Staten Island, Brooklyn. All breathtaking landscape views. You can see more than just the Empire State Building, understand how the city grows taller as you get closer to the Financial District, and realise exactly how small it all actually is. I know I don’t have to translate this one, but I’m going to anyway. We get caught up in the frantic pace of day to day work every day. I know it’s hard, we’re passionate about doing the right thing. But really, our jobs are not life-or-death. Take a step back, see the bigger picture.

You can’t be the best at everything

You’re probably getting the hang of these tenuous analogies now — We have an amazing array of expertise and resources within our immediate and wider teams and agencies. Know when to ‘buy in’ not try and be a jack of all trades.

Yeh, NYC’s definitely done something weird to my brain. I’m coming home for awkward introspective Britishness and a good cup of tea.