Common sense?

I’m by nature an information gatherer. I find out how to do things and I store that information in my head for future use.

Other people are not information gathers, it seems, or not in the work context anyway.

We have a set of rules about how to do things at my work—I’m sure most of you do at your work too—things like booking travel and accommodation for business purposes, or claiming back on expenses. Being me, I’ve learnt this set of rules and, in an attempt to stop my colleagues asking me each and every time how to do something, I’ve written those rules down. In the simplest form possible. In bullet points. (The rules aren’t that hard to understand anyway.)

Today, for the third time in as many weeks, one of my colleagues (let’s call her Gertrude, for the sake of argument) asks ‘How do I book a train ticket again?’

I reply: ‘The same way you did last week.’

She says: ‘Can you just show me?’

I reply: ‘It’s on the bulleted how-to list that I sent to you yesterday.’

She says: ‘Sorry, which list was that? I can’t remember as far back as yesterday.’

These people are supposed to be some of the brightest around. They’ve got PhDs and all. But when it comes to common sense...I GIVE UP!