I’m not getting up early for #MSIgnite

I will be sleeping through Satya’s keynote. Not in a packed conference hall or at a viewing party. In my bed. Asleep.

I WANT to do the 1 AM wake up in the APAC (Asia Pacific), Melbourne (GMT+10) time zone to watch Microsoft Ignite. I have been known to do the early starts for Ignite and SharePoint conference over the years so I can take notes or sketch live with everyone around the world. And there is something to be said for the live experience, rather than just watching a video.

Last year I was all about the #MSIgnite FOMO. And I had planned to be in the US to attend in person this year (that’s another story). But you know what, I’m tired. I’ve got a lot on. Did I mention I am in Melbourne. I don’t HAVE to, and there are a few reasons why.

Balance is important

I have a day job. I have a personal life (no really). And I am privileged to be a Microsoft MVP. None of those things are getting the best of my attention if I am busting a gut to wake up at 1 AM just to be among the first to hear Satya’s update live. Part of writing this in my blog is convincing myself. I learned some lessons from Microsoft 365 May, and getting that balance is one of them. Ultimately it’s a choice. I choose sleep.

It’s recorded…

Most, if not all of it is recorded. And as much as I really love the live experience, tweeting along, following the comments, I can watch it later. I can catch up on the tweets later. I can read the updates on the Microsoft Blog, and from the people who are in a good time zone, or do wake up early.

…and on repeat

The key segments are on a repeating schedule. So I may not get it live, but I CAN schedule it in my calendar and watch it with a near-live experience at an APAC friendly time. Nearly everything I want to attend is run twice, sometimes 3 times. Or is an on demand session which I can watch when I like.