Holy cow, this has been a busy few months! I’ve traveled about three times a month since September. That’s a lot for me, especially since I have clients back home who need my attention—oh yeah, and the family. People ask me all of the time how I manage to keep it all together with my family, my business, and my speaking engagements when I’m home; when I travel frequently, they are even more mystified.
Staying productive means making the most of my time. For me, that means carrying my bag on the plane as often as possible so I can get out of the airport and to my hotel or home quickly. When I check bags, I spend an average of three additional hours at the airport per round trip. That’s a huge waste of precious time.
I also try to stick as close to my regular schedule as possible. The last thing I need to deal with along with mounting laundry and mounting work is jet lag. Fortunately, I mostly travel in the United States, so I am rarely more than three hours behind the time back home. I never change my watch, so I am always mindful of what time my body thinks it is. I rely on my iPhone to get me places on time in the new time zone.
I make the most of being an early bird. One of the benefits to living on the east coast is that when I travel, I usually end up in a time zone that gives me bonus alone time in the mornings. I use that time to answer email, get my writing done, and return phone calls. I ‘m super productive when I have those early bonus hours.
While I enjoy socializing with my hosts and conference attendees, I don’t stay out very late, and I don’t drink a lot of alcohol. I wake up much more easily without a foggy head. I should also add that I keep most of my important documents and presentations in the cloud so no matter where I am, I can access what I need.
The bottom line is that I think the key to being productive on the road is to keep doing things the way you would at home. The bonus for me? No one asks me to do laundry on the road!
