How to Stay Productive While Away on Business

Being productive is no easy feat. In the comfort of your own office you must typically battle chimes, dings, and rings coming from your computer and phone, banging from construction, honking from traffic, noisy people on the other side of the wall, coworkers, clients, family members, and vendors dropping in on you with no notice, sleep deprivation, caffeine withdrawal, and daydreaming, among so many others. You’re surrounded by and engulfed in distractions preventing you from getting high-priority work done. Hopefully you have systems in place to combat these sorts of interferences that negatively impact your productivity.

Being away on business makes working productively an even tougher challenge because traveling disrupts the systems you’ve established, both to manage distractions and run your business. However, being on the road shouldn’t mean you fail to get anything done, manage day to day operations, or move your business forward. You just need to embrace your best work habits, committing to better focus and consistency, to work productively in any time zone.

Work at your best wherever you are traveling using these business travel tips:

1. Create A Travel Checklist
Don’t run the risk of forgetting an important item. Create a digital travel checklist then print it before each trip so you don’t waste time and mental energy trying to remember everything you should do or pack before leaving and possibly forget something.

2. Back Up and Send Up
Before leaving, back up all your electronic files and make them accessible in the Cloud. If for any reason your laptop gets lost, stolen, or broken, you will be able to work by accessing your documents via the online storage app.

3. Communicate Whereabouts
Set reasonable expectations of your availability by updating your voicemail greeting and setting up an auto-responder email to communicate you’re away. State the dates you will not be available and inform people you will return their call or email upon your return so they don’t feel you’re avoiding them or leave duplicate messages.

4. Create and Stick To A Plan
Plan accordingly to make the best use of your whereabouts. The plane may be the best place to get focused work done because you can’t take calls or answer emails. Waiting to board your flight may be the best time to tackle recurring administrative tasks that require little focused attention. Create your plan and stick to it!

5. Arrive Early
Arrive to the airport and your gate early so you don’t stress over missing your flight. Then find a quiet place to get some focused work done. Whenever possible, fly to your destination well ahead of your first scheduled meeting as well. Doing so affords more time to settle in to your room and reenergize before diving into the work you came there to do, not to mention flights often get delayed.

6. Optimize Your Environment
Whether at the airport, plane, hotel room, or host office, create an environment that supports your productivity. You may require lots of noise or absolute silence to work in your zone of focus. Strive to create your preferred environment in each of your “offices.”

7. Don’t Convert Time
Converting time confuses your mind and body. Reset your watch upon landing and don’t look back. Your phone and laptop should automatically reset once online. Go to bed at your normal hour but in the new time zone to ensure you get an ideal night of sleep which is 7 to 8 hours for most people.

8. Invest in Yourself
Don’t overlook self-care while on the road. Pack healthy snacks for needed energy which will also save you time, money, and the temptation to consume junk food. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated and squeeze in a workout when you can. Many hotels provide a gym but if not, exercises like sit-ups and squats can easily be done in your room.

9. Take Breaks
In striving to get work done on the road, you may be tempted to work for hours on end but failing to take breaks is counterproductive. Give yourself short breaks to reenergize, refuel, and refocus upon returning to your work.

10. Expense as You Go
Use an app on your phone to process your expenses as they accrue so you don’t return from your trip with a wad of crumpled receipts that need attention. Time back in the office is better spent on high-priority activities that move your business forward.

Flights get cancelled. Uber drivers run late. Hotels lose reservations. A good rule of thumb while traveling is to be flexible, but not when it comes to your productivity. You can’t afford to lose days or weeks of precious work time just because you’re far from your office. Make a point of sticking to your good work habits so you can work effectively and efficiently wherever you find yourself, in any time zone.

Want more tips and strategies to improve your personal productivity? Download my free Time Maximizers Cheat Sheet at TimeMaximizers.com

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2018 issue of CHOICES Magazine