Making the most of work travel (or how to avoid work travel derailing your week)
Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash
Recently, I’ve been traveling a lot more for work, mostly delivering workshops on time management, productivity and leadership, to companies out of state. These are mostly short trips, 2-3 days, but they do throw my family off our routine. Before I started my business I could count on one hand the number of business trips I had been on. But these short trips are now becoming a larger part of my business, and I’ve been fine-tuning the work travel process, so I wanted to share my tips and tricks with you to help work travel be less of a nuisance, or, dare I say it, something you might actually enjoy.
Here are my tips to minimize the disruption of work travel (and maximize the productivity and enjoyment):
Add travel related items to your to-do list, in advance, to spread out the extra load
Travel creates more work. It just does. I’m leaving Wednesday morning this week, so during my weekly planning session, I added the following items to my list:
Sunday - finalize packing list
Monday - pack
Tuesday - check in for flight and prep meals for when I’m gone
When you spread out the work, you feel more calm because you’re not scrambling at the last minute. You’re also less likely to forget something important when you pack in advance.
Streamline your packing strategy
Create a packing list; and use it every time. Never forget your charger again. (And pack a blank copy for the return so that you don’t leave anything in the hotel room.)
Have a toiletry case ready to go with all your essentials. Does this mean doubling up on deodorant, toothpaste and an extra toothbrush? Yep. But is it worth it to never have to scrounge around for all the basics? Totally.
Reduce decision fatigue around clothes. Have a few go-to outfits for work travel. I have a few outfits that I know are comfortable and look good. I pack these, every time. And I have an “on the plane” uniform that’s super comfy.
Plan for what to do on the flight
Perhaps you will crack open a novel and simply enjoy your flight. (And good on you!) Make sure you’ve got a good book with you so you’re not making a dicey last minute purchase at the airport bookstore.
Pro tip - download a book from the library onto your Kindle or phone in advance to avoid the weight of a book..
Since I’m usually traveling on a workday, I tend to use the flight to get some head’s down, uninterrupted work done. If you plan to work on the flight:
Check if your flight offers wifi in advance; don’t let it be a surprise if it doesn’t.
And even if wifi will be available, make sure to turn on “offline editing” where possible so that your plans don’t get derailed if the wifi goes out mid-flight. (This has definitely happened to me and I was SO glad I turned on offline editing on my Google docs in advance.)
(Me? I’ve got 10 hours of flights ahead of me over the next 2 days, and I’m looking forward to making some major headway on my new online course for working parents.)
Set Expectations Around Communication
Fact: When you’re traveling, you’re going to be slow to answer emails, if you have time to answer them at all. Same thing goes for Slack..
Set an “out of office” reply for email and an away message for messaging systems.
In your out of office reply, let people know you are traveling, and when they should expect to hear back from you.
I typically give myself a day’s buffer on the return so I’m not feeling stressed about getting through it all when I get back.
And let people know how best to get in touch in an emergency (text?) and who to contact in your absence.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’ll be able to handle your normal workload, or even just your emails and messages. You want to be focused on the purpose of the trip, not feeling guilty about not getting back to people quickly.
Set expectations around communication with your family. Will you be calling home to talk to your kids? If so, how often?
Let everyone know the plan.
Let everyone in your family know what to expect. When are your flights? Do you need to be picked up from the airport or will you get yourself home?
Make arrangements for any after-school activities that your partner or babysitter will need to handle in your stead.
Remind your team, your manager and your coworkers that you’ll be gone. (You may think it’s obvious, but they’ve got lives, and workloads of their own, and they probably aren’t thinking about you.)
If you’ve got a family, and you’re the one who typically handles groceries and cooking (like me!), decide on a strategy for when you are gone:
Perhaps your partner will taking on the cooking duties.
You could decide that your family will order take-out while you are gone.
I tend to make a few (easy to reheat) meals for my family and leave them in the fridge or freezer. (Later today, I’ll be making a batch of minestrone soup and of mapo tofu. NOTE: There is no obligation to do this, I just like to!)
Also, stock up on what’s likely to run out while you’re away. (In my house that’s milk and fruit).