How to stay productive on the road

Travel can sap energy, but if you handle it well, you can get a lot done.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
This week we'll be talking about travel, mostly the work variety,
but some fun stuff too. Today's tip is about how
to stay productive on the road. Theoretically, travel presents a

(00:27):
great opportunity to get stuff done. When you're on an airplane,
you have a great excuse to disconnect, with no email
or text coming in at least if you've opted out
of the airplane WiFi, you can focus without distractions. If
you're in a hotel, you're away from family responsibilities and
any house chores that might normally claim your time. Yet

(00:49):
I know I've often had the experience of getting on
a plane with the best of intentions and then reading
magazines the whole time. I shut myself in a hotel
room intending to get stuff done, and the next thing
I know, I'm watching four hours of Property Brothers on
h G t V. It can be hard to stay
productive on the road. I don't know why time and

(01:09):
transit seems to burn energy, but it does add in
jet leg and things can be even worse. However, there
are a few things you can do to still make progress. First,
be very specific about what you plan to get done
while on the road. Keep your ambitions low. Telling yourself

(01:33):
you'll spend one hour during a three hour plane flight
working on a presentation feels far more doable than telling
yourself you'll devote three hours to it. Likewise, getting through
a two day email backlog in your hotel room might
be possible. Pledging to get through a two month backlog
is delusional. Second, identify your high energy times and your

(01:55):
low energy times. My recent four our property brothers binge
happened because it was late in the day and I
was tired, But after I woke up the next morning,
hit the gym and grab some coffee, I could take
on the world. It took me twenty minutes to finish
something that I had been incapable of doing the night before.

(02:15):
Another good idea focus on interactive work. In most cases,
you're traveling to meet people, so you can decide that
you'll really nail those meetings and then not hold yourself
to anything else. Push the email and memo wrighting to
some other time. You could also focus on slightly more
receptive work. Is there a book you've been telling yourself

(02:39):
would be useful professionally. It might not be the perfect
plane read, but reading it will feel more productive than
playing solitaire. You could also clip a bunch of professional
articles and use travel time to read through those. And finally,
you might rethink what it means to be productive. Reframe
travel as less about getting stuff done and more about

(03:02):
opening your mind. That's the lesson I take from Daniel Scheffler,
who's the host of the new podcast Everywhere. He tells
me that working whilst on the road is one of
the greatest adventures of my life. Whether it's hanging off
a tree in the Amazon to get some WiFi, or
crammed into a tiny plane cruising across China and trying
to file a deadline with my MacBook touching my face,

(03:24):
or just the classic time zone different stance, it's always
a thrill, but continues Shuffler, I promise, if you know
how to do all this right, it is superbly rewarding.
I like to think about it as an opportunity to
find creativity or some fresh thinking from a different locale,
whether it's a transit lounge at L A X A

(03:45):
beach in Italy or that one night trip to Cincinnati.
Inspiration is everywhere as long as you're open to it,
So be open to it. Why not notice the view
out your hotel room window, even if you're in an
office parking Toledo. Go for a walk outside, even if
it just means you're circling the parking lot in a St.

(04:06):
Petersburg strip mall. You never know when that strange artwork
your client has inexplicably hung on the conference room wall
at their headquarters will trigger a mental breakthrough. And if
that seems a little far fetched, well Shuffler has got
an answer for the energy part two. When I'm on
a work trip wherever in the world, the first thing

(04:27):
I do is get a little exercise, just sweat it out,
he says. In Singapore, I like to run along the gardens.
In London, a fast walk in the Regent Park with
a coffee in hand, and Sala Paulo, a sweat session
in the gym at my favorite hotel. This just gets
you back to your body and work always flows better
after that. Hey, it may even help with the jet lag.

(04:49):
Watch those scientists and road warriors nod So, how do
you stay productive on the road? Feel free to let
me know it Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com.
You can also check out the Everywhere podcast wherever you
subscribe to this one. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of

(05:09):
our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, then Breakfast

(05:31):
p o D. You can also shoot me an email
at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For

(05:52):
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. Wha'