Over the past five years, I’ve worked in a lot of different places including a water front taco shop in Seattle, a co-working space with flyswatters in Cambodia, my parents’ backyard porch, a beach in Vietnam (very unproductive), and of course, a plethora of coffee shops.
Every location has its challenges, but the toughest days for getting things done are always travel days. Yet, I want to work on travel days because they present an opportunity to get work done without cutting into time at a destination. I’ve yet to figure out the “secret” to crazy-productive travel days, but I’ve developed some strategies that help me get work done without killing myself.
The following are a few tips for getting work done on travel days:
- Plan More Time Than You Usually Need for Projects.
During a travel day, there are quite a few points where it is difficult or impossible to get work done – going through security, the time on the plane before you can open your laptop, your chatty flight seatmate, etc. This makes it impossible to get the same amount of work done during a travel day that you would during a normal work day.
Accept this and plan for it. Plan less for your day and give yourself more time to complete projects than you would if you were “in-office.” If you like rules of thumb, I’d estimate that generally you should allot at least 1.5 times the amount of time for a project than you would if you were “in-office.” For example, if a project that would usually take 60 minutes, block off 90 minutes for it.
- Avoid Travel Day Deadlines
If you have ever traveled…anywhere…in any mode of transportation…you know that a travel day rarely goes as planned. There are delays, cancellations, car breakdowns, child meltdowns, kooky people who want to talk to you, and other hiccups that in your trip and your ability to get work done.
You can’t prevent these hiccups but you can prevent them from really sending you into a stressed-out tailspin but avoiding deadlines on days you are traveling (when possible). This way, when the inevitable hiccups arise, they’re only messing up your travel, not your work.
If you simply had overly ambitious plans for the amount of work you’d get done, you might have to work more on your trip. Not ideal, but do-able. If you have a deadline, you have to get that work done…somehow…likely at the end of an already long travel day. That is not fun.
I remember one particularly miserable experience getting into my parents’ house in Florida after a 10+ hour travel day door-to-door and having to finish drafting discovery (legal work) in a case because I had a deadline. So, instead of hanging out with my parents who I hadn’t seen in months on the couch, I drafted the discovery alone, upstairs, using mindgame in the book to motivate myself and overcome fatigue. Contrary to what they show you on every legal TV show, there is nothing sexy or fun about working late into the night on a case.
- Choose Your Tasks Wisely.
Certain tasks are better suited for travel days. Short, easy tasks like responding to e-mails, organizing documents, or routine drafting, work well because the stop-and-go nature of travel won’t impact your ability to complete them. You can easily pick-up where you left off. Creative tasks can also work well. I find that being outside of my routine helps me develop new, creative ideas.
The tasks that do not work well are those that require deep, focused concentration for an extended period of time. Things like drafting a motion for summary judgment (for the attorneys out there) or a critical, complex report. These types of tasks usually require more preparation – mental and often pulling up multiple documents – before getting started and interruptions are more likely to interrupt your flow. When you start and stop these types of tasks, you often find you’ve spent the whole day just preparing to work on them and made very little forward motion,
- Extra Coffee.
Stimulants are called that for a reason – they stimulate your body and brain. Increasing the amount of caffeine can sometimes give you that extra boost you need to overcome travel fatigue and distractions. If you usually have one cup of coffee, grab a second; if you usually have two, grab a third; if you usually have a pot of coffee, seek help! 😉 If you’re not into caffeine, I commend you and am confused by you.
