| Business travel was once seen as a perk that only executives with generous expense accounts got to enjoy. Nowadays we’re all packing our wheelie bags and breaking out of the daily grind. Are we really living the dream? They may have glamorous Instagram feeds, but for some people travel is a miserable ordeal that makes them stressed, tired and unhealthy. A study of insurance claims of World Bankemployees showed that almost 75% of those traveling for business reported higher stress levels than their stay-at-home colleagues. They put this down to sleep interruption, unhealthy eating and drinking, lack of exercise, reduced productivity and loneliness. Strikes, delays, lost luggage and cattle-class service don’t help. And only drink bottled water on board! It was reported recently that even the drinking water on some US airlines is unsafe: JetBlue and Spirit Airlines had the worst scores, tying at the bottom with water health scores of 1 ona 0-to-5 scale. Here’s how to reduce the wear and tear of travel, and put some joy back: Beat the crowd but don’t rush. Savvy travellers tell me that they try and get the first plane/train out in the morning as there’s more chance of it being on time, that’s the theory anyway. One frequent flyer said she always packs a bag on board, even for a shorttrip. If she’s a little bit slow getting through duty free they wait for her at the gate rather than have the delay of taking her luggage off the plane. She has to go to the carousel at her destination, but has avoided decanting toiletries into irritating little bottles or having her bag opened at the departure gate. That sounds a bit too stressful to me, but she says that strategy has saved her seat several times. Check you’ve packed the right chargers and adaptors. I’ve messed up by assuming that Swiss adaptors were the same as standard European ones. Don’t rush but optimise your time. Is it quicker to get public transport from the hotel/station to your destination rather than getting stuck in traffic in a taxi? If you can book your own travel consider an apartment rather than a hotel. You’ll get a home from home experience, with someone else doing the chores. Choose when to connect. Regain control. Shut down wi-fi access when travelling and pretend you are off grid evenwhen you aren’t. Switch off pop-ups. Noise-cancelling headphones will eliminate other distractions, including your chatty neighbour. Flights and trains provide perfect space to clear your inbox without all the usual digital distractions. Even better, enjoy some precious space to reflect, e.g: How can I start that project that’s stressing me out? What have I been ignoring that’s going to cause a problem if I don’t deal with it? Where can I get some quick wins? Which relationships have I been neglecting? Nurture yourself and prioritise sleep. When you get to your hotel, find ways to decompress that don’t involve raiding the minibar. That might mean a spot of social media, some exercises or online exercise classes, or just a chance to operate the remote control for once. Don’t be tempted to stare at the screen all evening. Put in some digital boundaries and switch off. I asked some well-travelled contacts what they packed to help them wind down and sleep. The list covered travel sized scented candles, downloaded books, customised play-lists, tea, favourite jogging pants, relaxation apps, family photos, an ergonomic neck pillow, ear-plugs, eye masks and melatonin bought across the counter in the US. Get some legal highs from flow working. You’ll achieve far more in a couple of hours in a quiet hotel room than in a whole day in an open-plan office. Super-charge your productivity by getting into ‘flow’. That’s the state of optimum performance when you are completely absorbed in your work, without interruption. Learning how to get into flow is a crucial part of getting off Crazy Busyness and becoming productive again. Prepare all the resources you need before you go, choosing more strategic, complex tasks that you struggle to find time for usually. It takes about 15 minutes to get into a flow state and once you are in it, it feels fantastic, releasing loads of legal pleasure chemicals. Spark your spirit of discovery and do some exploring. ‘Bleisure’ means the trend to add on personal leisure time after a business trip. It’s a revolting term for a great idea. Chances are you’ve made some local contacts at your meetings. Ask them for recommendations. They’ll be delighted that you are taking time to understand more about the place and people you are doing business with. Broaden your horizons: research where you are going, if abroad learn a few words of the language, and go somewhere new each time youvisit. Check out local listings, meet ups or gym classes if you are missing social company. Take advantage of the trip and at least make a weekend of it: can your loved ones join you? |
| What good does Crazy Busyness do you? None! I’m determined to get people off their Crazy Busy bandwagon, to slow down, be more productive and improve their wellbeing. Our way of working – doing two jobs at once, constantly ‘on’ and workingthe longest hours in Europe – simply doesn’t lead to increased productivity. It leads to the opposite: low efficiency and low wellbeing. You knew that already! Please talk to me about my popular Crazy Busy™or Crazy Busy for Leaders™ sessions for your business, conference or off-site or, for a total transformation in productivity and wellbeing, let me organise your 2020 team retreat. Warm wishes Zena Everett www.zenaeverett.com zena@zenaeverett.com |