13 Jan 3 TIPS FOR PRODUCTIVITY DURING BUSINESS TRIPS

INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY DURING EXECUTIVE TRAVEL

2015 is barely underway, but many of you are already organizing multiple business trips for the coming months. Whether they’re short jaunts to familiar cities or longer trips to unknown places, the preparation aspect of executive travel plays a vital role in the overall success of the trip.

Whether it’s organizing your transportation, finding a suitable hotel, getting reservations for client dinners at flashy restaurants, or simply trying to survive the demands of your project list, we know that business travel has its own sets of challenges and demands. Many of those demands can put a stopper in you productive, making the travel experience even more stressful.

To help keep you out of the business trip doldrums, we compiled a list of tips to boost your business trip productivity.

STAY POWERED UP

Airplane food is overpriced and simply won’t suffice when it comes to keeping your mind (and body) fueled up for productivity demands.

If you have a long flight on your schedule, in particular, it’s important to stock up on snacks and liquids that will help keep you focused, energized and ready to go.

Whole-wheat snacks and nuts are generally non-perishable and easy to pack, as well as energizing. Coconut water, not-from-concentrate juices and good old-fashioned water are liquids that do much to get your brain and your body up and running, as well as providing affordable alternatives to pricey airport foods and purchases on the airplane itself.

Even if you aren’t working with a limited budget, having your own, hand-picked foods packed and ready to go in your suitcase provides an element of convenience that every business traveler can value.

CREATE AN EXTENSIVE SCHEDULE

Another way to up your productivity during business traveler is to create a reliable, extensive schedule. Doing so will help you mentally and physically map out the hours of your day, maximizing your productivity and, possibly, your down time.

Include the following points on your schedule:

• Time needed to get through security and to your gate at the airport
• Time needed to get from your plane to baggage claim or to be picked up outside the airport
• Hotel check-ins
• Time needed to unwind after a flight
• Trips from your hotel to dinner, a cocktail bar or a client meeting
• Time needed for miscellaneous outings, like breakfast, a meeting with colleagues, or shopping

Depend on your own time frames to construct your schedule, and be honest; giving yourself 20 minutes to unwind after a flight when you know you’ll really need 40 does you no good.

UTILIZE TIME-SAVING PRACTICES

Time is perhaps the enemy of the business traveler; not having enough of it is the death knell of productivity for many of you who are constantly on the road.

That’s why finding ways to maximize the amount of time you have to commit to task-completion during your trip is so beneficial.

Waste less time on useless tasks that you can simply pay someone else to do. Don’t rent a car and then spend hours each day sitting on the interstate or hustling the congestion during rush hour; book a reliable car service with a chauffeur to handle the driving. With someone else behind the wheel, you can utilize your commutes for more fruitful purposes, like answering emails, working on presentations or squaring away your points for a client meeting.

Don’t squeeze menial tasks like picking up dry-cleaning and hunting for a great restaurant into your schedule; research and hire a reputable concierge service to do these things for you. When you aren’t trying to compound multiple tiny, yet time-consuming tasks into the span of your trip, you can focus on what really matters in the scheme of productivity.

You might even find time to kick back and relax a little more, too.

Productivity can be elusive, but with the right planning and intuition, your 2015 business travels can be the most productive you’ve ever had.

photo credit: nan palmero via photopin cc