Staying productive whilst travelling is not an easy feat. It is so easy to get swept up with the crazy world around you, with irregular schedules, bad sleeping habits, little to no exercise, being away from your loved ones and having increased amounts of stress can all account for being unproductive.
If you’re a traveller by profession or just love the nomadic lifestyle, you need to create your own personal portable office. With technology being the way it is nowadays, it is so easy to be productive. There are great mobile devices, data storage in the cloud; amazing data integration between devices, there really is no reason for you not to remain productive throughout your trip.
Here are some great ways to ensure that you stay productive whilst travelling…
1. Always Plan Ahead
If you know you’re going to be travelling, it is always a good idea to prioritise and plan exactly what work or things need to be done first, as well as keep all your important documents together such as your flight, reservations and contacts. If you have big projects going on, then make sure you arrange to handle them either ahead of time or once you arrive at your destination.
Once you have a clear idea of where you’re going to be and when, you can then work out what to do in your spare time, go sight seeing, meet new people and maybe go and explore the place you have travelled to.
Before leaving for your trip, ensure that you have charged all of your gadgets and gizmos, there is nothing worse then getting on a 12-hour flight and realising that your laptop has no battery and you have packed your charger in your main luggage. A very important thing to make sure is that you have Internet at your destination.
2. Synchronise All Your Devices
Make sure that you synchronise all of your devices, before setting off, this is to ensure that everything you have planned whilst you’re travelling will pop up on your phone, laptop and tablet. It is always a great idea to put important information onto paper and keep this with you at all times. Taking a hard disk is a great way to prevent losing important information, or using one can be a way of allowing yourself to work offline, without social media distractions.
3. Keep A Healthy Lifestyle
Travelling can disrupt many day-to-day processes, however your diet can change dramatically. Whilst travelling most people tend to just pick up the food that is the quickest and easiest food available, however this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good for you. Having a bad diet can effect your productivity, so making time to sit down to a healthy meal at least once a day will get you on the right path. Having a balanced and healthy diet will allow you to keep at your optimum and therefore be full of energy and productive. Don’t forget that your diet includes water, try to stay off sugary fizzy drinks and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
4. Create A Routine For The Start Of Your Day
It is surprising how productive you can be when you focus on getting your most important tasks done and out of the way first thing in the morning. Most people that travel don’t tend to get up early however an early start is a great way to remain productive throughout your journeys. It is also the best time for faster Internet as there will be lower usage, the weather is cooler (if you’re in hot climates) and your surroundings will be quieter. Early morning really is the best time to get things done. If you can get everything you need completed in the morning, this will allow for fun in the afternoon.
5. Control Your Environment
When travelling, your environment can become unpredictable and out of your control. For example; you’re on a long flight and have a list of tasks you need to get done by the end of your journey, however you’re sat next to someone who will not stop engaging in conversation with you every time you look up from your computer screen. In order to control your environment, make sure you always have headphones with you, not only will they block out surrounding noises, but also listening to music whilst working has been known to help people concentrate and focus on what you need to get done.
6. Make Time For Yourself
With the hustle and bustle of a traveller’s life and being as productive as you can throughout the day, time for yourself seems to just fall by the wayside. Once you have completed all you have to do for the day, why not make time for yourself? Always make sure you have time set aside to enjoy yourself, relax and explore your surroundings.
7. Have a Contingency Plan
When travelling you need to be ready for pretty much anything. Unfortunately, things do happen, flights get delayed, plans change etc… With changing plans, this can create quite a bit of spare time, if you are not prepared, this can lead to unproductivity and therefore frustration. In order to prevent this from happening, make a list of all the things that are not high priority, but need to get done at some point. This is a perfect way to fill up your spare time doing something that is proactive.