Business travel can be stressful and time consuming, but it doesn’t mean you can’t remain productive. In addition, business travel is a necessary part of keeping your company lucrative and profitable. Statistics say that for every business that spends $1 on travel, they will make a return of $12.50 in increased revenue. Up to 48% of business professionals spend their time on the road or in the air. Yet, there are a number of ways to get distracted from the task at hand, from plane travel time, bad weather, and even across-the-board transportation delays. Luckily, with the advent and rise in popularity of smart phones and other technological advances, it has never been easier to stay productive. Here are some ways to remain productive during business travel.
- Exhaustion and sleep deprivation can be the number one killers of worker productivity during business travel. Whether it’s the time zone changes, red eye flights or unexpected delay, you can pretty much guarantee that you won’t get enough sleep. However, getting enough shuteye is crucial. One of the best ways to rest during business travel is to always take advantage of the moments of downtime. This can be while you are waiting for a plane to board, while its taxiing the runway, in the back of a cab or even going to sleep the night before 1 hour earlier.
- Another great way to remain productive is to cut out all the unnecessary distractions. Traveling can be full of distractions, from arguing people, loudspeaker alerts and notices at the airport, and the dreaded crying baby on the plane. One of the best ways to block out distractions is to have a good, quality pair of earphones and putting on a white noise soundtrack or perhaps some soothing, non-lyrical music.
- And one of the best ways to remain productive is to start planning in advance for your business trip. Book your ticket and hotel way in advance so that you can get rid of the stress of having to deal with those little hiccups that happen when you wait until the 11th hour to do things. Also, this is a great way to save money.
- It is also important that business travelers organize their schedules. Having a meticulously organized schedule can afford you many more hours for productivity. Surely you will have a lot of work to catch up on, so why not organize your schedule so that you can complete it while you are on the road or in transit.
- Lastly, a great way to stay productive is to carry around a notepad and a to-do list everywhere you travel. Constantly keeping on track of all the tasks that you need to complete will keep you focused and less distracted. Make sure that you find a notebook small enough to keep inside your inside suit pocket or carry-on bag. The key is to carry your list everywhere you go. You want to make sure to cross off all the completed items so that you maximize your productivity.