Technology makes it possible to live and work anywhere.
Busy professionals and digital entrepreneurs have ever growing to-do lists. This often makes it necessary to make the best use of travel time for getting things done. In fact, technology has completely changed our expectations of what’s possible with respect to staying productive while working from the road.
Clients, customers, business partners and your team all have a vested interest in your productivity. Your family and significant others do too. The more work you finish in what otherwise would be lost time, the greater the chance you’ll be able to spend more time with them when you get back home!
And, when you have deadline-oriented work, you can reduce work-related stress by using all your available time wisely. This often means continuing to work while on the road and in the air. Even if all you’re doing is using that time to think strategically and plan your next move, product or service, it’s time well spent.
Years ago, when I was travelling all over the world meeting with clients and speaking at events, the technology for staying connected and in touch did not exist. Books were my in-flight occupation of choice. But things have changed remarkably. Now it’s possible to join a conference call from the airport lounge and work on email offline from the air. Reading for pleasure while travelling is a conscious choice now.
Uninterrupted time is precious. Used well, it can mean getting a lot done before even reaching your hotel room. It used to be you’d finally get to your hotel only to have another few hours of work ahead despite being tired from travelling. Maybe it still does. But, typically, it’s by choice and not because you weren’t able to work from the plane or while stuck at the airport waiting for a delayed departure.
Working from the road is different now
Of course, getting work done while in transit comes with its own challenges. Access to reliable internet services and the interruption of familiar routines can disrupt your best intentions. Still, most digital entrepreneurs come fully equipped with the will to find a way.
It’s not uncommon to see us posting to social media channels while waiting for our flights or standing in line. Nobody wants to return from a business trip and have to spend an entire day dealing with email and other messages that accumulated while we were out of the office.
With wi-fi access in hotel rooms and from public spaces, communication backlogs are really a thing of the past. And, since so much can be handled right from a smartphone or tablet, it’s easier than ever to keep up with demand.
Today, co-working spaces are increasingly made available in airports, libraries, hotel rooms and by enterprising entrepreneurs. Finding a comfortable place to work is much less of a challenge. Any disturbances that continue to threaten your productivity can be managed with a good set of headphones and music specifically designed to help you focus on the task at hand. You don’t always have to be in the office to get great work done!
Whether or not this is a good thing is debatable. It’s easy in today’s scenario to forget the importance of providing for restorative rest and relaxation. When racking up those travel miles, remember that downtime is as important to your productivity as working efficiently from the road. Possibly even more so!
More next time. Until then, remember to LOVE YOUR WORK, whatever it may be.
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