Mastering Productivity When Travelling on Business

Business travel is a great way for businesses to close deals, meet clients face to face, attend conferences and networking events, as well as explore and learn about new markets. However, if you are not careful and strategic about your business trips it can become a big productivity drain. Figuring out how to be productive and balancing work and travel on a business trip is a valuable skill for business travellers.

The main way to increase productivity on your business trip is to thoroughly plan. The more planned and organised you are the less likely you are to waste time unnecessarily during your trip.

Another important way to increase your productivity is by setting boundaries between your work life and your personal life when you are on a business trip. Don’t feel obliged to attend extra meetings or social engagements, it’s important to take care of yourself on business trips so that you can fulfil the goals and objectives of the trip. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly.

Delegating tasks to others can also help you be more productive. This will also then free up time for you to focus on other important things. Using technology can also be an advantage. There are many apps and tools that can help you stay organized and productive on your journey.

Things happen and don’t always go according to your plan, therefore you need to be prepared to be flexible. A flight is delayed or your meeting being cancelled can derail your entire day, so make sure you can easily change your plans and still be productive.

Below we will look at ways you can take care of the above, and make the most out of your business trips. We want to help you master productivity so that you can come back feeling refreshed and not drained.

Mastering productivity when travelling is an essential skill that business travellers need to develop so that they can have successful business trips.

Plan and Prioritise Your Tasks

Start by making a list of all the tasks you need to complete during your business trip, these tasks can be both work-related and personal. Tools like calendars or To-do lists can help you plan and organise your tasks by category, urgency, or importance.

Once you have made your task list, you need to choose which tasks are most important or most urgent. You can prioritise your tasks by sorting them into different categories, like for example, to-do first, to-do later, delegate, or delete.

You then need to assign enough time for each task in your calendar. Google Calendar or Outlook can help you to schedule your tasks and sync them with your devices which will ensure you are always staying on top of it all. Remember to consider your travel plans when assigning time to your various tasks and make sure to leave some open time in case of unexpected delays or changes.

Keeping your colleagues informed of your progress or any issues you encounter is also important. Communicating with your colleagues and sharing your work can help you stay productive. Make sure you are updating your task list and calendar as you complete or modify your tasks so you know what has been completed and if you are on track with your tasks.

Optimise Your Travel Time

Make sure you are using your travel time wisely. Your time in a bus, in a taxi, or on a flight in between destinations is the perfect time to catch up on emails, check documents, or do a task. Using your travel time to do these things will allow you to free up more time for other activities during your business trip. This time is also a great opportunity for you to plan your itinerary, research your destination, or even get ready for your meetings. Using this time to rest is also highly beneficial and will allow you to be more productive. 

During your travel time try to minimize the noise around you as best as you can, and avoid things that can distract you from your work or your rest. Making use of headphones, or do-not-disturb modes can help you to be completely focused on the task or to ensure you rest well without interruptions. Communicating with your colleagues or clients about your travel schedule can also help you avoid unnecessary calls or messages.

Stay Connected and Communicate

Staying connected and communicating with colleagues and clients is also an important way of staying productive. As the networks are different in various countries try to find a network provider that offers plans that give you access to your phone’s data abroad without having to pay high roaming charges. You could also buy a local SIM card that will give you access to that country’s network and internet at a much lower cost than roaming.

Another option is finding a SIM card that could work in multiple different places. However, this might not be that necessary as most hotels offer free or cheap Wi-Fi to their guests, which can be extremely convenient and cost-effective. Before you start your journey check in with your hotels to see if they do have Wi-Fi so that you are prepared and if they don’t you can find another solution well in advance and don’t have to stress about staying connected in a foreign country.

While on your business trip make sure to use cloud storage so you are still able to access and share your work even if you are unable to connect to a reliable network. This will ensure that you stay productive no matter where you are.