LiveWorkBalance

(Note, this post was nearly titled “Just because it’s wide and flat doesn’t mean it’s easy to balance on the road . . . thankfully that looked way too long in the title box, and I felt a little pity for those who may type in permalinks manually . . . )

Several months back, I wrote a pair of articles on working work-life balance into the occasional business trip. That’s all well and good, but what about if you travel more often?

This post was started while I was sitting in my hotel room on my sixth business trip in less than two months, also my third in three weeks, each taking anywhere from two days to a little over a week.

Travel, especially if it’s not a primary function of your job, impacts your work-life balance in all areas of your life. You lose both days in the office and evenings at home. Other than just the stresses some experience from a change in environment, we’re suddenly faced with less time to do more.

So how can we make the most of this time, still be productive, and not come home to a pile of work that just extends the craziness?

Ounce of prevention (or 28.35 grams, for those of us who are metrically inclined)

Now, I can only speak for myself, but I can say that I have a few different kinds of work. Some of it requires multiple files from the massive archive cabinet down the hall, access to the network drives, and perhaps a full keyboard and mouse setup for working with spreadsheets or graphics. Other work, however, can be done with just my laptop, or with a pen and a sheet of paper. Several days before a trip, take a look at your action lists and try to roughly group your work according to these constraints (if you’re a GTDer, this may already be done for you). In some cases, you may even be able to move work from the first group to the second through downloading, saving, copying, or scanning files you may need to reference.

By doing this you set yourself up for better productivity while on the road, and thus lessen the chances that you’re caught with something urgent that you can’t do, or that you’re left completely unproductive while away.

Cell phones are your friend

Whether you forward your office phone to your mobile or not, cell phones can be a great things when on the road. And it’s not just a matter of staying in touch with the office to make sure you’re up to date on the latest hubbub, but it can also be a great way to make use of the downtime while waiting for connections, taxis, or anything else. Making a few appointments, whether business or personal, can be a great way to knock a few things off your to do lists with a minimum of required equipment.

Also, before travelling, be sure to subscribe to flight updates for your Blackberry or cell phone. Most of the major airlines or travel providers will email, SMS or call you if there have been delays, cancellations, or any other changes to your itinerary. Knowing that you’re connection has been cancelled before you even take off can give you a leg up on making alternate arrangements.

And let’s not forget the fact that it’s also nice to be able to hear a friendly voice on the phone. Business travel can be a very solitary experience, with dinners for one and solo sightseeing. Being able to chat with your loved ones at the end of a long day can be a huge benefit.

Out of Office Replies

This largely boils down to setting expectations. If you’re out of the office, and nobody knows it, then the expectations they place upon you are based on the thought that you’re in the office.

Setting your email and voicemail out-of-office replies with realistic data as to when you’re returning and what to do in the meantime can help mitigate the sometimes massive deluge of work waiting in your inboxes when you return from your trip.

Support Networks

This can be key, but isn’t necessarily something that can be thrown into place overnight before catching your 5AM taxi to the airport. But by being proactive and building connections with key people, you can make sure that your responsibilities are taken care of even if you’re not there to do it. This can be anything like sending out daily project updates, or just properly planning the weekly carpools to get the kids to practice. This can remove a lot of stress, and thus makes maintaining balance that much easier.

Balance begets Balance

Balance when traveling presents its own set of challenges, but there are things that you can do to offset them. By taking a little extra time, you can make sure that your commitments are going to be met while you’re gone, and you’re not going to return to (as big of) a pile of work waiting for your urgent response.

Do you have any other tips for making the best of balance while on the road?

Cheers,

Adam

Posted on April 16th, 2008 under General • Tags: tips, travel, work-life balance. •  Print This Post •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback