Staying productive while on the road can seem daunting when your mind is already in vacation mode. Of course, life doesn’t stop when you are in transit. Thus, if you can do something productive before you reach your destination, it would be a plus on your side. Besides, it won’t stop you from enjoying a memorable vacation.
Tips to help you remain productive while on the go
Being productive while travelling is not as easy as it sounds. Even though you may have a lot of free time, the problem is finding a conducive environment to work or at least get to do something productive. Obviously, you have to work with limited resources, irregular schedules, unreliable internet connection and many other inconveniences. Over the same, here are amazing tips for your inspiration.
Create your space
If you are intending to finish some work when travelling, then don’t wait until you get a completely conducive environment like the one you have at home or your workplace because that isn’t likely to happen. Unfortunately, it’s upon you to create your own working space amidst the chaos. Just be creative, if you are in a plane and some toddlers three rows from yours are crying and throwing tantrums, instead of getting agitated, grab your noise-cancelling headphones or take a few minutes break. The most important thing is to set your mind on what you want to achieve before you arrive at your destination. Then program yourself towards that. At the end of your journey, you’ll realize it wasn’t as tough as you had imagined.
Allocate tasks accordingly
If you are to successfully work while on the move, then you have to be smart. Allocate tasks depending on the moment. If you have a few minutes before you alight the bus or there is a commotion on the train prioritize on the less intense tasks such as reading emails or an eBook. When you know you will be commuting for a few hours, then you can work on something dense because your mind is settled and can handle the intensity that comes with such tough tasks.
Know when you’re tired
When you are fatigued, your performance is likely to reduce to zero. That’s why it’s important to know when you are completely tired so that you can take a break. Struggling to remain productive even when you’ve burnt out will only make things worse. True productivity is knowing you have the energy to complete a task.
If you feel tired or sleepy, instead of trying to work on a task for hours, take time to rest. Do whatever that makes you happy and relaxed. Whether it’s sleeping or just staring out on the window. You don’t have to strain yourself. After you feel well-rested, you can get back to work. You’ll realize you are more productive when you are not fatigued.
Productive tasks you can do while travelling
Thanks to modern technology, with a few gadgets, you can work anywhere in the world. While it’s not every task you can perform to perfection while on the road, there are a few you can tackle and reduce your to-do list. In fact, your travel time is a huge opportunity for you to perform those tasks you have been putting off and they are now making you rag behind. Here’s how to make sure your travel time doesn’t go to waste.
Read news
You don’t have to be behind the world’s happenings simply because you are travelling. By the way, if there is a time you are supposed to be more connected with the world, it’s when you’re on the go. That’s the only way you can know the situation of your destination and if your itinerary will remain as planned. Besides, reading news won’t only keep you informed but it will also sharpen your language skills as well as enhance your vocabulary. Moreover, reading news will help you to understand other important affairs such as political, social and economic since you are now part of a larger conversation.
Read a book
If there is a good time to read that book you’ve been meaning to read for a while now, is when you are travelling. If you don’t want to bring a hard copy, download an eBook with your smartphone. Immediately you settle in the flight, bus or train, begin reading your book. With a few hours of no interruption, you’ll have read a good portion. If you don’t finish it, do the same while travelling back home. Keeping your mind occupied will make time move faster and the distances won’t feel that long.
Watch a movie
If you would love to watch movies but creating time to do so is the problem, then schedule it during your next long commute. Instead of sleeping throughout your journey, enjoy watching some movies on your smartphone or iPod.
Clear your inbox
Most probably your inbox right now has a dozen of unread emails. Use your commuting time or waiting time between flights to clean out your emails. Read those emails you have been meaning to read, reply to the outstanding ones, delete the ones you no longer need and unsubscribe to the email lists you are no longer interested in. By the time you are landing at your destination, you should be having a clean inbox.
In the same spirit, consider cleaning your entire phone as well. Put your contacts in order. Delete those apps and messages you no longer need. Regroup the remaining apps in such a way that it’s easy to access them. Putting such things in order will make things easier for you.
Research on your hustle
If you have a side hustle but currently is not doing so well or you want to make it bigger, use your commuting time to research more on the hustle and what you can do to improve it. Come up with realistic goals for your hustle and the steps you need to follow to succeed. When you go back home, implement the ideas you’ve learnt. Also, if you know people you can reach out for help during your vacation, sparing a few hours to meet them during dinner or over a cup of tea won’t ruin your experience.
Takeaway
When done right, working on the go can be as productive as when you are working in your usual workstation. More so, it can even result in better performance since the change of environment is healthy for our brains. Thus, if your last trip resulted in a ton of unfinished tasks that took a toll on you days or weeks after coming back, use the above tips to make sure this doesn’t reoccur the next time you head on a vacation. Knowing that things are in order back at home or your workplace can give you the peace of mind you need to enjoy your vacation. Further, that skill you just learnt can help you improve your life for the better.
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