Business Time Travel Management

I am sorry to disappoint, but this short article will not solve the mystery of time travel.

As I was wrapping up a session with a client I asked, “What else can I do to help you with your time management and productivity?”

They answered, “I am traveling later this month and I could really use help understanding how I can manage my time better when I travel.” That was an excellent request.

Business voyages are as diverse as the job tied to those trips, so each person must adapt accordingly.

If you travel at all for work, you know the special challenges being out of the office and away from home brings to your life. Business journeys consist of airports, crowds, flight delays and cancellations, rental cars, parking, all day conferences, business meals, client engagement, meetings, late night follow-up, and poor sleep. All this to be repeated each day you travel.

Business voyages are as diverse as the job tied to those trips, so each person must adapt accordingly. Having said that, consider the following actions if you travel frequently or will be heading out on your next venture.

Trip pre-plan and then time pre-plan

Typically, people organize the tactics and logistics of the trip well. Ensuring to book the flight, rent the car, get the hotel room, secure the meeting space, confirm any meetings, and review that the right equipment and materials are brought along. That is where the planning stops for many.

After the trip pre-plan is done then work on the time pre-plan by asking and answering the following:

• Where will I carve out time to check email and respond to calls?
• What do I need to do to ensure I can follow-up with others while traveling?
• How will I ensure I get enough sleep and rest?
• When will I be able to do some form of exercise?
• How will I be able to maintain healthy eating habits?

Time preplanning needs to occur right alongside the trip preplanning.

Proactively Manage Expectations

As you get closer to your trip, lay the groundwork to coworkers, supervisors and clients about your plans and general availability. Changing your email signature, email out of office response, and your voicemail message before and during the trip will set any communication expectations. Don’t be afraid to send out preemptive notices as well.

If possible, get a backup person to help field any requests or needs that can’t be handled easily while you are away. You goal is to help as many people understand your limited availability while you are on the road.

Set Boundaries

All the pre-planning and proactive work before the trip will not stop the daily activities of your job from continuing to come at you while you are on the move. Typically, business travel involves evening labor. Many people are in their hotel rooms late into the night trying and catch-up from the “normal” work.

While this necessary to some extent, prioritizing the follow-up is critical to set the correct boundaries. Do not be afraid to acknowledge general work trip interruptions with a reminder of your travel and giving a response or completion date sometime after you are done with your travel. Let the other person or persons come back to you if that does not meet their needs.

Time Travel Summary

Like I said at the beginning, if you have made it this far, you know the challenge of general time travel has not been solved. However, you can better control time when you travel by pre-planning your time before the trip, proactively let as many people know about your plans as possible and establish some guardrails around how long you need to work in the evening to keep up with the day-to-day aspects of your job.

Safe time travels.

Dave Buck?is the Chief Time Keeper of?Kairos Management Solutions .

Learn about your time management opportunities by taking and getting a free?Time Management Analysis (TMA) ?summary report.?Schedule an appointment? with Dave Buck to discuss a full time management improvement program for individuals, teams and companies.?