Why I love working on airplanes

I used to hate working on airplanes. Timing transportation, navigating security, and sitting wedged between two strangers induced a sense of dread that I combatted by only partaking in calming airplane activities like watching terrible movies and playing Sudoku.?

Something shifted when Covid hit, and my days went from two-three in-person meetings with a lot of “heads down” time to eight-hours of back-to-back Zoom calls. And I still needed to manage employees, approve transactions, provide strategic planning documents, respond to emails... you get the idea. It felt like a never-ending deluge of screen time with no opportunity to carve out time to actually push out deliverables.??

Flash forward to March of 2022, when in-person meetings were a thing again and I found myself trying to catch up on two years' worth of business travel and on-site manager visits. Suddenly and totally unexpectedly, airplanes have become my refuge. At cruising altitude, I have uninterrupted periods of time that allow for deep thinking, strategic planning, and, cough, newsletter writing. I can’t Zoom or answer calls and I’m not being bombarded with requests from my kids to help them find various pieces of misplaced sports gear.??

I am not the only person who loves working on planes. I’ve recently learned that there is a fandom who will vociferously argue the merits of working on planes including my colleague Casey Shultz who recently shared her passion for working on airplanes with the Wallstreet Journal. This inspired me to identify the unique components of flying that make me a super productive worker while on a plane.?

1. Limited Distractions?

Airplanes offer a controlled environment with significantly fewer distractions than most other settings. I value the time I am midair and not receiving an onslaught of emails, texts, and Zoom messages from my team and family. Putting my phone in “airplane mode” is a gift from the productivity gods.??

2. Structured Time Blocks?

The nature of air travel, with its scheduled takeoffs, landings, and in-flight periods, provides a natural structure for managing time. This is especially helpful when trying to get a single project done on a flight. I’m usually able to write about 90% of a newsletter on a three-hour flight with notations on where I need to go back and add supporting links and documentation.?

3. Heightened Attention Span?

The ambient brown noise and gentle vibration on an airplane, created by the steady hum of the engines, can have a surprisingly calming effect on me. As soon as we arrive at cruising altitude, I feel myself slide into “the zone” and I can maintain a deep focus for most of the flight. Fun fact, according to Sciencenotes.org there are about half a dozen colors of noises ranging from white to purple.??

4. Reduced Decision Fatigue?

All day long I am constantly making decisions about team management, the Foundation’s investment portfolio, long-term strategy, who to respond to on email, what I'm going to feed the kids for dinner, etc. From the time I wake up to the time I go to bed my mind is going a mile a minute. Spending a few hours on a plane is like a spa day for my brain. I usually only work on one project and that’s all I think about until the wheels touch down.?

5. Physical Separation from Routine?

Working on an airplane physically separates me from my regular environment and routine. This change of scenery helps break the monotony and potentially reset any negative associations I have with my usual workspace. At the home office, teenage boys crash through the front door on the way to the fridge. At the office office, it's a sweltering 90 degrees. The venue shift on the plane can lead to a fresh perspective and renewed motivation, boosting creativity and productivity.?

6. Limited Connectivity?

While many flights now offer Wi-Fi, it's often slow and limited in scope. This lack of high-speed internet access can be a blessing in disguise for those of us who are often in back-to-back Zooms all day while managing our exploding email inboxes. Disconnecting from the digital world can encourage deeper engagement with tasks and minimize the urge to constantly switch between activities.?

If you've read this far and you're asking yourself, "But how do you get work done on an airplane?" Kara Cutruzzula shared some insights with The Points Guy and Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth have a pretty funny Freakonomics podcast episode discussing airplane productivity and etiquette.

The absolute best perk from becoming more productive on planes happens when I land. I no longer feel stressed by the loss of several hours of work time, and I’m not wound up in knots by an irritating seat mate. The deep focus time means I don’t notice much around me – as a hypersensitive person, this is a real game changer in the way-too-close-for-comfort aircraft setting. I step off the flight with a calmed mind, feeling a real sense of accomplishment at the tasks completed. And having used the time on the flight as fully as I can, I’m in a way better head space to crush a bunch of on-site manager meetings or navigate a tricky commute through a new city.??

So, do you prefer to work on airplanes or relax and take advantage of the in-flight entertainment? Did I miss any glaring airplane productivity benefits? Do you have a funny airplane story that you’d like to share in the comments? I’d love to read it!?