Why not make the most of travel time?

Last week, we looked at how you can?get in the zone for meetings?by managing your diary. Today, we’re focusing on ways to make the most of travel time when attending in-person client meetings.

With reports suggesting that business trips will begin?returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, we can expect to spend a greater portion of our days travelling to and from appointments.

Many of us, faced with a long train journey, will either frantically try to get on top of our emails or stare blankly out of the window. While you can still enjoy the scenery or an inbox spring clean for part of the trip, it’s also helpful to set aside some time to focus on the meeting ahead. You could try:

• Writing a list of questions outside the scope of the current project, so you can better understand the client’s overall business goals.
• Reviewing the latest news and updates in the client’s sector.
• Checking mutual connections that you have with the client.

On the return leg, you may want to debrief with colleagues or write up notes while the meeting is still fresh in your mind.

Travel time doesn’t have to be ‘dead’ time – by making conscious decisions about how to spend the journey, you can feel better prepared to meet clients.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

Ursula K. Le Guin

Originally published here.