Traveling for business can seem like an unwanted distraction if you have a busy schedule at the office. The good news is that you can make the whole process easier if you think ahead. You can also turn the fact that you are away from the office into an advantage. Especially if you are the business owner, traveling can open many new opportunities for your company. For instance, your company might already incorporate digital marketing strategies by hiring an agency for SEO services; however, you can also adopt a few traditional marketing methods to gain international customers, investors, partners, etc.
Moreover, the more you travel as part of your work, the more you will develop your routines to help you maximize the potential for working while you travel. If you have yet to devise your own habit, here are some tips that might help you.
Take the pressure off in advance
There is nothing worse than having to deal with tight deadlines while having to negotiate unexpected travel delays. You will usually have plenty of warnings about a business trip, so try and relieve some of the pressure before you go.
- Clear tasks with the tightest deadlines.
- If it’s not possible to clear a task, see if a deadline extension is possible.
- Work extra hours to get ahead. If it’s anything related to taxes and finance, you may get the help of Silicon Valley CFO/ consultant to get the work done faster.
- Remember to set an out of office message to explain that you are traveling so there may be delays in responding.
- If you are expecting payments for business services or need to send off money, you may want to look into ach payments processing software to have them completed electronically so you can streamline the process wherever you are.
Doing all of these things means that you can allocate the time you do have, more effectively.
Think carefully when making bookings
If you want to maximize the amount of work time that you have while traveling, you need to give some thought to the travel bookings you make.
- Have you considered time differences when booking your flights?
- Does the train you are traveling on have Wi-Fi?
- Will you be able to use hands-free in the rental car?
- Can you negotiate extra travel expenses to enable you to get a direct flight?
- Are you able to book a private jet vacations/business trips to make your flight times more efficient?
You need to maximize the amount of time you have to work, so you want to remove as many obstacles as possible.
Plan tasks accordingly
In all likelihood, you will need to plan tasks differently than normal. For instance, you could plan to take calls, hands-free, when you are driving. You could also compile long reports while you are on a flight and have no Internet access. It actually helps that you have uninterrupted time to use. When you are in the airport, waiting for your flight, use the Wi-Fi to answer emails.
Travel light to save time
Taking away as much travel hassle as possible helps you to concentrate your efforts on work. There is a current trend for minimalist travel, and traveling light can certainly make things easier for you. For instance, not having any baggage to check in makes your flying experience much simpler.
Make the most of downtime
Think about tasks that you can do when you have a limited amount of downtime. You may have calls that you need to return, or you may need to jot down some thoughts for meetings when you get back. Even walking from the hotel to the subway can give you an opportunity to dip in and out of these kinds of task.
Think about all of these tips the next time you are traveling for business. They should help to ensure that you can get more work done, while you are away.