With today’s technology, business on the move can be as efficient as business procedures in the office. The use of cloud technology, WiFi and data roaming allows a business traveller to stay productive; the trick is a tiny bit of preparation and for you to follow these six top tips.
Have a backup for WiFi
Most trains and airports will offer a WiFi service but this can often be painfully slow, paid for or non-existent. This can therefore put all your planning to waste and negatively affect your productivity. Always have a backup option such as a bespoke data roaming service to ensure you stay connected. A slow connection may drive you nuts watching a file upload, or emails download, or a web page open incredibly slowly.
You can of course work offline. Many project activities and planning tasks can be typed; you could also pre-plan and save any webpages you might need to read to an app called Pocket. Here you can read them on the move without needing an internet connection (but you won’t be able to click on any of the links).
Get peace and quiet anywhere
Travelling around means time spent in the company of other people. This may be a noisy crowd; loud chattering, music playing, children screaming, etc. If noise levels mean you can’t concentrate, maybe you should invest in some noise-cancelling headphones. If you need to call a client amidst a noisy environment, you will be glad you made this investment! You need to be focused to stay productive and as you cannot predict the noise levels of crowds on public transport its best to be prepared.
Power in your pocket
Charge any devices fully before leaving your home or office. These days, the average business traveller will have at least two devices: a smartphone, tablet, or a laptop. While trains and airports have sockets for charging devices, it’s always good to have a backup power bank charger to ensure you can recharge your devices if you happen to run low on battery somewhere where there isn’t a socket (or you forgot your plug adaptor).
Organise your workload
Section your to-do list into bitesize chunks and allocate when these tasks would be best completed, for example, what is most convenient for you to do on the plane? While you have internet access at the airport what should you make sure you complete? If you order the list by where you will be when you are travelling (ie on way to airport, at airport, on plane, at hotel etc) you can make sure that everything is done and that there are no hiccups along the way. This will ensure you are calm, productive and therefore in the best state of mind to achieve great things!
Organise your itinerary
You can use an app like TripIt to organise your itineraries including flight details and hotel details etc so you know where you need to be and what you need to do. This saves fuss searching through all your papers and documents. Add important details to the calendar entries such as phone numbers and addresses so you minimise any faffing.
Take a break
We all operate at our best when we relax so ensure you take a time out occasionally. Go for a walk, watch a movie or read a book to make sure you stay happy and positive as it’s this state of mind that will ensure you will get the most amount of work done.
Further reading on working practices
