Do you need to close your office door, turn on a white noise machine, and have a steaming cup of coffee at your elbow to be your most productive? If you’ve ever attempted to type up a report sitting on an airplane, you know that the ideal set of circumstances for productivity can be hard to come by. If you tend to travel frequently for business, however, you likely know just how helpful those extra hours of work can be. Whether you routinely fly across the country or around the globe, those hours in flight are a golden opportunity to get work done without interruption. Start with these suggestions to maximize your productivity while traveling.
Schedule Your Time
If you are regularly in communication with others on your team, those hours spent at the airport and on the plane can not only affect your own time, but that of your teammates as well. Put your trip on the team calendar, but also be sure to clearly communicate with your team any times you won’t be reachable, like when your plan is in the air. Doing so will give your coworkers a chance to ask questions, clarify things, and otherwise prepare for your absence. This will, hopefully, cut down on questions that interrupt your trip, but it can also help minimize any down time for your coworkers, as well.
Collaborate at a Distance
There are an abundance of different software options out there to help groups work together without actually meeting in person. The Google suite of office products allows you to build the documents you need, share them, and make suggestions or changes from afar. Just remember to put any of your necessary documents in offline mode before you get on the plane or you won’t be able to access them.
We also suggest an online planning program like Trello. This allows you to create projects, assign groups, schedule tasks, share resources, and otherwise coordinate everything with your team. These online programs work as a personal assistant, a color-coded calendar, and a catchall place for your notes and reminders. VPA (virtual personal assistant) software can also help keep your team on track and connected while you’re away.
Instant messaging and video call applications can also be an invaluable way to stay in touch while you’re away on business. Bring multiple people into a conversation, bounce ideas back and forth, and work through any problems that may problems arise—all without sending your cell phone bill through the roof.
Get Working
The other big issue that gets in the way of productivity is a bit harder to work around, and that’s your own mind. When you’re at work, at your desk, it’s easy enough to buckle down and get to work. But when you’re on a plane, surrounded by a crowd of noisy people, it can seem a lot easier to pop in your earbuds and watch the in-flight movie. In this sense, one of the best ways to improve your productivity is to be realistic about what you’re likely to do. If you know you’re likely to get too distracted to do much, it may be better to simply accept that and use your in-flight time to read a book, relax, or potentially catch some sleep. Or, if you need to work but you know you’re likely to get distracted, find ways to help put yourself in work mode. Be sure you have access to all the digital information you’ll need; pack plenty of paper, pens, and highlighters for your notes; and find a way to block out the noise around you through earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones. Mid-flight can actually be a perfect time to send emails in offline mode or read through something without interruption, assuming the person next to you isn’t a chatterbox.
Stay Connected
In the modern professional world, more and more of our resources have gone digital. While this generally makes it easier to share ideas and collaborate across long distances, it can be a hindrance when you can’t access anything you need to. Sapphire Mobile Hotspot is a wireless internet hotspot device that allows you to get internet wherever you go, whenever you need it. And, thanks to our virtual SIM card technology, this pocket-sized device can get you online easily, even as you hop from one country to the next. No more worrying about data plans or finding new SIM cards at each stop! Simply turn on your Sapphire Mobile Hotspot, select the right plan, and connect to your own secure wireless signal. It’s ready to connect in more than a hundred countries straight out of the box, with no worry about contracts or roaming. Given all the ways an internet connection can impact your productivity, an easy little wireless internet hotspot can make all the difference. Learn more about Sapphire online or buy yours today!