As a Road Warrior, do you find yourself on flights frequently for work? How do you keep up with the ever changing time zones, jet lag, diet and exercise, missed/canceled flights oh my! Here are some tips and advice for you, from a Road Warrior himself:
Lets start with our ever important calendar.
Did you know with Google, you can setup your calendar to display multiple time zones so when you schedule an appointment, there is no need to guess what time it is going to be in Hong Kong or Hawaii.
No more going to the web to figure out the number of hours difference or what time it really is over there. If your customer/prospect wants to meet at 11am GMT no problem, no math involved.
And speaking of scheduling, try to schedule as many calls as possible with your current prospects or customers the week before you have to travel. Let them know you will be on the road and will get back to them as soon as you can. I also ask colleagues to back me up if something urgent comes in.
How about that jet lag, Road Warrior?
If you are anything like me there is no such thing as sleep on a plane no matter how long the flight is. So what’s a person to do?
Stay up! Drink lots and lots and lots of water during the flight(s). Stay away from alcohol on the flight and reward yourself with a nice cold drink of your choice once you land on your way out of the airport. Force yourself to stay up until 10pm wherever you are landing. Don’t check in and go straight to bed. Fight through the tiredness.
The first thing I do after checking in is take a semi cold shower and head out for a brisk walk. I find this clears my mind and energizes me. If the flight is over 8 hours, I always book a deep tissue massage the same day I land or the morning after. Someone told me this years ago when I first started flying the long-haul flights. And it works! The massage resets your body clock right away and you feel good as new.
Diet and Exercise
These are the tough ones. You know you will be going out to eat frequently. So try to mix up your meals. Eat as healthy as you can for breakfast, snacks, and lunch. Fill up on water or flavored water. Have a salad with steak, chicken, shrimp or your choice for dinner rather than a large portion plate. And don’t worry about having a few drinks. Moderation on the road is the key.
Personally I stop at the store and buy a bunch of protein bars and healthy snacks to keep on hand and I toss some in my backpack for the road.
The key to exercise for me is to make sure I walk as much as I can rather than take a cab everywhere. That means I have to get up a little earlier. And that’s OK. Walk to the subway station a mile away from your hotel. Hop off the bus, train, subway, out of the cab, at least 6 to 10 blocks away from your appointment. The point is to move!
If you find it hard to do those things, there are some great 10-minute hotel workouts that you need no gear for on YouTube. Check them out as they are a great resource!
A Road Warrior ‘s Conclusion
Finally – I know how tiring, how long the days can be, how much work you will have to catch up on, how every day seems to go on until 11pm or later, but hang in there, Road Warrior. As you go about your day from location to location enjoy the sites of the city. People watch. Try a local cuisine. If weather permits, open up your hotel window and listen to the sounds and look at the sights.
If your flight is delayed, cancelled or you missed it – it’s not the end of the world. Deep breath – let it out, relax and smile! I always try to enjoy my time wherever I end up and no matter how stressful it can be.
