Whether you are a seasoned business traveller or off on your work trip, there are always ways you can increase your productivity. Being prepared mentally, physically, professionally, practically and technologically will ensure your next business trip is successful in every way.
Mental Preparation
Consider this: Your organization is paying money for you to represent the business outside the office. It’s not scouting out the best bars in the city you’re traveling to. It is preparing for local conditions. Understanding the locale will help you build productive relationships. Productive relationships will increase the productivity of your trip. Mentally preparing yourself may be as simple as contacting a travel management company like FCm Travel Solutions , to prepare the backbones of your trip, so you can focus purely on your workload.
Physical Preparation
Ever hosted employees from interstate offices who turn up in the morning tired from a late night of entertainment? Endearing, isn’t it? You certainly don’t want to be that guy! Seasoned business travelers will attest to keeping consistency between home and on the road. Keep your sleep, exercise, eating and drinking habits the same. Keep yourself internally fresh and you will be able to undertake business in a more productive manner.
Professional Preparation
It’s integral to have all your professional resources ready when traveling. Use transit time to prepare for a presentation, or finalize that report. Chat to your peers on how they prepare themselves professionally. Don’t be scrambling around your hotel room looking for the report you thought you packed or the USB with your Power-Point presentation! You don’t like your time being wasted when others are ill prepared for a meeting. You have been selected to travel because of your skills and expertise. Your trip will be more productive if you have prepared professionally in every way.
Practical Preparation
Practical preparation is one of the easiest things to get right, but one of the most time-wasting things to get wrong. Make yourself a categorical list of everything you need! By being practically prepared, you’ll be more productive. You can even go as far as to make a list for your lists! Avoid any unnecessary time-wasting reactive activities and focus on the task at hand.
Hiring a car, while you are on a business trip would be a great idea. Hire-brid have a range of cars for you to choose from
Technological Preparation
Have you sat in presentations where the hapless facilitator wastes your time? Before you travel, investigate the technological environment you are heading to. What’s the hotel WiFi situation? What’s the technology like in the office you’re headed too? Will you be able to link up with your office LAN? Will you need to bring your own equipment? Anticipate any issues ahead of time, so you can prepare for them. When you are prepared technologically, you are more productive.
Have you found this article helpful for increasing your own productivity when traveling for business? Do you have any of your own pearls of wisdom you can add to increase productivity during business trips?