Effective Strategies for Balancing Travel and Work

Staying connected with your team while on the road is essential for productivity, collaboration, and well-being^[8]. Choose the means of communication, such as email, instant messaging, video conferencing, chat, or project management software^[8]. Make sure you have reliable and secure access to these tools and that you and your team agree on how and when to use them^[8]. Communicate your travel schedule, time zone, and working hours to your team, and respect theirs as well^[5]. You can use team collaboration software, such as Trello, Asana, or Monday.com, to stay in constant touch with team members^[7]. Tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams offer instantaneous messaging as well as quick updates^[7]. You can keep everyone informed of your schedule, which includes the dates, will increase openness and allow for the management of expectations^[7].

Effective time management is very important, so use apps that help with everything, from navigating to managing tasks^[6]. It is also important to start each day identifying high-priority tasks to meet deadlines^[4]. Plan the tasks that need to be completed while on the plane, in a hotel lobby, or during your meeting waiting time^[6]. Set clear boundaries during your trip to maintain focus^[6]. Set up a dedicated space for work to separate it from leisure^[5]. Also, limit the number of work hours per day^[5]. To enhance productivity, remember to schedule breaks to recharge and avoid burnout^[5].

Maintaining well-being is another key strategy to balance travel and work effectively, as this supports mental health, boosts productivity, and ensures long-term well-being^[4]. Plan some you time; whether that's a workout at the hotel gym, a walk around the city you are visiting, or some relaxing time reading^[5]. Remember, what gets scheduled is what gets done^[5]! Plan planned team meetings per usual^[3]. You need to stay connected with the people who matter to you^[5]. Use technology to keep in touch with your family and friends and share your experiences and feelings with them^[5]. Get creative relay different ideas to each member, take time to speak with each individual, and take away one thing from each person^[3]. Ensure you are aware of the time zone differences involved and factor these in when planning your schedule^[3]. Poor time zone management can leave you tired and stressed out^[3].

When you return from your travel, review promptly and give feedbacks to help improve their task quality^[1]. It is very important to review as promptly as possible and give feedbacks to help improve their task quality and also reduce your own micromanaging^[5]. Review the tasks and deliverables completed during your travel, and ensure nothing was overlooked^[1]. You should ask for feedback on the communication process while you were away and discuss what worked, what didn’t, and why^[5]. Make sure to show appreciation for your team’s efforts and acknowledge their contributions and cooperation^[5].

Consider alternative work schedules for those who can’t work within the regular Monday to Friday, five day workweek^[2]. They desire flexibility above all else in their schedules and can take up an alternate work schedule through the second shift, night shift, or by working on weekends^[2]. The 4-day workweek condenses the traditional 40-hour, 5-day workweek into four days without reducing pay^[2]. This arrangement can boost productivity, reduce burnout, and improve work-life balance^[2]. Many companies are adopting the concept of part time work, where the job is delegated to team members who work for fewer days or hours than their full-time colleagues^[2]. In addition to a part time schedule, advocate partial retirement or phased retirement for older employees, which cuts short their full-time work and allows them to work from home^[2].