This has been a struggle for me all summer. You show up in Paris, and you can either sit down with your laptop or explore the Latin Quarter. Guess who wins? If you’re trying to balance travel and work (for me, writing) you might find it harder than you thought. Pre-trip, I imagined cranking out thousands of words per day while sipping espresso in a cafe. In reality, I found myself sitting on the floor in the hotel lobby, trying to squeeze out 500 words before catching my next flight. It took me a while to come up with a system, but here are some of the tips for working on the fly.
1. Know yourself. You don’t have time to be unproductive, so don’t try to force your work habits into someone else’s ideal. For me, that means working late at night. My husband, is a morning a person and in bed by midnight. It’s not unusual for me to work until 3 in the morning, because this is my most productive time. If you find yourself slogging through work and easily distracted, try cutting those hours out and focusing on the times when working comes easily.
2. Use travel time for easy tasks. Part of my work as a writer is to read. I read blogs, travel magazines, books on writing, travel memoirs, anything I can devour that will either a) tune me into current travel trends or b) help my writing by exposing me to the good stuff. I use those countless hours flying, driving, ferrying or just waiting when you travel to catch up on as much reading as possible. I will even download articles to my laptop for reading when I’m offline. If you’re just sitting there, chances are you can work on something (even if it’s writing to-do lists).
3. Use your days between trips to catch up (or get ahead). I tried to schedule a few days or a week between trips, just so I could spend full days working. After failing at this a few times, the incentive to not spending the next trip worrying about how far behind you are, is an amazing motivator to get serious on your days off.
4. Give yourself a break. I didn’t write about it here, because I was too beat. But in Croatia I was just worn out. I couldn’t write my name of if you beat it out of me. So I took 1 day off. I sat in a cafe all day and did nothing people watch and read my book. I went to bed early. I so needed this break, but up until I crashed, I was pushing so hard that I was barely productive. When you’re body needs rest, don’t fight it. You’ll be twice as productive after a good day off, you won’t actually lose any traction.
5. Cut out the things you can. I would love to spend more time promoting my work or commenting on the smart, funny or amazing things my colleagues write. I will get back to it, but when you’re on the road, there simply isn’t time for everything.
6. Create systems. Figure out ways to minimize your time doing any specific task. Check email once a day, or keep a notebook with your for ideas, or track your tasks in a spreadsheet or only write while off-line (eliminates distractions). Everyone has their own ways of working, but find those that work best for you and stick to them.
7. Be organized. Nothing will waste time faster than trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do. I keep my inbox clean of clutter, have specific folders for projects and even a naming convention for my photos. It’s a pain to always put things where they belong, but a blessing when you don’t have spend 10 minutes searching your hard drive for that photo you took last week.
I still don’t have a perfect system– let’s face it, it’s hard! What do you do to keep yourself on track while on the road?
September 19th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Christine- Thanks for this post. As a writer and editor who tends to receive more than 100 e-mails a day, I really do feel like I need to check in online at least once a day, so the only other tip I’d add to your list (for me!) is to always check ahead to determine if your intended lodging has internet access and how much it costs. There’s nothing worse, for me, than thinking that I’ll have time set aside to do some work and then find myself in a place where I can’t get online.
Julies last blog post..The Night After/La Noche Despues
September 19th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
These aren’t just for traveling
The first one is really a life long goal…know yourself.
Chad @ Sentient Moneys last blog post..Why is the Financial Meltdown Happening?
September 19th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Good advice that would work fine at home too…
jamies last blog post..God help me, I am so confused about sunscreen!
September 20th, 2008 at 10:37 am
This is one of the most useful posts I’ve read in weeks. As a full time traveller/part time writer+podcaster this is a great collection of tips.
I find there’s lots of OFFLINE time, which is difficult for me. I make use of trains and planes to catch up with reading and also replying to non-urgent emails. I normally postpone my RSS reading and emails for a day or two if I know there’s a long journey ahead of me.
I’m currently writing a book and trying to find time…amid writing for the Indie Travel Podcast and for Eurail Stories and for our personal blogs. It’s busy, time consuming and I don’t get to see everything I’d like or meet everyone I want. I’ve been to 35 countries in the last three years and have spent some days locked in a hostel with a visit to a cafe just writing or doing voice recording.
For websites and magazine-style writing, I try to batch-write publications. For example, I submit three articles a month to one site and I do them all in one go. I have just taken on the editorship of two sections at Wandering Educators and write my monthly material for that all in one go. That makes life easier and means I don’t have to try remembering what I’ve done.
For email, I suggest checking out 43 folder’s Inbox Zero system. Enough! Must go be productive!
September 20th, 2008 at 10:45 am
PS: I’ve stumbled and dugg it.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Great Tips! Considered yourself stumbled!
When I blog, I tend to go with those sudden bursts of energy that come around now and then. I then end up writing tons of content all in one day - and the week is sorted. It beats getting up at the crack of dawn and trying to write properly and not in gibberish. I also go to sleep as soon at the wave of tiredness instead of trying to fight it. I’d rather go to sleep early than wait and be tired the whole next day.
NewWrldYankees last blog post..Fresh Okra Stir Fry for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September 21st, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I definitely follow rule #1. If I don’t have it written by noon, it’s just not going to happen. Or it’s going to take twice as long to get it done. Find your in-the-zone time and stick with it!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 am
I don’t follow #7 at all but I do try to do #6. I usually try to wake up early and get things done then go out see the world. that’s my system!
Nomadic Matts last blog post..Khao Yai National Park
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Like you, what I imagined and what has actually happened don’t exactly meld. I’m thinking of this month in Sweden as a bit of a trial run to our RTW trip, and I’m realizing it’s going to be harder to get as much writing done as I wanted. So I’m doing two things: 1) Trying out different systems and schedules to see what works and what doesn’t, and 2) Tempering my expectations. I’ve decided my main goal with our trip is to travel and to experience each place as fully as I can. I will try to write as much as possible within that framework, but I’ve decided to prioritize the travel over the writing. We’ll keep up the blog for sure, and I hope to get a few articles out there, (and I’ll journal and note take a plenty) but I’m not going to really put pressure on myself to produce, produce, produce.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
What insightful tips! Sometimes I get cought up in the superwoman syndrome and can’t figure out why I can’t do everything I’m supposed to do. These are exactly the kind of points that I need to focus on. Thanks!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
The classic way to being productive while travelling is learning a language. And it is hard. I have been travelling for 7 months though South and Central America and have been to three different schools and, for me, it´s slow but rewarding progress.
At the moment I am going to a great school in Buenos Aires called Expanish (http://www.expanish.com) and I definitely recommend it.
October 11th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Christine-
This is a great post–thank you!
I AM currently sitting on a train on my way from Paris to Rouen, France and am doing a few things you mentioned–i left open my browser on my laptop with this very article so i could read it while i was on the train. And I’m answering all those pesky emails in my inbox!
I have been traveling and writing for 2 years now and still haven’t found the perfect system. It seems that each new town or lodging (hostel, hotel or couchsurf) puts me in a different frame of mind. But like one of your readers said, i try not to put too much pressure on myself and put travel first…or else I wouldn’t enjoy the trip at all.
I also find myself up at 3am, but it’s still just answering emails. What i need to learn is how to force myself to get “offline” more and ONLY write and not be distracted by emails or googling something.
Thank you!
Lisa
http://www.llworldtour.com
Lisas last blog post..Running Away?