How To Travel For Business And Still Be Productive

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"There's nothing that can ruin a schedule, suck up more time, sap more energy, and otherwise cause more chaos and problems than travel, so you must take many proactive steps to protect yourself - and your time - as best you can." ~Dan Kennedy, Businessman, Author and Speaker

Travelling can be exhausting!

I've travelled extensively for business for the last 10 years. At my peak I averaged more than 250 days a year on the road. I decided to enjoy the experience, as it was such a huge part of my life.

For me, enjoying the journey is as important as enjoying the work when I get there. Once I've checked in at the airport or packed the car I'm excited to be embarking on the journey. Travelling is tiring and sometimes frustrating and it's easy to get out of balance.

My approach to any business travel always focuses on two aspects:

Travelling from A to B as effectively as possibleTo be as productive as possible while I'm there

Today I have created a business that has allowed me to reduce my travel schedule - It's a lifestyle choice. I travel less but still use the following tips that helped me to survive during those intense travel years!

Here are some of them:

Get organised - Planning is key. My business trips are busy, but organised so I can be as productive as possible without burning out. (I learned this the hard way!) You have to be disciplined in your approach if you want to be effective.

Book in advance - Book hotels, flights, car rental and accommodation in advance -Doing it last minute is stressful!

Know WHY you're going - Get clear on your intention for the trip. What are the outcomes you'd like to achieve? WHY are YOU going?

Maximise the time while you're there - I look for opportunities to be as productive as possible enroute and while I'm in town. I try to plug in meetings with clients or contacts. Joining the dots of a trip makes you feel more in control.

Pack two days before - So you're not running around like an idiot and realising you forgot to buy stuff. Last minute packing is stressful. I've still been packing at 2 am before leaving home for a 5am start - Duh!

Plan any work you intend to do - If I'm flying or on a train I decide what work I'll do as I travel and for how long. It's amazing what you can get done if you think about it in advance!

Catch up - Planes and trains (especially on a long trip) are great places to catch up on reading and learning. I always download audios for flights.

Relax and snooze - Travel is tiring. Step away from working and allow yourself time to relax, watch a movie or snooze. It's okay to do this! Plan time to rest on an evening and times in between the working day. It's easy for boundaries to bleed away when you're staying in a hotel... You just end up working ALL the time!

Thinking time - I love flying because you get alone time where you're free from interruptions and distractions. Allow your mind to relax and wonder... I've had ideas for blog posts, workshops and even solved a pressing problem or two!

Get to the airport in good time - If you're flying, that is! So you have time to check in and relax before the flight. I usually use the business lounge to relax.

Avoid travelling in the rush hour - Avoid arriving or leaving in the rush hour. This is a time sucker and I've sometimes missed my connections.

You don't have to be first on board - Some people like pushing, elbowing and fighting their way to be the first on board a flight. Fly business class if possible - it's less stressful.

Book a driver instead of a taxi - Pre-booking a pick up sedan service is only about ?10 extra and you miss the queues at the taxi rank! The drivers are courteous and helpful. The cars are well looked after and clean too (it also stops you being ripped-off!)

Self-care all the way - I used to be the queen of timezone surfing, with little or no effect on me. As I'm getting older I'm finding that I need time to rest and recover, especially when it's a long haul trip. Allow time for this, especially when you're surfing timezones! Exercise and stretch during travelling. Use the hotel gym. I usually go there as soon as I arrive - just for 30 minutes to shake off the effects of travelling (unless it's midnight!).

Drink plenty of water - Your metabolism changes at altitude so the effects of drinking alcohol is heightened when you're flying. Avoid this if possible because it makes you feel sluggish and kills your productivity. I drink loads of water to keep hydrated as I travel.

Elaine is founder of Elaine Bailey International Ltd a company devoted to coaching busy and successful women and men into their best lives. Elaine spans the Atlantic from the UK to the USA in her life and business coaching. She is a sought after motivational speaker, whose topics include "Business or Busy-ness? Four Ways to Get Your Life Back on Purpose. Please visit http://elainebaileyinternational.com/.

How to Determine If Your Employees Have Untapped Skills

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If you were to look online for advice on how to hire the right employees for your company, you would find no shortage of information on what to look for in personality, attitude, and accomplishments. When it comes to employees you have already hired, however, there is a distinct lack of information available to help you improve and take advantage of the talent you have already hired.
Unfortunately, this means many companies just don't notice the gems they have within their employees. Even you may be guilty of this, and not even know it. Your employees may be vessels of undiscovered talent, and encouraging them to let loose and use those talents can improve your company and the way you do business.
Encouraging Your Superstars
Want to know what you can do to find hidden talents in your workers and encourage your superstars to shine? Follow these steps.
Pay Attention to Performance Reviews- When your employees take initiative or display special abilities, their talents will be obvious on their performance reviews. Take a closer look at these reviews to determine where your employees stand out. Also, have the employees rate their performance themselves and have them explain to you what areas they believe they can develop if given the chance.
Change the Way You Compliment- When you compliment your employees on a job well done, don't simply praise them. Take a good look at exactly what they did and pinpoint where the strengths were in the achievement. Then, ask them how they did it. While this may seem like more of an interview than a compliment, it can give you great insight into their process and show you exactly what they can do to improve the work habits of your company.
Analyze Their Reasons- A good manager or employer will not only know what types of tasks their employees enjoy performing each day, but why they prefer those tasks. When you analyze the reasons behind an employee's motivation, you can discover which employees work best on certain projects. For instance, if an employee enjoyed working with customer feedback on a certain project, it may be because they understood the product and had a strong affinity for it, not because they enjoyed working with surveys. By analyzing the employee's reasons, you can determine exactly where she shines and ensure her next project involves the same product.
Motivate Them- Encouraging your employees to use their hidden talents may take time a lot of work, but a good way to begin is by motivating them. Use incentives and benefits, like corporate clothing, to give them a sense of belonging, loyalty, and inspiration. Once they feel better about themselves, their appearance, and their place in the company, they are more likely work harder and be willing to use their talents. Corporate wear can provide this inspiration because it gives them a sense of belonging, improves their professional look, and makes them feel as if they are part of a company that truly cares about them.

Do your employees have untapped talents you could be using? Use company clothing, performance reviews, and shrewd analyzing skills to determine what hidden gems reside within your company.

If your company is in need of corporate clothing, look no further than Brook Taverner Corporate. Our line of corporate wear will bring an air of confidence and professionalism that will take your business to the next level. From convenient and easy to care for washable suits to a more business casual options, Brook Taverner has the look you want to project.

Project Management App - What Makes a Great Project Manager?

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AppId is over the quota

You don't have to get a degree in project management in order to use some of the basic principles for your next project. There are a few characteristics of good project managers that anyone can emulate, although it is also a good idea to have the right tools at your disposal. One of the main traits that all successful managers will have in common is that they are organized. With a project management app, you can get organized with a little bit of help. Some ways in which organization can be helpful when you are managing your next project can include keeping all of your files in one central place, for example.

It's also important to keep a calendar that you can edit whenever you need to, with the day's goals, events, and tasks. With a good project app, you can do all of this and even allow other admins to have access to your calendar so that everyone on the team is kept up to speed. Calendar management is a big part of managing any project, because it keeps everyone on the same page. The ability to conduct underlying research is another quality of some of today's best project managers.

Once you have conducted this initial research with the help of your team, you will need to make sense of the information. Some good project management app features include the ability to store and represent this information in graphs or charts. These can be created and then shared with other team members or presented to others in the company. With a firm foundation of research and an organized workload, you will be ready to proceed each day with your project feeling more confident. That is another quality of project managers: confidence.

Finally, a good manager will take communication very seriously. It's vital to be able to communicate with your team and any other parties involved when you are trying to get a big project to completion. With a management app or software program, you can receive email alerts, take part in group discussions, and store this information for later use when necessary. If you can assign tasks to your team members, they will be more likely to know what they are doing. They should also be able to get in touch with their manager whenever they have questions or updates, so the project keeps moving forward and all goals are met.

Phil E Williams trains executives in leading organizations on how to best utilize their project management app. Phil is an expert in web-based project management.