This week I’m hanging out in Boston, and the picture above is from an evening stroll I took at Jamaica Pond.
With all my travels this year, you might be wondering how do I stay on top of running my company Femgineer?
Well, that’s exactly the question a mentee of mine, Gigi, asked recently!
Gigi writes:
Hi Poornima,
I noticed that you write your weekly newsletter, create video tips for your books, and still have time to make it to our weekly meetings, all while you’re on-the-go!
I’d be curious to learn a tip or two from you because I’m getting ready to do a fair bit of traveling myself.
In the past, I’ve always created excuses for myself like “Oh there’s no internet here….” Or, “Ugh I’m just too tired from the flight.”
I end up procrastinating, the work piles up, and then I feel too overwhelmed to get it all done.
Exercising helps me stay sane and creative, but I find it really hard to do while traveling.
I’ve come to the realization that while I want to travel and love discovering new places and cultures, travel zaps my energy, creativity, and productivity, but it seems to do the opposite for you.
How do you do it?
Sincerely,
Gigi
Practice working through the interruptions and sticking to your deadlines
Getting work done while traveling can be a challenge. I’ve had my fair share of flight delays, crappy internet connections, and of course jolly ol’ jet-lag.
These interruptions can wreak havoc on your productivity. Keep reading to learn why routines are important for your life.
But the best way I’ve learned to overcome them is by creating deadlines for the tasks that are due, and holding myself accountable to meet those deadlines no matter what!
For example, my weekly newsletter goes out on Wednesday mornings at 8am PST pretty much every week, unless I’ve purposely planned to take the week off.
Adhering to the deadline means I have to get the newsletter written, edited, and scheduled by Tuesday evening at the latest, no matter where I am in the world.
I’ve been through enough travels that I’ve gotten better about anticipating delays and interruptions, which is why one of my favorite places to write is on a flight. There are pretty much no interruptions, and I don’t need the internet to write or edit.
I also create deadlines for myself where other people have to hold me accountable such as my teammates, which acts as another great forcing function to get things done.
It takes more energy to create excuses
I’ve noticed that creating excuses instead of completing a task ends up zapping my energy. The reason it zaps my energy is because it’s more effort to create an excuse, find something else to do and then grovel with myself over the guilt.
Most of the time we’re tempted to come up with an excuse because of the mental hurdle to doing a particular task, especially when we’re not in our normal environment or feeling uninspired. Getting into a creative task such as writing can be a challenge, but the funny thing is once you start doing just a little bit of it, momentum kicks in, and before you know it, you’re in a stage of flow.
Hence it’s much easier to do the task and feel a sense of accomplishment than spend your creative energy concocting excuses 😉
Create a regular routine to find flow
Gigi mentioned that staying healthy is a challenge.
I definitely struggled with this as I was starting to do more travel internationally. The solution I discovered was to stick to a routine. I know that seems strange because the whole point of traveling is to break from your usual routine. But I’ve noticed that the more I break from my routine, the less energy I have.
So for example, at home I have a routine of doing about 1–2 hours of work in the morning, then going to yoga or for a run. I stick to that same schedule when I’m on the go.
The novelty comes from running through a new area or taking a yoga class in a foreign language (BTW — I love taking yoga in French because it helps me learn the language). I stay healthy and on track.
Just like writing, I don’t let the change in the environment interrupt my routine. Instead, I make it a priority to create one upon arriving in a new place.
One of the first things I do in a new location is spending about 30–45 minutes figuring out how to get around, where to work, and where I can workout. Then my days are pretty much set with little variance.
I know this may sound super regimented, but most people don’t realize that the reason they don’t have energy and get fatigued is because they constantly break from their routine.
One of my favorite quotes from this week is from Veronica, a Bikram yoga instructor in Boston, “Our brain gives up before our body.”
When you don’t have a routine, your brain then has to figure stuff out what to do each day, and despite all the willpower we may claim to have, our brains tire out quickly.
When things are unknown or abnormal, we start to feel anxious, and that anxiety cripples our creativity and productivity.
But when you have a routine it acts as a mental shortcut. Your brain doesn’t have to spend cycles making a decision. It just knows what it needs to do each day. And once you have that mental shortcut you get into a flow like state faster and are able to stay productive.
Cut things out that aren’t a priority, instead of trying to cram it all in
When I’m on the road, I give myself a break to operate at 50–75%. Most times I do better than that. But it lets me manage moments when I have to deal with flight delays or lousy internet.
Having to deal with those moments can be tiring, and when they happen I’ll move things around.
For example, last week I was 15 minutes from my final destination when the train came to a stop, and then there was an hour delay. I ended up having to reschedule a call and used the time to listen to a podcast.
In the end, everything worked out.
Instead of trying to fight inefficiencies, and getting tired, I use the time to do simpler tasks.
Give yourself a break
OK, I realize I’m super regimented…
I won’t deny it, because hey I do have a company I need to run!
But you might be asking yourself, “Doesn’t creativity require spontaneity?”
YES!
I make it a point to have unstructured time while I’m on the go. My favorite break spot in Boston this week has been JP Licks. I also take weekends and evenings off, and if there is something I really want to explore or do, then I’ll plan on completing my tasks around it.
