A long flight is an opportunity to rest, sleep, and meditate. For the business professional, it’s also an opportunity to remain productive. It’s not one long flight; it’s two. You fly to the destination and back to your starting point. Thus, it’s two occasions to take care of a few business activities and relax.
Here we list seven things to keep you busy during a long flight.
1. Prepare for Your Meeting or Presentation
If you fly to your destination on a red-eye flight, you should sleep. Those who find that sleep evades them or fly during regular business hours can stay busy preparing for their meeting.
When your purpose for the trip is a presentation, use the time to finalize it or practice. It would be best if you arrived ready to hit the ground running when you travel for business.
Review your notes, run through the presentation in your mind, and anticipate your audience’s reactions.
2. Read a Book
You are reading benefits the business professional. Pick up an autobiography, biography, or book that covers current trends in your field. You can also pick up a book on a topic that interests you.
If you don’t know where to start, consider picking a book from the bestselling list of all time, such as Don Quixote, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Fellowship of the Ring.
3. Clean Up Your Phone Contacts
In the course of business, you accumulate contacts. You collect business cards, email addresses, and digital contact information. However, you don’t often receive the time to organize them.
A long flight is a good opportunity to organize your contacts on your smartphone. All business professionals benefit from networking. It’s a great way to find mentors, future business partners, and peers in your field.
As you organize your contacts, consider touching base with them. Customer relationship management tools benefit small and midsize companies. They also benefit individuals and sole proprietors. CRMs target the sales pipeline. But they’re great for following up with contacts too.
Acknowledging someone’s birthday, career milestone, or new business venture goes a long way.
4. Assess Your Career So Far
If you prefer to do some thinking while you’re in the friendly skies, spend the time assessing your career so far. Those who have reached the executive level feel like they’ve accomplished everything. Others continue striving toward it.
You never stop learning. You can never stop gaining new skills that help your career. Technology continues changing the business landscape.
Make a list of courses, seminars, and tutorials you can watch to help you stay sharp in your field.
5. Work on Your Expense Report
On the way back home, catch up on your sleep. You can also use the time to work on your expense report. Since your expenditures from the trip are still fresh in your mind, it’s a good time to organize the report.
Those who aren’t familiar with or need a refresher can go over their company’s reimbursement policies, including the company mileage policy. Hotel Engine offers a guide for those who need a new approach.
6. Listen to a Podcast
Podcasts became popular in 2020. Before you leave for your trip, download a series of podcasts on your favorite electronic device, so you’re ready to listen to them during your long flight.
You can listen to something completely new and outside your business field. For 2021, the most popular podcast genre is comedy. It’s followed by news and true crime.
7. Assess Your Work-Life Balance
It provides several perks and opportunities. Some individuals enjoy traveling for business. They also love their careers; everything else comes second.
It’s also essential to achieve a work-life balance.
If you’re happy with your job and current lifestyle, assess the path it’s taking you on for your future. Remember to maintain your health for the sake of your career. Aim to achieve a balance that keeps you in top shape for your career.
Conclusion
As a business professional, you remain busy. A long flight is an excellent opportunity to take care of some business and personal tasks. It’s always beneficial to stay sharp and ready. If your company places you in business class, you’ll have the legroom and amenities to remain comfortable and productive.
