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11.24.2015

When the Travel Stops

Travel freeze. In corporate terms it is the equivalent of being grounded as a teenager. Don't go anywhere. Save money. Work from home. Sell, sell, sell just from your desk virtually. It happens. But when your job is all about travel and you are suddenly told to not travel what happens to you as a person.



It's been 26 days since my last flight. I may be twitching a little bit. I slept in my own bed for 19 nights in a row. That is an all time record since starting this job. I drank more coffee than usual and less water which resulted in a lot of 3am emails and lunchtime power naps. I learned some major things about myself.

1- I work better in public. I have always suspected this. After years of setting up shop wherever I am for work I need the hubbub around me. Right now I am in a coffee shop at Houston Hobby with my headphones firmly planted in my ears and I have finished 2 reports, 13 emails and 3 articles. During the time at home I determined that the cost of the latte and a gluten free cookie at our local coffee shop was worth the price of productivity.

2- Despite my protests I am actually a morning person..... if I can get myself up. When your commute is down the stairs to your office the day can start a little later but for me it comes with a cost. If I start early and plow through the work it gets done. If I wait till "starting time" it takes me longer to get going. Structuring my day around when I work best has been key in keeping up.

3- I know very little about my own town. One of my first days home I drove my daughter to school. It was maybe my third time doing so this year. I wanted to head to a coffee shop that I had never tried but passed frequently. I had to use Google Maps for directions. That was a wake up call. We moved here almost a year ago and I need to put a little more effort into learning what is available to me. Since I drive to a city 30 minutes away for most box store errands I hadn't spent time driving our streets.

So even though the travel has started back up a bit as meetings get booked I am trying to hold onto these 3 things and am looking forward to reorganizing my home office a bit to be a better fit for when I am home. What are your best office organization tips?