How to make the best use of travelling time
Whether you are commuting to work by train, driving to a meeting, or catching a flight to visit clients and prospects, you must decide how best to use your travelling time. Are you going to waste it - or can you use it to catch up on your reading, your oral communication skills, or even your sleep? Whatever you decide, commuting time provides valuable opportunities to devote to personal development. Here are some ways to make the most of travelling time...
1. Develop a travelling time plan.
If your travel time (to and from work or meetings) amounts to several hours each week, you should consider a plan detailing how you can benefit from using that valuable time - or you’ll lose it. The plan need not have a work focus: recreational and relaxation activities can be beneficial but will need planning, too. Your plan may embrace a variety of activities.
2. Choose the activity to match your mode of travel.
If you commute alone by car, there are safe, work-related activities such as listening to audiotapes and audio books. If your mode of travel makes reading an option, book summaries - or the real things - will prove an invaluable source of information. There’s even value in talking to the person seated next to you - but make sure you have something meaningful to say. Communicating by interrogating (asking a barrage of questions) is a guaranteed turn-off. If you decide to use your travel time for a particular purpose, other decisions you make will be affected. For example, a car pool might be an economical way to travel to and from work, but it may prove counter-productive if you want to use travel time to be alone and to reflect on aspects of your work or professional growth and development. Conversely, a car pool can be a way of getting to know people and build better relationships. You can organise activities that help to deliver the outcomes you want from your travel time.
3. Make use of available technologies.
Portable computers and Palm Pilots are great when you’re commuting by train or flying. Even a small dictaphone is a useful tool for capturing those gems of wisdom or for dictating drafts of letters or memos to staff. At least keep a notepad and pen at the ready to ensure that valuable ideas and brainwaves aren’t lost.
