Leestijd: 3 Minuten
According to our research, 27% of employees feel like they’re wasting time on their commute. And when you add up all the extra minutes the mobile workforce spends getting to the office, meetings and attending events, there’s a lot of lost time. The solution? Use it to get things done. Here are our favourite ways to spend travel time productively.
Create a to-do list: Get ready for the day ahead by noting down all of your priority tasks. For the most effective time planning, record how long you estimate each activity will take, and the order in which you’re going to tackle them. There are dozens of apps like Wunderlist and Evernote that are specifically designed to keep your tasks in order. If you’re driving, you can even use an app like Dragon Dictation to avoid getting distracted.
Catch up with emails: Data from McKinsey & Company shows that we spend 28% of our week reading and responding to emails. If you can use your travel time to stay on top of them, you can focus on your colleagues and key tasks when you’re in the office instead.
Build your network: If you’re always on top of your emails, your travel time could be better spent making new contacts and touching base with colleagues and clients you’ve not spoken to in a while. That could mean being more active on networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, or creating a plan for ways to expand your contact base.
Learn a language: If you travel a lot, the chances are you have international colleagues. So why not use the time to take your overseas collaborations up a level by learning their language? It can help advance negotiations and build closer connections. Try an app like Duolingo and squeeze in 20 minutes a day.
Read: Taking time out to read has many benefits. Turning to the latest thought-leadership book from an industry expert will obviously help you stay on top of new developments, but even reading a novel can have positive outcomes. Recent research suggests that reading literary fiction helps improve empathy and our ability to understand others, both of which are vital to business according to negotiation experts.
Neem uw rust: Misschien dwalen we een beetje af aangezien we het over productiviteit hebben, maar als u genoeg rust neemt, kunt u beter presteren op belangrijke momenten. Degenen die niet graag een uiltje knappen, kunnen denken aan het doen van mindfulness-oefeningen. Apps als Headspace en Personal Zen kunnen u helpen uw hoofd leeg te maken, zodat u kalmer en scherper bent bij aankomst op de plaats van bestemming.
Beweeg: Als overtollige energie een probleem is na een lange treinrit, dan u kunt misschien beter wandelend, fietsend of hardlopend naar uw werk gaan. Onderzoeken hebben aangetoond dat naar het werk lopen of fietsen bloeddrukverlagend werkt en u zelfs een productiever gevoel kan geven bij aankomst.
Welke route u ook neemt, vergeet niet: het gaat om de reis, niet de bestemming. Dus kies voor het meest aantrekkelijke pad naar productiviteit, in plaats van meer stress te creëren tijdens uw reis.
