Get work done on the road

Cars, trains, buses, planes. They all trap you in a small environment for extended periods of time. Then you have to transfer among them all with heavy suitcases. That adds up to fatigue and poor health that can affect your performance. This video shows ways to lessen those effects and make your transit time an asset, not a liability. First, let's look at some of the obstacles you'll confront. The first two problems are lack of power and lack of reliable internet. Planes and trains around the world have added internet service, although you might have to pay for it. Check the travel company's website before going, or rather check the specific flight or ride you'll be on, because it's common for some trips to have WiFi while others don't. And even if you've confirmed that it's on your flight or ride, I've often found in-vehicle WiFi to be unreliable, slow, or sometimes just broken. Power outlets are even dicier, because it's expensive for them to install power to every seat. Two other challenges in transit are space and motion. If you've ever tried to unfold a 15 inch laptop on an airplane's tray table, you know all about the space problem. And try to read or type on a bouncy vehicle can literally make you sick. Finally, there's the problem of stability, by which I mean you might not have enough time to get anything accomplished before needing to board or transfer or leave. So how do you deal with these issues? First, move as much work as possible to the good old-fashioned technology of paper. If I have a stack of tasks to accomplish, I use my travel time mostly to read and understand rather than research and create. Print out the documents ahead of time, possibly in larger than usual print to compensate for motion and uncertain lighting conditions. And if you do have something on your device, know how long its battery will last and when you'll be able to recharge it and plan accordingly. Lastly, scale your expectations realistically. Try as hard as you can not to do essential last-minute work when traveling or to work from the beginning to the end of your voyage. Even if you have perfect conditions with power and internet and space, working in transit is naturally more exhausting than working at a quiet and stable desk.