It’s Monday. It’s also the Monday after I got back from a few days away. A few very relaxing days.
I don’t want to work today. Because it’s Monday and I’d rather be on the beach. Doing nothing.
I’m all too aware that I still have to get stuff done.
I have to force myself to get into work mode. I should be happy because I am getting stuff done. But, I’m sulking because I want to wallow in “Poor me. I didn’t have enough time off.”
Sulking or not, being productive is the name of the game. If you’re interested in getting things done when you get back from a nice, relaxing vacay (sulk, sulk, sulk…), check out these four things you can do to kick your arse in gear and knock off that to do list.
1. Take your time. Don’t rush around because you might give your brain cells a fright. Don’t you know? Scared brain cells don’t function well. You don’t have to move about like molasses…just take a few minutes to gather your thoughts.
What are two or three things you want to focus on? Which ONE must you get done today? Do you need help to get it done?
Just have a sit down with yourself, cup of coffee (or water or your favorite beverage) in hand, and simply talk to yourself…figure out what you need to do.
2. Capture the important stuff. Now that your pow wow is over, put your “must get done” ideas/thoughts/to do’s on paper. Or, grab your camera phone and snap a picture of the things/spaces you want to work on. Or, enter it in your notes app on your smart phone.
Do whatever works and don’t keep everything in your head. Your brain will fool you and make you believe that it will help you remember, but it won’t. Stuff will come up and eat up your time and memory banks. Brains are tricky that way. Yes, I speak from experience.
3. Put your feet up. Don’t try to do everything all at once. You might think that your brain likes to do a gazillion things at the same time and at a constant, non-stop pace.
It doesn’t.
And, then it rebels by offing itself, a few cells at a time. This means that you’ll have less in your arsenal to get your important stuff done. Instead, take a break when you need to. Hydrate. Re-fuel. Sing a song. Do a dance. Then, get back to it.
4. Talk to yourself. Basically, you’re repeating step #1 but for the next day. What’s on tap for Tuesday? Wednesday? The rest of the week? Anything coming up that has a strict deadline?
Before you go to bed, talk it through with yourself. Jot down the super important things (this is step #2) and refine your list when you wake up. Then, go off and have yourself a productive day.
Yesterday’s blog post focused on mommy wars, but today we’re offering a little support for all moms, especially those who travel with their kidlets.
I know what I go through when I have to pack up my pooch when we’re going to visit with friends. It’s a production and I can’t imagine packing him up for a plane ride. If you replace the pet with a child, that kicks things up a notch.
This is where DeliciousBaby.com comes to the rescue. The site offers help on a variety of topics, including:
• Planning
• Travel Toys
• Preparing Kids for Travel
• Travel Documents
• Jet Lag
• Baby Proofing Hotels
Incidentally, the site was created by a woman named Debbie…nice name. ;) Check out the website and leave a comment with your tips for traveling with children.
Today’s guest blogger (who wishes to keep his identity a secret) shares great travel tips. Check them out!
Who doesn’t get thrilled on the very thought of going on a vacation? All of us do. But what are the things that you should take with you? If you are still clueless about the things that you absolutely must take on vacation, this list of items is surely going to benefit you.
You must prepare a vacation checklist before starting to pack your baggage. The quantity of things that you would have to carry depends upon whether you are going alone or taking your family along with.
Make a checklist
To streamline the process of say moving to Sydney and reduce stress, make a packing checklist for each person in your household. Each person should carry his own traveling bag or suitcase so that there is no confusion at the time of unpacking the luggage. Check items off as they are put in a suitcase to make sure that you pack everything.
Don’t pack too much
Do not stuff your suitcases with too much clothing. Pack clothing that is wearable with several outfits. For unexpected invitations, along with your casual outfits, always carry a formal dress when traveling cross-country. Pack multipurpose footwear which are suitable with many outfits and can be worn on several occasions. Carry less to travel stress-free.
Pack some warm clothes
Do not forget to pack some warm clothes, even if you have decided to spend your vacation in a not-so-cold region. You never know when you may fall ill. You may need your cozy jacket in the air-conditioned room of the hotel where you are staying while on vacation. A light fleece jacket can be worn on cold evenings, so carry it with you.
Medicines
If there are people in your family who take medicines regularly, do not forget to carry them. Do carry prescription medications in their original bottles, and remember to pack allergy medications.
Pack your camera
While moving overseas for short trip, do not forget to pack a camera so that you may capture those special moments of your trip. If you forget this item, you may curse yourself for years to come. These pictures are so fun to look at years later, and do carry some extra batteries.
Hand sanitizer and wipes
A good quality hand sanitizer is a must, especially if you are traveling with small kids. Children have this habit of creating a mess with their hands when they eat. A sanitizer makes sure that they keep their hands clean.
Don’t forget your passport and any traveler’s checks you may have. Inspect everything before putting it into your suitcase. If it’s a maybe, leave it out. Have a safe journey!
About the Author
Today’s author has been associated with removals in Sydney from a long time. Presently with his vast experience, he is helping people choose the best service provider for them for their safe and hassle free move.
Yesterday, I worked with a client who had lots to do before her upcoming trip this week. We worked on getting her ready by packing and creating a list of to do’s she has to take care of before she heads out of town. Here’s what we did…
Schedule Tasks on Specific Days
Instead of creating one long laundry list, we decided to assign each task to a specific day, with only minor, last minute things for her day of departure. That way, she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and she could concentrate on looking fabulous and feeling comfortable before leaving for the airport.
We were realistic about how much could be accomplished on each day and realized that at least one day would be a little crazy. Knowing this ahead of time will help her prepare mentally and give her the opportunity to cross something off that may not really be necessary. If nothing gets crossed off, at least there’s a nice vacation waiting…and she can always sleep on the plane.
Schedule Errands by Location
We also grouped certain tasks by location. At least 5 of her to do’s required stops that were close to each other, so all of those tasks got lumped together on the same day. It’s more efficient and definitely less stressful than having to roam about DC. There were other tasks that could be handled virtually so we planned for her to do those later in the evening (i.e., after she returned from her brick and mortar errands).
How do you get everything done before a you take a trip?
Today’s guest author, Ryan Embly, shares some tried and true traveling tips.
Today’s young travelers seem to be unable to plan and organize their vacations without the help of at least three different gadgets – what a difference from the days before it practically became a requirement to own a cellphone. If you prefer to kick it old school while making travel arrangements rather than join the technological age, here are some organization tips for you.
1. It’s easy to get confused and disorganized when shopping around for things like airline tickets, hotel reservations and tickets for tourist attractions. If you’ve just called six different hotels that all quoted you different prices, it’s unlikely you’ll remember which hotel goes to which price.
When calling multiple locations, make sure to write down the name, phone number, price quoted and other useful information. Make sure to write this information down even if you don’t think you’re going to use it. Far too often people have neglected to write down information that at the time seemed useless but later became valuable. For example, if you are looking for a cheap hotel but the lowest price you’ve come across so far is still too expensive, keep that information because, for all you know, that is the lowest price available and it will be a real hassle to have to dig up that information again after you’ve made ten other phone calls.
2. Writing up a packing list will help you kill two birds with one stone. A list is useful to have when you are packing so that you don’t have to spend time digging through your dresser figuring out what to bring. A list will also help you when you are packing to go home so you can run through it to make sure that you have packed everything you brought with you and there’s nothing hiding under the hotel room bed for you to accidentally leave behind.
3. Write down all your contact information neatly and store it all in the same place. You can buy yourself a little address book to keep all the information in. You should write down the number of your hotel, airline, car rental agency, travel agent, places you are visiting, friends and family in the area – everything! It will save you a lot of time and effort later on when your memory inevitably fails you.
4. Hard copies are your friends. Make copies of everything that could be important for your travel plans, such as your itinerary, tickets, reservations and flight and hotel information. Bring a copy or two along with the original on your trip, and leave another copy at home so if you lose everything, you can phone home and still have access to the information.
It’s also a good idea to make a copy of your driver’s license, passport or identification in case they are stolen or lost. This way, replacing or reporting these documents as lost will be a much easier process. Also, for some purposes you may be able to use these copies in lieu of the original documents. Bring along a folder, binder or accordion file with you so you can keep track of everything.
About the Author
This post was written by Ryan Embly of CarRentalExpress.com.
Connect With Ryan: Web | Facebook
This is the 2nd installment of a three-part series by guest blogger, Mike Neumann. He shares tips on how to make business travel more organized and less stressful. Click here to read Part I.
It’s crunch time. The plane is leaving in less than 24 hours, probably closer to less than 12 hours. It’s time to pack; but first, the essentials.
The Night Before – Checklist
“I really should write this down someday,” ;-) so here goes…
- Boarding Passes (if domestic) – It’s always good to check-in online as early as possible, usually 24 hours in advance. This increases your chance of a “day of” upgrade and place in the queue if you want to catch an earlier standby flight. This only applies for domestic travel. You still need to check-in in person for international flights.
- Flight itinerary and hotel details ON PAPER – Paper has zero boot-time and is much easier to show to the airline agent, taxi driver, or hotel receptionist. Save a tree some other way.
- Passport – I carry my passport with me in the same place in my bag every time, except for when I don’t, which causes nothing but panic.
- Liquids – You know the drill by now, I hope. Pack those little shampoo/conditioner bottles, too. Hotels outside of the U.S. don’t typically offer much in the way of soap/shampoo.
- Envelope for receipts – When the airlines quit handing us those nice boarding pass sleeves, I lost my favorite place to put misc. travel receipts during the trip. It goes in a separate folder with my flight itinerary.
Foreign Currency and Transit Card(s)
I keep a Ziploc™ bag containing leftover local currency and/or local transit system cards (Oyster™ card for the London Underground, Translink™ for San Francisco Bay Area, SmarTrip™ card for D.C.) for every country/region to which I’ve traveled. It’s a good idea to make sure you have at least a cab fare worth (assume $80USD or equivalent) of local currency before you land. (Note: Salt Lake City counts as a Foreign Country as the ATM at SLC did not accept my 6-digit PIN ATM card. #ProTip)
What to wear on the plane
You can’t always fit it all in to a carry-on and a “personal item.” For most international trips, I’m checking a bag. For this reason, I always wear something that I can get by with in a business meeting and carry-on at least enough ‘necessities’ for two days/one night without the checked luggage. Hat, coat, umbrella, etc. – all are carry-on.
Departure Airport
Don’t forget to turn off your data services, disable Twitter DM to Txt notifications, and/or choose the “Off while Roaming” option on your smart phone. At $15/Mb abroad, and $0.35/SMS the pain can rack up quickly. Last chance to say “I love you, Mom” before $0.99/min cell phone roaming. Skype is nice, but see “WiFi”, below.
Destination Airport
Luggage and customs are the same everywhere in the world, except Australia, where you will wait a LONG time for customs. They take their quarantine seriously. ATMs are usually easy to find and will support your U.S.-based ATM cards. ATMs away from the airports can be less tolerant of U.S.-issued plastic.
Hotels – What to Expect
If you travel mainly within the United States, you’ve likely become accustomed to free or affordable WiFi, an iron and ironing board in each room, and hand towels. Europe and the UK won’t have the iron/ironing board, but sometimes you can check one out from the front desk. You might find washcloths in the UK and Australia, but not in Europe or Brazil. Pack one in its own Ziploc™. As for WiFi, it’s rough out there. If it is free in your hotel, it’s likely dicey and slow. If it’s not free, it’s not going to be cheap. Most hotels in Europe are prepay and serviced by companies such as Meteor or Swisscom.
Welcome to your destination. Stay awake that first day. “Live where you are,” and for goodness sake, take some pictures and put them up for friend and family back home. :-)
About the Author
Mike never planned to launch Agile Set, LLC and consult to smart card clients worldwide. He planned to be an astronaut. Now, he is a Certified GlobalPlatform Trainer and editor of ISO/IEC 24727-3, a standard poised to influence future card and system architectures. After earning his MSME from Virginia Tech, Mike intended to play for a year, and then get serious. Seventeen years and two kids later, the serious part has yet to kick in.
Connect With Mike: Twitter
Today’s guest author, Mike Neumann, is a frequent business traveler. Check out his tips on how to keep sane – and organized – with a hectic travel schedule.
I travel frequently for client work, and most often, the travel is international. I’ve traveled to Nice, France for a day, and around the world for a month. Each trip has its own differences, but some things are always the same. I’ll try to focus on these common things to help you make any business trip a little less harried.
Visas – Check Carefully
If you’re fortunate to live within any of the VISA Waiver Program (VWP) countries, then your pre-travel complications are few. Keep in mind, however, that some countries, such as Australia, require an Electronic Travel Authority, which is a form of a “light” Visa. You will be denied boarding at your originating airport unless you can prove to the agent that you have completed an ETA or have a valid Visa in your passport. Visa processing can be expensive if you wait to the last minute. Plan as far ahead as possible. You’ll need to purchase your flight before you can apply for either a Visa or ETA.
The Week Before
Check the news and weather for the city that you are traveling to. As I write this, the ash plume from Eyjafjallajökull has grounded air travel in Europe for nearly a week. Some things are beyond planning.
I also try to begin my expense report at least a few days before I get to the airport. An empty template with trip purpose, airline ticket and mileage to/from airport, is a good start. I then try to do a brief update of expenses each evening during the trip.
Your Gear
I’ve been through a shoulder bag phase, a roller briefcase phase, and now I’m firmly in the backpack phase. Regardless of the bag type, I must be able to run my business out of it.
The most important thing about any of these bags is the arrangement of pockets. My favorite backpack was a conference ‘freebie’. It had a large, narrow, yet separate pocket for the computer that kept it from getting too much pressure from the rest of the bag’s contents. My current backpack has a nearly perfectly sized external pocket to hold my passport, boarding pass(s) and customs form.
We have a lot of electronics these days. Fortunately, most things don’t require external voltage conversion (our adapters handle it automatically), but the plugs are still an issue. I carry adapters for the destination country as well as connecting airports. Also, I prefer devices that have USB “Synch-and-charge” cables. I power my computer from the wall, and charge the phone, Bluetooth earbud, etc., all off of USB.
Whatever you plan to take, think light and essential. In the next post, we’ll cover the night before travel and arrival at your destination.
This is the 1st installment of a 3-part series, so check back for more tips from Mike.
About the Author
Mike never planned to launch Agile Set, LLC and consult to smart card clients worldwide. He planned to be an astronaut. Now, he is a Certified GlobalPlatform Trainer and editor of ISO/IEC 24727-3, a standard poised to influence future card and system architectures. After earning his MSME from Virginia Tech, Mike intended to play for a year, and then get serious. Seventeen years and two kids later, the serious part has yet to kick in.
Connect With Mike: Twitter
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