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Sharpen the Mind

How to Deal with “IT” When “IT” Happens on the Road

So, it was 2:15 am, and I was stuck outside my own house pounding on the door because my wife had locked the screen door and I was home early from a brutal three days of travel that felt like three weeks.

Ever had that trip?

Let me start from the beginning.

I had a big meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was one of those locations where I waffled between driving or flying. I chose to drive.

Not a few minutes into my drive I dealt with on-and-off rain that was just paralyzing. Not the mist that annoys you when you can’t decide if you should manually flip on the wiper every minute, or bear the awful windshield scraping noise because it’s going too frequently.

This was black skies driving into the abyss.

As if the weather wasn’t enough, there were non-stop road repairs.

In Chicago, we have a running joke that we have two seasons: winter and construction.

We were definitely in construction season and now the horrible weather was added.

And then there were the semis driving 66 mph to pass the other semi going 65mph and traffic backs up for a mile. My biggest life pet peeve is someone driving slow in the fast lane or the passing lane.

So, between the weather, construction, and traffic, my three-hour trip took well over five hours.

The meetings were good and I was to fly out of Cedar Rapids Regional Airport to Denver via Dallas.

I was required to fly an airline I don’t normally take because of convience, and it was a good idea until my flight was delayed two hours. You guessed it: weather.

Shockingly, I landed in enough time to make my connection flight although all my connection margin was shot. I was on the ground in Dallas at my gate waiting to get off my plane to make my connection waiting and waiting for almost 30 minutes as I was watching my plane board and take off literally at the gate RIGHT NEXT TO ME!

Who misses their flight, but gets to watch others board and take off without them?!?

Cruel man. Just cruel.

The good news is there was another plane I could take from Dallas with the only catch: it was two and a half hours from now.

Mind you, I have no status with this new airline and the customer service line was longer than bathrooms at a baseball game in the 7th inning at Wrigley Field.

I finally board and the flight took off an hour late.

Of course. Why not, right?

Needless to say, I was supposed to land in Denver at 9:45 pm and landed at a crisp 2:00 am (Chicago time).

My drive to the hotel was 45 minutes which felt like an hour and 45 minutes. Interstates down to one lane due to paving.

I made it to my hotel that was sold out and I didn’t care as long as I had a room, until I was put in a handicap room right next to the elevator. So by 6am I was woken by the elevator ding every five minutes and within a few elevator dings, I was awake and just chose to get up.

The next day I was moved locations only to enter a room that smelled worse than the designated smoking room in an airport where you can cut the air with a knife.

Of course.

I changed rooms, recovered, and looked forward to getting back on track.

I made it to the Denver airport in enough time to leverage my TSA Pre-Check and get to my gate with time to get water, walk a bit, then board.

So I thought.

The North TSA-Security line was closed. Huh? So, I walk to the South TSA-Security line to find out my TSA-Precheck was not on my boarding pass. Huh? It’s been on there every flight for years. And years. And years.

Of course.

Now I’m in line with everyone else strapped for time and just wanting my carry-on so I can run to get to my gate.

As someone who’s not used to a mild strip at security, I was fighting the annoyance and inconvenience but missing my flight was the only thing on my mind.

But now what?

My bag gets flagged and I have to wait for someone, anyone to look through the same bag that always goes through security with zero issues.

And I waited. And waited.

I finally make it to my gate in just enough time to board. Whew, all good, right?

We board, get in my seat and watch dark skies take over what was suppose to be a picturesque sunset over the Rocky Mountains as I fly home to surprise my wife.

Then the lightning happens. Over and over. And the heavens open up. I was wondering if my plane was going to turn into an ark.

Grounded. Everyone. And who knows how long. 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 minutes have gone by and I’m a captive audience.

We’re told all the time that **IT happens. Easy to say but what do you do on business travel when **IT happens to you?

And YOU KNOW what I mean by IT happens…

What did I do when I was challenged with this in the very moment when “IT” is happening to me not just once but this whole week on the road?

Four Responses to Dealing with IT When IT happens on the Road”

1. Roll With IT

Before I acted like I was the only one affected. I would get worked up, find others to join in on my complaining, and build my team against the wrongs done against us.

Do you know what changed? Absolutely nothing.

Except I was miserable. And those who had joined me were all riled up now.

The reality is nothing really improved. In fact, until I started to roll with it, I was even more affected.

Roll With It means “what happens happens” especially on business travel.

Here’s the reality we so quickly forget:

Not much should really surprise us on business travel especially if you’ve been doing it for any length of time.

When IT happens to you on the road, ROLL with it – what happens happens.

 

2. Let IT Go

I found that too often once I would ROLL with IT, the rolling would stop and I would get all worked up again.

Either the roll would lose momentum and just stop or it would be an abrupt pothole!

For example, I finally would “roll with the delayed flight” only to get re-worked up when the flight would be delayed again.

Like I never saw THAT coming, right?

Let IT Go means let IT keep rolling. Don’t pick IT up again

It’s not a one-time decision. You must keep letting it go.

An example would be forgiveness. Just because you forgive someone doesn’t mean you never have those feelings again. When, not if it comes back up again, you need to remind yourself to forgive again.

In this case, let IT go again.

Otherwise, it will own you all over again.

 

3. Learn From IT

Excuse me, did you say learn from IT? I didn’t want IT in the first place?

Welcome to life.

We want the easy, the smooth – but that’s not life, especially road life.

Things will happen even to the most prepared elite road warrior. The key is finding what we can learn from the situation.

My father used to say to me: “Son, you can learn from absolutely anything. Even how NOT to do something.”

With my trip, I was reminded how many things are just out of my control and just how quickly even after all these years of traveling, I can still get sucked back into the frustration and cynicism, and let it own and control me.

I can learn from what has just happened and the best way for me is to journal about it.

One of my daily seven writing prompts is Lessons Learned and this is my time to reflect or “process the thoughts” as I call it under Energy Habit Five – Develop.

Learn from IT is looking BACK to get BETTER

I take just a minute or two and really think through what I learned so I can accept what happened and move on to the last response of dealing with IT when IT happens on the road…

It’s asking:

  • How did I respond to what happened?
  • Could I have avoided it?
  • Did I pick IT back up again?
  • What can or should I do differently?
  • Did you get frustrated with someone that didn’t deserve your entitled wrath?
  • Did you waste time when you were given extra time?

 

4. Make the Best of IT

It really gets down to this 4th response. After you roll with it, let it go, I mean really let it go, then learn from it, you’re forced with a choice.

Will I make the best of IT and what IT just handed me?

Do I reflect on the smell of IT and all the negative or do I learn from IT and just make the best of IT?

Make the Best of IT is Looking FORWARD.

I was given a piece of advice by a mentor who told me when IT happens to me, ask this one question:

What does this now make possible?

Did you catch the power in that very simple six-word question?

As a result of IT, the delayed flight, the canceled meeting, the short night, the (you fill in the blank), what does this now make possible that otherwise might never have happened?

This is a knowledge bomb I’m dropping right now.

It takes maturity and wisdom to get to the point where you begin to learn and make the best of IT especially on the road and can ask such a powerful question.

An Elite Road Warrior takes the IT that happens on the road, washes it off, doesn’t smell like IT, and is actually better for it while others are owned by it.

Choices.

The road has it’s challenges especially when “IT” happens to you on the road. And many times IT’s not an isolated event. IT comes in waves and can hit hard.

If you can walk away and apply even one of the four responses, you’ll bet better for it.

And if you can begin to ask the question “What does this now make possible?” you will regain control of your road life and begin to defeat IT when IT happens on the Road.

So, wherever you are on the road, do something, anything, just not nothing to master the business travel life.

Stop getting by and get better.

 

This post is brought to you by the book, Raise Your Game by Alan Stein, Jr.

Eight Questions I Ask Every Morning on the Road

If you’re interested in the audio version of this article in these locations:

 

Do you know what most business travelers do one thing when they wake up in the morning on the road in their hotel room?

The first guess would be to hit snooze on the alarm and many do.

But Elite Road Warrior Group Research has shown that most business travelers…

Reach for their phone.

Why? Well, there’s a handful of reasons but no matter the reason and what they do, there is always one thing in common:

It hijacks their morning.

Why? Because it’s a time sucker especially if we jump into the news or social media.

It’s also filled with OPAs – other people’s agenda.

  • What they want or need from you
  • What they want to tell you
  • What they want you to buy

Many lose easily a half hour or more and haven’t even climbed out of bed yet!

No condemnation here, Road Warrior.

I believed and justified in my head that if I could “just get ahead” looking at my email, calendar, Slack or WeChat, etc. it would help me.

Lies nothing but lies!

I used to be so unintentional and reactive to whatever caught my attention or the path of least resistance in the morning on the road.

And I was the advocate for how impossible it was to do anything but work on the road and especially no time for professional or personal development.

So I get it.

But here’s what I missed…

  • I missed the gift of the morning.
  • I missed the silence.
  • I missed the solitude.
  • I missed the chance to invest in me, the one thing nobody else can do for me.

And nobody else will guard unless I seize it. The morning is the perfect place for it especially if I’ve had a good night of rest.

Let me state upfront. Right now, my 1st hour in the morning on the road is filled only with energy habits.

The two largest of my morning energy habits are:

  • MOVE – Increase M4X – Stand more / Walk more / Run more / Lift more
  • DEVELOP – Sharpen the Mind / Process the Thoughts / Monitor the Heart

And my motto, my theme is two phrases used often with Road Warrior Nation:

Consistency Over Length
Something, Anything, is Better Than Nothing

There are two things I do immediately after single morning on the road:

  1. Hydrate – (Fuel – Continually Hydrate) with 16 oz water, lemon, sea salt, and greens powder
  2. Read –  (Sharpen the Mind and Process the Thoughts) – my Bible  then something inspirational (if it’s the day of a flight, I save this reading for the 1st 20-30 minutes of the flight)

Once those two habits are done of hydrate and read, I move on to my Elite Road Warrior Journal. It has two portions:

Think Space (Process the Thoughts) dotted page Notebook
Eight Questions Journal (Monitory the Heart) blank page Notebook

Here are some initial questions asked of my personal process:

Q1 – How long do you take to journal your questions?

5-15 minutes

 

Q2 – Where do you journal?

Most of the time in my hotel room at the desk but sometimes if my hotel is near a park, forest, water, etc. I’ll choose there.

One time I climbed Mount Spokane and journaled there – talk about silence/solitude/ and inspiring!

Q3 –  What do you write with?

I’m pretty anal and OCD and have four fine tip Zebra multi-colored pens I use that I keep in a leather pouch I found off Amazon.

For the record, there will be a branded leather case for the pens and the pens included in the very near future. Just go to EliteRoadWarrior.com for details.

I use different colors for different reasons when I write for both my Monitor the Heart journal and Think Space journal.

 

Q4 – What do you write in?

The ERW (Elite Road Warrior) Branded Journal

 

Q5 – What does your layout look like?

Top Left – location (for example: Outer Banks, NC)

Top Right – date (for example: W.10.16.19)

I use two pages of my journal so there’s a lot of free space. Here’s an example:

 

 

Before we get into the Eight Questions I Answer Every Morning on the Road, let’s talk about WHY I do it.

The road has the ability to suck out any empathy, compassion, generosity, etc within a person and especially men.

I found that too often I was coming home jaded and it was affecting my wife and kids.

I was bringing home the stress of the road from the long hours to the draining people I encountered or dealt with and my family and friends didn’t really care for “that Bry or that guy” if you will.

I didn’t grow up journaling. I didn’t have examples of people around me who journaled. Notetakers yes but not journalers and there’s a difference.

I viewed journaling as a girl thing in a diary therefore not for me.

And when I eventually tried it after prompting from a mentor, I sucked at it.

I was SO inconsistent. Huge entry one day then days and weeks would pass with radio silence and major gaps.

Then my perfectionism would come out and I had to journal and do it “just right.”

Way…Too…Much…Pressure.

And I quit.

A few years ago Scott Mawdesley, Elite Road Warrior subject matter expert for Develop energy habit, really challenged me its’ more important THAT I write, not what I write and I should try just journaling “just one line” per entry.

I could write more but Write One Line became my mantra.

And you know what? It worked.

Then another mentor of mine, Jonathan Milligan, encouraged me with key questions he asked himself every morning to give structure to his journaling and encouraged me to do the same – hence the Eight Questions I Answer Every Morning on the Road.

But WHY do I journal these questions and what comes as a result?

  • Clarity – What do I want out of my life
  • Themes – What’s happening on a consistent basis in my life – what are the patterns I wouldn’t normally see without reflecting
  • Focus – where should I spend my time

MONITOR the HEART, the 3rd part of the Invest in You Formula of the Develop Energy Habit has three Checks of the Heart Engine: (think of check lights coming on your dash about your engine).

One – PULSE CHECK
Learning to ask: “How am I REALLY doing?”

We ask people all the time, “How are you doing?” We don’t really care or even want them to give an answer beyond fine or great. My father used to have a drop-dead line when someone asked that question. Here’s how it went:

Acquaintance: “How are you doing?”
My father: “Depends”
Acquaintance: (Confused and stops in their tracks.) “Depends on what?”
My father: “How much time you have. If you only have a second, I’m fine. If you have a minute or two, I’ll actually tell you how I’m doing.”

That interaction was always awkward to me as a kid, but wow, do I understand it now. On the road, we would change the word “fine” to “busy” then compete with each other on who is busier (aka who’s more important!).

Two – GRATITUDE CHECK
Learning to ask: “Who or what am I grateful for right now?”

We want to be grateful people.

We may even say we’re grateful people but here’s the proof – every single day.

Three – SOUL CHECK
Learning to ask: “What do I need to get out that I’m keeping in?

This is beyond touchy-feely feelings but making sure we get to the heart of you as an elite road warrior.

 

I have three simple categories for my questions:

Review Yesterday – 3 questions

Reflect Now – 2 questions

Rehearse Today – 3 questions

REVIEW YESTERDAY

Question 1 – What Happened Yesterday?

I want to be able to track my time so I know what my day looked like.

NEEDED DISCLAIMER – These are bullet points, not sentences or paragraphs.

I want to be able to remember that specific day at a glance just looking at What happened yesterday listings.

I want to know:

  • Was I productive?
  • Were there the margins in my day and where?
  • Did the six energy habits exist?

This is GREAT intel at the end of my month and the end of my quarter when I review my journal to see how I spent my time.

 

Question 2 – What Were My Biggest Wins?

These are the answers to what I actually accomplished.

Some days my response is “busy but not productive” – I detest these days on the road.

Notice it’s my BIGGEST wins, not any wins. I want to see forward motion on my goals for the week and the day to day big wins give me that intel.

 

Question 3 – What Were My Lessons Learned?

This may come from what I read or listened to yesterday or this morning.

It may be from my big wins or lack thereof.

It’s how I’m doing and what I’m learning in regards to the three focus areas of ERW: Work / Health / Home Life.

This is feedback on if and how I’m growing on a DAILY basis – is there a theme?

This 3rd question challenges me and sometimes it takes me a minute or two to think of something if the answer is not top of mind.

Note: sometimes I may need to move on to another question and come back to it but I always want to answer this key question.

Three Review Yesterday Questions – which, by the way, I write in red in my ERW Journal with the answers in blue.

Two Reflect Now Questions… which I write in black in my journal with the answers in blue.

 

REFLECT NOW

Question 4 – Who / What Am I Thankful For RIGHT NOW?

This is the GRATITUDE CHECK
Learn to ask: “Who or what am I grateful for right now?”

I have to be honest, some days it’s easy to mail it in and put something generic but that’s not the goal.

It’s The Who and/or the What but also the WHY – why am I thankful for that person or situation?

I’ve learned through the years people I’m grateful for actually don’t know I’m grateful for them UNLESS I TELL THEM!

This is a GREAT chance to prompt you to take action RIGHT THEN to let them know – send them a text/email/voicemail.

Sometimes I actually take a picture of that answer in my journal and send it to them.

You’d be shocked how just this little gesture means to people especially people who you care about and are thankful for.

If I’m struggling to answer this question on a consistent basis, this is a heart issue on my part that needs attention.

 

Question Five – How Am I Feeling Right Now?

This is the PULSE CHECK
Learn to ask: “How am I REALLY doing?”

I know what you guys are thinking: here’s the diary “touchy/feely” part of the program. And you’re right – suck it up and try it. I’m not asking for you to write paragraphs and have a Kleenex available.

Mine are short bullets. For example:

  • Exhausted from…
  • Better rested because…
  • Proud of…
  • Disappointed in…
  • Frustrated by…
  • Missing home right now…
  • Motivated to…

Nothing earth-shattering but I want a pulse on how I’m really doing.

Am I seeing patterns of day-after-day-after-day of being frustrated or tired?

This question is not nearly as hard as you think especially if you do it bullet style and lead with a key emotion word: proud, disappointed, tired, motivated, etc.

Three Rehearse Today Questions: which I put in green and answer in blue.

Why rehearse the day?

It’s like an athlete or a performer playing their game or performance in their mind.

Too often we just let the Road Day happen to us.

We’re not intentional then we wonder why our road day gets hijacked and we’re ALWAYS up until midnight working.

We want to be elite as a road warrior, it takes these type of moments and first thing in the morning to lock in how you want your day to go.

 

REHEARSE TODAY

Question Six – What Are My Big 3 Today?

This is a concept from Michael Hyatt in his Full Focus Planner.

The Daily Big 3 are designed to come from the Weekly Big 3 which comes from your Quarterly Big 3.

I set quarterly goals in business but also in life so my weekly Big 3 and should influence your daily big 3.

If I have a heavy travel day, these are key.

What do I want to get done on my 4-hour flight?

If I have a heavy meeting or event day, maybe my Big 3 needs to happen 1st thing in the morning.

Pro Tip: almost every single business travel day one of my Big 3 is energy habit six: CONNECT – I want to make my family a high priority within my day which means I need to schedule it.

The first of the three target elements of the Protect Connect Formula in energy habit #6 is Connect Intentionally and by scheduling it as one of my big 3 it will get done.

When I schedule my Big 3 in my Elite Road Warrior Journal, I then enter it into my Full Focus Planner.

 

Question Seven – What is Today’s Highlight?

I learned this one from the book, Make Time.

The authors have three ways to determine your today’s highlight:

  1. Something URGENT that must get done today and will be a huge relief if and when it is done
  2. Something SATISFYING that will make you feel pleased and proud it’s completed
  3. Something that brings you JOY – what you look forward to = mine is usually my downtime activity

The point here is you have a focus point or a “highlight” on this specific day that is important to you and you look forward to, relieved, or proud when it happens or completed.

 

Question Eight – What Would Make Today Great?

I credit this question to Jonathan Milligan, my mentor and friend, who challenged me to answer this question each day.

And it was a challenge but now I depend on this last question.

Alan Stein, Jr. in his book, Raise Your Game, states there are only two things in life you have control over:

  • Your attitude
  • Your effort

And oftentimes my response is one of those and often deals with the six energy habits.

I want and I need to make each day on the road GREAT.

I want to be at my best and no longer just get by but leverage each day on the road to get better.

 

Another Option…

To be honest, some days I just don’t feel like answering all the questions or what I’m going through or feeling doesn’t fit one of the eight questions or just needs to be worked through on paper. What do I do?

Headline Option.

  • Hate Being Gone Today
  • This Just Keeps Happening
  • Didn’t See THAT Coming
  • Wow, I Regret THIS

This style allows me to still express what I’m thinking/feeling and have the freedom to go “off-road” on some or all the questions depending on what’s going on in my life. I find I use this approach the most on the weekends or when I’m just working through or struggling with something.

 

Let’s Land This Plane

Two Practical Actions:

One – Just start – write one line for each question.

Maybe you have your own questions and some ERWs have contacted me with the questions they’ve developed. But they often start with mine. Either way is fine.

And mine started with Jonathan Milligan’s questions. Start with my questions or a form of them to kickstart you in this Develop energy habit.

Two – Order the Elite Road Warrior Branded Journal – enjoy what you journal in. For me, I love the leather – the look and the feel. I love the paper in the journal. I love the pens I write with and the leather case they’re kept in. This makes a HUGE difference when it comes time to write. I’m also proud to carry it around and it promotes Elite Road Warrior. Order HERE.

If you’re interested in the audio version of this article in these locations:

Five Reasons Why Personal Development Is A Challenge on the Road

Kevin is always reading. When he’s not working on emails, he’s got his phone out, absorbing content.

The problem is, nothing Kevin is reading is really sharpening his mind. It’s more of an escape.

There’s nothing wrong with that except Kevin has become an escape artist. He’s consuming content, but it is not the right content that will actually help him develop.

He wonders why he’s stuck in his career. Imagine that. He has simply stopped developing in a way that sets him apart. Kevin is missing a huge element, which is the fifth energy habit: develop.

 

 

I’m amazed at how little most business travelers actually read. What? Doesn’t scrolling social media count as reading? C’mon, man. I’m talking about a good old-fashioned book. I’ll even count an educational article or blog post.

The key here is to LEARN.

I can already hear the pushback. When do I have time to read, ESPECIALLY on the road? Let me remind you of the quote from the Elite Road Warrior book:

IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, YOU’LL FIND A WAY. IF YOU DON’T, YOU’LL FIND AN EXCUSE.

You make time for things that are important to you. I sit by guys on the plane every single flight who waste hours and miss opportunities to develop even for just 30 minutes. Dude, you can get back to binge-watching Game of Thrones or Ballers or ladies, back to This Is Us or Love It or List It.

Five Reasons Why Personal Development is a Challenge

1. Desire

Most people I’ve found simply don’t see the value. They’ve learned what they’ve learned and okay with where they’re at in their life. If they don’t care, personal development is simply not going to happen.

2. Time

This is usually the number one reason I hear is “when could I possibly fit this luxury into my life?” I argue is if you desire to personally develop and value it, you will MAKE the time. If our attitude is “when I find the time”, it will never happen. By the way, I’ve never ever “found time.”

3. Inconsistency

If we have the desire to personally develop and find the time, being inconsistent can be a huge challenge. We start and stop then start again and never gain momentum because we’re just not consistent enough.

4. Random

I have found this one is ultimately the downfall to someone who values personal development. We have SO many interests so we bounce around from one thing to another. Nothing gets completed and although we’re developing personally and growing, it’s limited because we don’t have a plan.

5. All-Consuming

Someone who is “too much” into personal development which can consume all of your time and overwhelm everyone else. Instead of encouraging it becomes over-dominating.

If learning is a priority for you, then you will make, not find, the time. (Seriously, when has anyone FOUND time and if they did, can you let me know where?) Most people don’t like to read because they were scarred in school being forced to read the content they did NOT want to read and didn’t see the relevancy. I’ll give you that, but they’ve kept that mindset decades later.

If you leave your growth to randomness you’ll always live in the land of mediocrity – Brandon Burchard

TWO KEYS TO SHARPEN THE MIND BY READING

1. FIND SOMETHING YOU ENJOY

This is entry-level reading. This could be absolutely anything. It could be an autobiography. It could be a book that also has a movie.

Let me give you an example. I’m a Chicago sports fanatic, so when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, this city became absolutely unglued. The celebration parade in downtown Chicago was the fifth- largest recorded gathering of mankind in history.

So, I wanted to know more about the back-story of the complete rebuild of the team. I found a book called The Plan by Dave Kaplan, and I was absolutely lost in the book. It was a blast to read because I enjoyed the subject.

If you’re just starting out, find something you enjoy to get you INTO the habit of reading. Even when you become an avid reader, finding a book as I found on sports is a good escape, especially before bed. But don’t stop there. There’s a ton of money left on the table if you don’t do the second key…

2. FIND SOMETHING YOU WANT TO LEARN

This is next level, kiddos. It could be for your job/career or to develop a new skill. The topics are endless, and this is where most business professionals wonder why they’re still stuck in their job, like Kevin. Most only read what is required of them instead of reading to get ahead.

Here’s the Key: They Learn for Survival Not Success.

If and when you change your mindset to reading for success, everything changes. You’re automatically ahead of almost everyone since almost no one reads. So, find a subject you want to learn and crack open that book!

HOW DO YOU PULL THIS OFF WHILE ON THE ROAD?

You need to answer these four questions:

1. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO READ?

You need a plan. Find what you enjoy and what you want to learn, as mentioned above, and then dive into the book. Consider it part of your road thing we talked about in downtime back in the rest energy habit.

2. WHERE CAN YOU FIND WHAT TO READ?

I love this question! There are a few ways to acquire this intel:

  • Online Research – go to Amazon or iBooks. Find a genre and start doing some simple research. With the Amazon tracking intelligence, in a matter of moments, you’ll be fed “You May Also Like” recommendations. Due to the vastness of the online market, you can find a number of book possibilities without having to go anywhere.
  • Traditional Bookstore – Go old school. I absolutely enjoy going to Barnes and Noble on the road as a downtime activity in the evening. I’ll take an hour, find my genre favorites (business/psychology/health/nutrition/sports), buy a hot tea (decaffeinated), find a chair, and flip through the pages. I could easily lose an hour and it creates SO much energy for me. Another low- hanging fruit option is an airport bookstore. The selection is limited but you’d be surprised how many new books will catch your interest. I’ll often go into these stores for 5-10 minutes during my walk time before a flight or on my way to the gate. It’s another way to find additional book options. Don’t limit yourself.

3. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN LISTEN TO AUDIBLY?

I’m a HUGE fan of audio, mostly because of the convenience. I’m usually on the move more than I am sitting down, so why not make the movement advantageous for me?

As a result, I’ll find whatever book version I can and listen to the audiobook. Often, I’ll get both the book and the audio. Sounds redundantly redundant, but hang with me.

If I’m traveling, I can often crank through a ton of audio, but I’ll want to go back and grab key concepts. This is where the printed version comes into the picture. I can go back and do a quick review of what I’ve listened to because it’s fresh in my mind, and I can easily find the key concepts I want to record for my notes. Make sense? As the saying goes, “Don’t knock it till you try it!”

There are also some great podcasts that can serve as a learning platform. They work great because of the shorter length, and you can find specific topics that interest you so you can dive right in and learn. If you’re not listening to the Elite Road Warrior Podcast, this is a great place to start! Episodes average around 30 minutes so you can get in and out.

PRO TIP:
Audible (owned by Amazon) is an audiobook library that is absolutely amazing. For a monthly subscription, you can get credits and choose books. They’ll send you a free credit for an audiobook from time to time and they will offer discounts for 3 credits if you’re an Amazon Prime member. This is definitely worth the investment to develop both personally AND professionally on the road.

In fact, the Elite Road Warrior book is available on Audible and has been the #1 way business travelers are reading the book due to the convenience.

4. WHEN CAN YOU MAKE TIME TO READ?

Did you catch that? MAKE time to read. We discussed the strategy of Block and Tackle in the PERFORM action. If you remember, we create time blocks to schedule our day so we can tackle that specific action.

Let me give you an example. I have at least two reading times each day: first thing in the morning during my energy hour; then, if I’m flying that day, I use the flight time, usually the first 30 minutes, as my second reading time. If it’s not a flight day, I’ll carve a second reading time block in my day where I know I need to conserve energy and a reading block will be a good break for me to develop.

Another reading time was referenced in the last point with audiobooks. As road warriors, usually, our schedules are rather predictable. Let me give you my predictable audio times to develop:

  • In my car driving to the airport.
  • Walking to security and to my gate.
  • Walking around before I board since I prefer NOT to sit down but to a MOVE action item.
  • If I rent a car, I’ll choose something audio to learn rather than getting lost in sports or talk radio, which is SO easy for me to do.

Many road warriors have a territory and do a ton of driving. They often drive between to cities (I often fly into Cincinnati, then drive to Columbus, then to Cleveland). This is a perfect time to knock out an entire audiobook. This type of road warrior can seriously leverage their windshield time with a mobile classroom.

Standing in line is a short but great opportunity to catch a few paragraphs. I’ve knocked out chapters of a book just waiting. I have the Kindle app and sometimes will choose certain books JUST for such times. I can quickly pull up the book on an app and be reading in seconds. Note: this also dramatically helps my impatience during these times when I sadly analyze the inefficiency that is causing the wait!

James Clear has a perfect article called “Seven Ways to Retain More of Every Book You Read,” which I highly suggest checking out HERE.

BABY STEP TO SHARPEN THE MIND

I realize you’re more likely to go to bed early or eat Brussels sprouts than you are to pick up a book. So, if that’s the case, simply find something you like to read and start there. The fact that you are reading this book is huge, so you’re at least on your way. Now, keep the momentum going and create a plan.

Speaking of a plan, I have a bonus for you that’s yours for free! It’s called the Personal Development Plan (PDP for short) and you can download it for free by going to www.EliteRoadWarrior.com/Book.

THREE-POINTERS

1. Find something to read that you enjoy and want to learn.
2. Determine when you will make time to read and what you can listen to audibly.
3. Download the free Personal Development Plan (PDP) at www. EliteRoadWarrior.com/Book and complete it.

012 – Reading to Lead (On the Road) with Jeff Brown

Welcome to the show notes for episode 012 of the Elite Road Warrior Podcast! This week we spoke with Jeff Brown of the Read to Lead Podcast about the importance of reading to the development of our personal and professional lives.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

1:20 – The Questions of the Episode

2:40 – Intro to Jeff Brown and the Read to Lead Podcast

6:30 – Question 1) What do you say to the person who doesn’t have the time to read?

7:30 – What gets scheduled gets done

8:35 – If I don’t block it out it won’t happen

9:50 – The desire to read has been “educated out” of us

11:10 – Read books about topics you are passionate about

12:20 – The more you read the more you’ll enjoy the process

15:00 – Reading for personal development has a professional use

15:55 – Take whatever time you can and dedicate it to reading about something that interests you.

17:00 – Easy steps to start the habit of reading

23:00 – “Buying someone’s book…is just as good as sitting down with them and having them mentor you”

24:57 – Assessment Promo

25:50 – The Elite Road Warrior – the book

What get's scheduled get's done #ReadToLead #EliteRoadWarrior Share on X Surely there is some topic that interests you #Read. Share on X The more you read the more you'll enjoy the process. Share on X

Links and resources in today’s episode:

Road Warrior Assessment

Jeff Brown and the Read to Lead Podcast

010 – Performing Well on the Road with Alan Stein Jr.

Welcome to Episode 010 of The Elite Road Warrior Podcast Show Notes! In this episode, we talk with Alan Stein Jr. about how to perform well while on the road.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

1:00 – Review of the last episode (Energy Habit: PERFORM)

4:35 – What does it mean to perform at the highest level?

4:48 – Never getting bored with the basics

4:55 – Be prepared for and EMBRACE change

5:15 – Learn to live in the present moment

5:30 – We have to learn to make preparation or separation

9:08 – The key: consistent routines that you can do anywhere at anytime.

14:32 – Assessment Promo

15:58 – Living in the past holds us from performing at our best.

16:30 – Stephen Curry and the Next Play Mentality

19:22 – Living in the Process

21:15 – Fill our own bucket first…

22:22 – …to serve others at a higher degree

23:43 – You’re not alone, befriend other road warriors!

26:28 – Next episode preview

Success is not an accident, and its not luck. Share on X Hope is not a strategy. Share on X Effort is a choice but not giving effort is also a choice. Share on X Elite Road Warriors need to take everything that happens in the world and find a way to use it to make you better. Share on X

Links and resources in today’s episode:

Allan Stein Jr Website and Books

Road Warrior Assessment – What Level of Road Warrior Are You?