SCHEDULE A CALL

FUEL

077 – Why the Answer to Burnout is The Energy Cycle

Think about the last time you met someone full of energy.

Not the obnoxious kind, but the one that lights up a room and attracts others to it. The kind that is focused, productive, and full of life. But sadly, the mere thought wears people out because they’re simply nowhere close.

Why? Because most people live in the Exhaustion Cycle.

This is where we move from:

  • Busy – Can’t Stop Now – I’m hurried and my energy is dispersed
  • Beatdown – Can’t Take This – I’m now stressed and my energy is decreased
  • Burnout – Can’t Keep Going – I’m officially done and my energy is depleted

 

I use an analogy of a high performing car. High performers are always going 100 mph, putting in cheap gas, little to no maintenance, only wanting quick and cheap repairs if needed, and then red-lining the RPMs while running on fumes.

The car looks amazing on the outside, always washed and waxed. And it’s immaculate on the inside, always vacuumed and spotless.

Yet we treat it like a junker.

This high-performance car sadly has been running only in the Exhaustion Cycle and you can learn more about the Exhaustion Cycle in the last article.

But there has to be another way as a business traveler on the road. This can’t be the only means of operation. How do we get the high-performance vehicle doing what it is designed to do without blowing out the engine?

The answer is found in The Energy Cycle.

 

It’s another way. It’s the way. A better way to live life on the road. It produces more results. Better results. And you feel so much better in the end.

The Energy Cycle is what should replace The Exhaustion Cycle. It’s the Preparation H to the pain in your “if you have to ask…”

Seriously. The Exhaustion Cycle is a pain that needs to be resolved.

For the longest time, I was known as The Energizer Bunny. Always going. Until my body shut down so badly, I crashed and crashed hard.

I learned from personal experience, the best place to live on the road was a place called The Energy Cycle.

I had to implement The Energy Cycle to learn the Energizer Bunny actually uses rechargeable batteries!

Brilliant!

HERE ARE THE THREE PHASES OF THE ENERGY CYCLE:

PHASE ONE: REST = STOP FOR NOW

REST has become a four-letter word. Our society does NOT promote rest. It’s downplayed even villainized.

But… REST is the recharge for our body and our mind. Don’t believe me? Go hard until you’re exhausted and crash. What is the only thing that brings you back from the dead?

That dreaded four-letter word: REST.

And when I rest, my My Energy is Recharged.

Recharge comes in two ways:

  1. The Quick Hit Charge – plugging in to get a quick bump in energy (and we’ll talk about this more later)
  2. The Trickle Charge – the low amp, long-duration full charge (patience sold separately)

Similar to an electronic device, sometimes we charge just to get out of the red zone until we can get the full charge we need.

Other times, and hopefully more times after learning how to implement the Energy Cycle, you’ll rarely be in the red zone and can get the quick hit charge to be more effective until you live in the trickle charge that is the secret sauce.

Rest is actually energy habit #3 in the six energy habits framework.

THERE ARE THREE PARTS TO REST:

1. SLEEP

We all do it but the degree of quantity and for that matter quality is all over the place especially for a high performer. Sleep is viewed as optional, a necessary evil, an easy place to steal time, and overall under-valued.

But when we value sleep and see it as one of the highest sources of energy… Only then will you get the trickle charge high benefit gain of sleep. Sleep is turning the car completely off.

Sleep is one of these “change of mind before change of behavior” areas.

Once you begin to see the value in getting more sleep, only then will you see the incredible results sleep is just waiting to offer to you. Sleep is the biggest performance enhancer available to a road warrior and those that maximize it are elite road warriors.

Pro Tip: concentrate on IMPROVING your sleep before INCREASING your sleep. Getting an hour or two of bad sleep is not the answer to the problem.

The 2nd part of Rest is…

2. BREAKS

I define a break as: Move the Body / Rest the Mind.

The biggest pushback I hear all the time with breaks is “I don’t have time to take a break the road!”
At first glance, that may seem to be the case on the road. And if people choose to take a break at all, they do the opposite – Rest the Body and Move the Mind –

They stay seated and move from one screen to another (computer to phone for social media or personal email). A true break is designed to Move the Body – stand/stretch/walk – MOVE!

And rest the mind means to stop concentrating and let it just roam free.

Breaks, in our high-performance car analogy, means running the car but on idle.

In the Elite Road Warrior book, I outline three different types of breaks:

  • Micro Breaks (think seconds) – stand and stretch/stare out the window to rest your eyes/change positions
  • Mini Breaks (think minutes) – walk to the bathroom or to refill your water / take a quick lap around the office (home office now or house) or go outside to catch your breath / a quick meditation
  • Macro Breaks (think chunks) – 15-30 minutes where you actually unplug from everything to move the body and rest the mind – go for a real walk (without checking email or social media) / eat a snack.

Breaks are one of these rare little gifts that a small investment yields amazing results.

Breaks are not only possible on the road, they’re game-changers for our energy so we can perform at the highest level. They also allow us to feel like we’re not ALWAYS working while on the road.

And the 3rd part of Rest after Sleep and Breaks is…

3. MARGIN / DOWNTIME

Margin means “space to breathe” – it’s choosing not to run non-stop but allows space to just catch your breath. Ahhhhh….

Margin is the cure for the Busy Phase in The Exhaustion Cycle. Margin precedes Downtime.
Downtime means “time to be” – it’s the non-doing part of the program. Think: “Time to Be, Not to Be On.”

Downtime is relationships. Downtime is hobbies.

I must have “space to breathe” (margin) so I can have “time to be” (downtime). Of the 3 parts in REST, this is my weakest by far. I’m notoriously a great doer, lousy be-er. Some would say even a better wine-er (adult beverage humor since I love my vino).

Downtime (Time to Be, Not to Be On) is critical when I live in The Energy Cycle.

It’s taking a couple of hours on a work trip evening to catch a ballgame, see the local sights, try a local restaurant without my laptop lover. Time to be, not to be on.

Downtime means, in our high-performance car analogy, the car is now in park. Downtime is small on weeknights and large on weekends. It’s amazing when you take downtime how much energy comes from this “seemingly unproductive time”.

And sometimes I’m the most creative AFTER downtime as crazy as that sounds. I’m recharged in a different way which puts so much into me – the “but wait, there’s more” bonus of choosing to rest with having margin (space to breathe) and downtime (time to be).

PHASE TWO: REFUEL = PUT BACK IN

 

 

 

 

 

 

Energy takes from us and requires something to go back in. We’re great at taking energy out and most road warriors, especially on a business trip, are lousy at putting energy back in.

When I refuel, My Energy is Renewed.

I’m now ready to put the RIGHT things back in (keyword: right).

But sadly, we often put the WRONG things in if at all and wonder why the high-performance car is not performing or even kicking back.

We must put the RIGHT things back in for our energy to be renewed and see the needed results.

THERE ARE THREE PARTS TO REFUEL:

1. Nutrition
Ah yes, there is a direct correlation between food and energy. If you doubt this, answer these three questions:

1. How much energy do you have when you skip meals? Breakfast or lunch for example?

2. How are you affected when you eat a heavy or lousy lunch?

3. How do you feel when you eat a healthy, energy-producing lunch or even the right snack?

We MUST see nutrition as a huge source of an energy edge. Our focus on nutrition is four letters: MTHC = Make the Healthiest Choice. Not the quickest choice, or the tastiest choice or even the largest choice.

It’s learning to ask: What’s the healthiest choice? Why? To give me energy on the road to perform at the highest level.

Three questions in particular:

  1. How do I continually hydrate putting the right liquids in? (Mostly water and think early and often)
  2. How do I eat cleaner (think fewer ingredients and less processed) and greener (more dark vegetables and more dark greens)?
  3. How do I carry a controlled substance healthy snack so I’m not caught off guard on the road?
    Nutrition (aka Fuel) is actually energy habit #2 in the six energy habits framework.

The 2nd part in Refuel is…

2. Fitness
I’m amazed and a little horrified by how little people MOVE these days. We’re SO less active than we used to be and need to be in our daily lives. Moving produces energy.

The focus on fitness is in the Increase Movement Formula. (↑ M4X Formula)

  • Stand More – think up on your feet not down on your butt) or stretching.
  • Walk More – think forward not just still.
  • Run More – think cardio and getting your heart rate up.
  • Lift More – think strength training using bodyweight, dumbbells, and resistance bands.

Adding and improving as many of the above four into your everyday activities will give you immediate energy and far more energy than you’d ever imagine.

Fitness (aka MOVE) is actually energy habit #1 in the six energy habits framework.

After Nutrition and Fitness, the 3rd part in refuel is…

3. Development
Nutrition and Fitness recharge the body. Development recharges the mind.

Time is always the enemy with things that are important and things that are good for you. And development both personally and professionally is usually at the top of the list. I found most people’s philosophy on personal development is more HIT and MISS.

Two words to describe how I define Development = INTENTIONAL LEARNING.

And for something to be intentional and maximized you develop a plan which I call PDP – Personal Development Plan.

Here are four C’s to better clarify a PDP:

  1. Consume – this is what I read and hear on a daily basis – think books, blog posts, magazines, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.
  2. Coaching – hiring someone ahead of me for a season to get me where I want and need to go – often expensive but always worth it to me
  3. Courses – for me this is online courses that help me continually develop
  4. Conferences – opportunity to learn and network with like-minded learners on the same journey

Refuel is both recharging the body through Nutrition and Fitness along with recharging the mind with Personal Development to help our energy be replenished.

Personal and Professional Development (aka Develop) is actually energy habit #5 in the six energy habits framework.

The 3rd and final phase of The Energy Cycle after we’ve Rested – Stop for Now and Refueled – Put Back In is….

PHASE THREE: RE-ENGAGE = GET BACK OUT

 

 

 

 

 

 

After you REST, stop for now. And REFUEL, put back in, it’s time to RE-ENGAGE, get back out.

And when I’m refueled, my My Energy is Replenished.

This means I’m ready to get back out and “do what I do” but this time with more energy and sustainable energy. This is the exact opposite of the last phase of The Exhaustion Cycle: burnout.

Re-engage is when we “redesign the rhythms of our lives” to fit our individual lifestyle through the six energy habits.

This is where Re-Engage comes into the picture and is vital to our success in The Energy Cycle.

THERE ARE THREE PARTS TO RE-ENGAGE

1. PLAN – this type of detail in Rest and Refuel doesn’t or shouldn’t happen on accident or just when you can “fit it in.” This requires a customized plan that works within the rhythms of your road life.

Whether you create one on your own or your company helps you or Elite Road Warrior plays a part, a plan is the key to your success in The Energy Cycle to avoid burnout and create consistent results on the road.

2. IMPLEMENT – this is the “DO” part of the program. It’s not enough to “just have it on your schedule”

This is the action side – GO time – “getter done”. You will be SO far ahead of most if you make it to this part of Plan and Implement but it doesn’t stop here. “but wait, there’s more…”

3. EVALUATE – this is when we look at the plan and how we implemented it and ask:

  • How’s it going?
  • What worked?
  • What didn’t?
  • What can I change/tweak to make it better? = ADJUST

Tony Robbins calls this CANI – an acronym for constant and never-ending improvement. I wrote an entire post on the topic you can find here.

 

One closing thought on Re-engage. It’s critical you know when you re-engage on the road and your energy is not fully there just yet. Is your sleep off? Nutrition? Not enough movement? Knowing what you can tweak to keep your high-performance car running at an optimal level is the difference in a split-second finish in a race.

It’s SO easy to live in or even fall back in The Exhaustion Cycle. But this is not the way to live and especially not the place to become your absolute best.

The Energy Cycle is where you can develop your energy edge so you can live and work at an optimal level.
Leverage The Energy Cycle to help you become and remain an Elite Road Warrior today.

You Got This! Boom – Bring on the energy!

 

 

The Biggest Misconception to Master the Business Travel Life

When I first started as a business traveler a long, long time ago, I took my Type A, driven personality to a whole new level.

It was unleashed on the “open road” if you know what I mean.

I dove into this new opportunity that now included traveling the country and eventually certain parts of the world.

And I loved it.

I already went 100 miles an hour at home and now I was given the freedom to do the very same things on my own on the road.

Brilliant!

And I met hundreds and hundreds of business travelers who validated my theory.

Drive.

Drive..

Drive…

Personal Drive which was inner.

Road Drive which was outer.

And I poured myself into my work.

Nobody could and would outwork yours truly on the road.

And if I found out you did, I would sleep less and try to wear you down.

I even coined a phrase I use often called the Travel Triangle:

  • Airport
  • Board Room
  • Hotel Room

Wash – Rinse – Repeat.

And between us girls, I got good and I mean really good at the Travel Triangle.

I prided myself on not being outworked and killing it on the road.

But here is the biggest misconception I thought to master the business travel life.

Are you ready for it?

It’s all about WORK.

Um, excuse me. Aren’t you there to work?

After all, it is called BUSINESS Travel.

Touche.

But not ONLY work.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not a free pass to slack off.

But let me repeat, the biggest misconception to master the business travel life is it’s not only about work.

I believed this lie for far too long.

I went from a not so suite job to c-suite.

I had the cheap rental cars and lousy hotel rooms and fast food meals to living large and driving cool cars right up to my plush hotel, eating the best of the king’s food and drinking the best of the king’s wine.

But in the end, believing this misconception, business travel is only about work, almost took two very important parts of my life.

Let me tell you how I found out first of all.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always gone 100 miles an hour in my life and it manifested itself with business travel.

I could get more done in a day than the average guy.

More trips.

More presentations.

More meetings.

More emails.

More calls.

I was up late and up early.

This high-performance car showed no signs of any deterioration.

At least on the outside.

Nothing but praises and raises were given to this high performer.

But then when I turned 40, things internally were going wrong.

I was getting very strange symptoms:

  • Heart racing
  • Flush face
  • Eyes glazed over
  • Migraines
  • Diaherria
  • Inability to absorb content
  • Sleeping and never feeling any effects of the rest
  • I went to the doctor and they told me the good news: we can’t find anything wrong.

Then they told me the bad news: we can’t find anything wrong.

And you know what I did after that?

Absolutely nothing.

I went harder.

And harder.

For years.

Until age 45, my body shut down and shut down hard. A complete and utter engine blowout.

It was like I turn a turn marked 30 and I slowed down from 100 to 70, hit the wall and the race was over.

But wait, there’s more.

During the same time, I was always busy on the road so therefore had little to no time to check-in when friends and family back home.

My friends understood or simply moved on.

The family?

They were feeling Dad’s distance both physically and emotionally.

To be blunt…

It was not good.

My wife and I were fighting over stupid things when I left, stress while I was gone.

It was brutal and hard enough leaving then to end with a massive fight just sucked.

Then the kiddos tension…

Kids cried when I left and upset about what I missed while I was gone.

I checked in at all the wrong times and was always distracted.

I was killing it on the road and getting killed at home.

I was important on the road but invisible at home.

To be honest, I was a hot mess when I got home due to the exhaustion than just so disconnected with home trying to make up for lost time but feeling paralyzed on how to make this mess I created any better.

How’s that for a vulnerability bomb?

What resulted was the foundation of the Three Focus Areas of Elite Road Warrior:

 

Remember, the biggest misconception to master the business travel life was in the 1st focus area: WORK.

Is it important? Absolutely. In fact, it’s Energy Habit #4: PERFORM. It’s why we’re ON the road.

But it’s not everything.

If you lose your health, how much harder is work or how much does work matter?

If you struggle or lose your family, how much is work affected?

When I lost my health, everything in my life was on hold. I couldn’t work.

My life revolved around my next medical test. Forced rest. Supplements.

When I had stress back at the Buckley ranch, my mind was elsewhere on the road. I felt the tension and handled it in unhealthy ways.

Not good, road warriors.

The stark reality is the three focus areas are all inter-related.

Eventually, I learned that when I had my health in an optimal place and my relationships back home with those I loved were strong, my work on the road actually improved.

This is key.

I had more energy.

I had less stress.

I had more clarity.

I felt more supported and connected.

Let’s be brutally honest…

The inbox will always receive emails.

There will always be calls to return.

There will always be another proposal to write, presentation to give, deal to close.

But nobody can take care of your health except you.

Will the business world end if you took 20-30 minutes to go for a walk or run or workout in the hotel fitness center or hotel room?

Nope.

Hence energy habit one: MOVE.

I chose to challenge every single morning on the road.

Prioritize the 2nd Focus Area of HEALTH.

And those you love back home.

What if you took just a couple of minutes to stop being the check-in guy or girl and became a connect-in guy or girl who learned to leverage the road to grow that relationship in ways you wouldn’t at home through energy habit six: CONNECT – connect intentionally, thoughtfully, and creatively.

It’s how I created the Not Forgotten Journal you’re now hearing about.

It why I created the Flat Kiddos.

It’s why I send postcards to my older sons.

It’s why I pre-write and pre-record intentional, thoughtful words to those I love back home so they know they’re still a priority to me while I’m not physically there with them.

Here’s the point:

Your business world will change entirely if you stopped believing the biggest misconception to master the business travel life that it only has one focus area: WORK.

Take care of your health because only you can.

Take care of your family intentionally, thoughtfully, and creatively to invest into their lives.

Here’s a hard reality: 

Remember, your family has a choice of whether to connect or reconnect with you if you’ve been physically and emotionally distant.

They don’t have to come back to you so don’t put yourself in that position. Two are involved in this decision.

I’ve had too many conversations that break my heart with especially men of power after a couple of double vodka tonics who admit they’re on their 2nd or 3rd marriage and/or their kids could care less if they’re in their lives or not.

My heart breaks hearing this out of shape, lonely, broken but seemingly highly successful business traveler killing it on the road.

It doesn’t have to be this way, road warriors.

There are three focus areas to becoming and remaining an elite road warrior for a reason:

 

Let’s Land This Plane

The premise of Elite Road Warrior is energy habits. All six of the energy habits are encompassed within the three focus areas:

  1. Work – Energy habit 4: Perform / Energy Habit 5: Develop
  2. Health – Physical Energy Habits – Energy Habit 1: Move / Energy Habit 2: Fuel / Energy Habit 3: Rest
  3. HomeLife – Energy Habit 6: Connect

My hope is this is a challenge, a wake-up call to see how you’re personally doing in the three focus areas.

You may be doing great in one, but what about the other two?

Or maybe good on two but what about the other one?

Remember, you can always find another job but you can’t always get your health back or it’s a long long journey or get your family back.

My hope and prayer are you do whatever it takes to become and remain an elite road warrior and it starts by no longer believing the biggest misconception in business travel and excelling in all three focus areas of Work / Health / Home Life.

You Got This!

Five Key Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

One of the best parts of being a business traveler is the food experience.

Who doesn’t like not having a meal from home that you really didn’t want?

Or not having to cook or clean up.

Then there’s the ability to chose the type of food you want:

Steak
Seafood
Italian
Mexican
Thai
…and the list goes on.
But wait, there’s more!

Then you get to choose what you want to order off the menu.

Oh the choices.

Oh the temptations!

And the best part of all? You’re not paying for it!

Or at least not yet, right?!

The nights you’re with a customer or client or team dinner, there are no limits.

Chose that appetizer or wine you’ve always wanted to try but never could afford.

Order that top-shelf liquor – heck, make it a double!

But on the company card, of course.

Bring it on!

 

Yet there is a cost. A heavy cost. And too many road warriors literally carry that cost with them all over their body from flight to board room to hotel. The travel triangle.

The weight is literally weighing them down and the scale only goes up.

However, each decision can be easier if you view eating out on the road with the following lenses:

Food is Fuel
Fuel is Energy

This mindset is critical because it’s not based on the here and now “oh that looks or smells good” but how I will feel later and often times when we need the energy.

The energy to….

  • Finish that proposal
  • Review the presentation
  • Get to bed at a decent time

I not only made the wrong decisions for years, but I also had the weight to prove it.

You’ve heard of the Freshman 15.

Then there’s the Travel 20.

And being the over-achiever I was on the road, I doubled it and earned what I call “the Entitled 40”

The reality is I could justify my choices and behaviors all day long and night for that matter.

And who was going to argue with me?

The business traveler who struggling with the same issues? They’re my biggest supporters!

The point is you need to come to a point in your Road Life where you begin to think about your Health along with your Work.

We focus too much on the work aspect of the road in general as our health and our home life suffer just as much if not more.

This is why Elite Road Warrior has three focus areas:

You do have choices.
And your choices have consequences.

I used to be the guy who said, wow, that looks good. Oh, that looks good, I’ll try that too.

Another drink, please?

Look at that dessert! I’ll just try a bite…. until it’s gone.

Leader of the pack!

So, I get the battle of eating out on the road ALL-THE-TIME.

I’ve since lost the Entitled 40 as in pounds and have kept it off.

I’ve stopped “getting by” on the road and chosen to “get better” and that means every time you eat out on the road.

There is hope and you can learn to leverage the road to get better. And I’m here to be your guide.

All five key decisions are in full effect the most at dinner when we’re much more relaxed potentially after a long travel day or a stressful day on the road but can apply to even lunch.

So, what are the five key decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road?

 

Five Key Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

These five decisions are naturally in order. They shouldn’t surprise you but somehow we act surprised when the server comes by and asks us these five questions.

Every.

Single.

Time.

And the nicer the restaurant, the more choices you’ll have right before your very eyes often times even presented to you on a literal silver platter.

 

Decision One – What I Will Drink​

At dinner time, “the entitled me” always seems to show up ready to go no matter how last night went if you know what I mean.

And depending on if ‘I’m alone for dinner with my laptop lover or entertaining guests or being entertained, I enjoy the “wine part of the wine and dine”.

This is where the slippery slope begins and we have to “know thyself.”

For me, the more I drink, the sloppier I become on my nutrition, especially after a long day.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always and I mean always order a glass of water if one is not already provided for you then here’s the key: drink as much as you can to start. Why?
    Most of us are more dehydrated than we even think so getting some water into your system is always a smart decision
    Water fills us up and hopefully detours us from over-eating
  • Join the Free WMP – water match program so whatever drink you do order, make sure you match it 1:1 with water. This will keep you hydrated the rest of the night and especially save you from waking up overly-parched and feeling like you’ve swallowed cotton balls that seem to multiply throughout the night
  • Think about what you’re really drinking and how much you plan to or should drink. Are you going to stay with one type of drink or hop all over the place? For me, when I start hopping, I start paying for it and I don’t mean the tab. Through the years, I’ve become a vodka tonic guy and it’s served me well but only paired with the free water match program.

 

Decision Two – Will I Order or Eat an Appetizer

This decision doesn’t come far behind the 1st decision of What I Will Drink.

I never order an appetizer when I’m by myself but somehow overly tempted with other people.

It’s like each person is waiting for the other one to say “no thanks” or “sure, what looks good to you?”

The appetizer can be the “gotcha” to the meal. When I give in especially something unhealthy, I get lazy about everything after that point.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always pre-decide – This means don’t base your decision on what looks and/or smells good. If you do, you’re going down like a Mike Tyson punch.
    If you choose, eat the cleaner and greener appetizer.
  • If you’re a moderator, which means you can take just one bite and stop, stick to the plan
  • If you’re an abstainer, which means if you start, hide the women and children, it’s going to get ugly quick and the appetizer will disappear, Know Thyself, and don’t start.
  • Order a dark green salad – this is my go-to-choice for a few reasons:
    I avoid the tempting and fattening appetizer
    It allows me to get in healthy clean greens – just be smart with the toppings and dressings

 

Remember, Clean and Green is the 2nd element of FUEL after Continually Hydrate. So, use this time to get the good stuff meaning the clean and green stuff in early.

 

Decision Three – What Is My Main Course

Ah, the featured presentation.

This is why we’re here eating out, well, at least as far as food is concerned.

And depending on the restaurant, this may not be top-secret. If you’re at a chophouse, duh. If you’re at a seafood place, you get the point.

There are two main choices here:
The main course needs to be Clean – look for the cleanest meat possible whether beef, chicken, eggs. If it’s really clean, it will list “grass-fed or organic” which means this is your easiest choice. If not, your 2nd main choice becomes all the more important

What goes ON the main course – we can make a great clean decision with the main course then go five-step backward by all the heavy sauces, etc.

You may fight back and say, “but is what gives it all the flavor! And there is truth to it. But it doesn’t mean going ALL or Nothing.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always do your research – every restaurant now has an online menu so do some intel. Why? Avoid impulse choosing.
  • Put the sauce on the side – sometimes when it’s doused all over the place, you’re forced to eat ALL of it. But if you can just try it, maybe it’s not as good as advertised. Sometimes just a dip here and there is all you need and a better choice in the long run.
  • Add First Then Reverse – first and foremost, get the healthy in. Start there if this is not natural yet and feels like too big of an ask. Add the good stuff in first then begin reversing by taking the bad stuff off. For example, the sauces all over the meat or salad.

 

Decision Four – What Are My Side Dishes

This may seem like a default decision meaning your side dish is a direct decision from your choice of the main dish.

But not always.

You can go rogue and choose a side other than what the menu suggests or compels you to choose.

And most restaurants will allow you to easily make the change and sometimes with a very small uncharge. Not a big deal and worth the cost to eat clean and green.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always have at least one vegetable and preferably with not a ton of processing – steamed broccoli/asparagus / green beans, sautéed spinach, cauliflower, etc.
  • Choose a sweet potato over a baked potato or fries
  • Choose double veggies – another way to sneak in more “Green” of the clean and green.
  • Take a healthy side to go – I do this very often since almost every hotel I stay at has at least a mini-fridge and a microwave.

 

Decision Five – If I Will Have Dessert

You know they always ask and if you’re not prepared, you go back to the awkward moment like the appetizer but more at stake after a few drinks.

I tell this story in the Elite Road Warrior book how at a dinner of 12, a one-pound brownie with a gallon of ice cream covered in whipped cream came out and after hundreds and hundreds of dollar were put on the table as a bet of who could eat it, I took on the challenge (mind you, this was during my Entitled 40 days…).

Impressively and sadly, I finished it then couldn’t digest it, lie down, or sleep for 48 hours. Brutal. Stupid (at least I donated the money).

All that to say, I’ve been the freak in the freak show so I understand the power of decision five: If I will have dessert.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Learn to say no upfront so others know where you stand
  • Know if you’re a moderator or abstainer – I know the “wannabe moderators” who there “just a bite” is the gift that keeps on giving or should I say taking. I’ve eaten with you people.
  • Choose a fruit bowl – this is my go-to when I want something sweet but not go down heavy with the dessert. I love anything berries and you can’t go wrong.
  • Carry dark chocolate with you – my wife and me are huge Trader Joe dark chocolate lovers. I carry a bar in my Carry a Controlled Substance work lunch box (episode 037 of the Elite Road Warrior Podcast) – far healthier choice and less ugly in the long run

 

Let’s Land This Plane

Our energy habit focus is FUEL which is the 2nd of the physical energy habits.

Here’s a quick review of the five decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road:

Decision One – What I Will Drink

Decision Two – Will I Order or Eat an Appetizer

Decision Three – What Is My Main Course

Decision Four – What Are My Side Dishes

Decision Five – If I Will Have Dessert

If you follow these five decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road in the healthiest form, you will win with nutrition with business travel.
And you will have the energy to prove it along with fewer pounds to carry.

I get you because I am you!

 

Prefer Audio…?

If you’re interested in the audio version of the five decisions you just make at every restaurant, check out the Elite Road Warrior Podcast episode #043.

Six Habits to Leverage the New Year as a Road Warrior

I love fresh starts and I cannot lie.

Paul has been on the road awhile and he has the weight to prove it.

He’s not big on New Years Resolutions with his only New Years Resolution this year is to not have any resolutions!

But he would like to make some changes as a business traveler and leverage the new year as a catalyst.

Things aren’t bad per se, but they definitely could use a lot of improvement.

 

Paul is typically ahead of the pack in many ways and when he feels bad about himself, he sadly resorts to comparing himself to others which allows him to feel better about himself.

But that’s not who he is most of the time.

Paul wants to get better not just get by and make the necessary changes leveraging the road to do it this upcoming year.

He has what it takes but needs to get momentum and focus on his side.

Paul’s story is like many that come to me asking for a better way.

And it all comes down to two primary words: ROAD HABITS.

 

These road habits encompass Three Focus Areas:

 

 

Too often, we struggle or even lose our health and our home life for the sake of work. You know, that job that never turns off and always demands more and more of you especially on the road?

Paul knows he can improve his work life but also knows if he improved his health and home life, his work would immediately improve as well.

As Paul and I unpacked this conversation, we found his biggest struggle was his mindset of his road life. He viewed the road for all that he couldn’t do:

  • It’s a challenge to eat healthy on the road
  • It’s hard to sleep in a hotel
  • I don’t have time to get in a good workout or a workout at all for that matter when I travel
  • I check in with the fam back home when I can but things get busy

… and on and on and on.

If you were to join my conversation with Paul, this is what you would hear…

 

Six Habits to Leverage a New Year as a Road Warrior

The first thing I told Paul was to view the road differently. Instead of what he can’t do, look for what the road will enable you to do then leverage it.

In other words, change his mindset of the road.

For example, his family doesn’t travel with him so he has his early mornings all to himself.

Paul creates his own travel schedule and does have some flexibility in when and how he travels, when and how he works.

Then we turned the corner to how to view certain habits, energy habits, through the lenses of not only work but also health and home life, the three focus areas of Elite Road Warrior.

The first three are physical energy habits:

Habit One – MOVE

 

Most of the time, the road does the moving for us. We’re just always sitting: to the airport, at the gate, on a plane, in a car, in a meeting, at a restaurant, then laying on a bed after a long day mindlessly surfing the tv or a device.

Most road warriors could make one simple change this new year and it would be to move more on the road.

But how?

 

Move leverages the Increase M4X Formula:

  • Stand More – think up on my feet not down on my butt
  • Walk More – think forward not still
  • Run More – think cardio and getting your heart rate up
  • Lift More – think strength training by using bodyweight, dumbbells, and resistance bands

Stand More – at the gate, on the plane, in a meeting, create a stand-up desk in the lobby, etc.

Walk More – take the stairs not the elevator, walk up the escalator, choose a higher floor at your hotel and take the stairs, park further in the parking lot, take a phone call on a walk.

Run More – actually use the treadmill or elliptical in the fitness center, try burpees in your hotel room, take an outside walk and turn it into a sprint for 30 seconds.

Lift More – actually use the dumbbells in the fitness center, do pushups and leg squats, bring resistance bands with you.

Key Concept: Movement Creates Energy

Challenge – choose one of the four Increase M4X this next month to focus on and master it for all its worth.

Do you need to stand more? Walk more? Run more? Lift more?

What would be the easiest for you to implement to get some quick wins?

What would challenge and push you to start the year with the energy habit of MOVE?

Resource – podcast episode #018 – How to Workout in a Hotel Room / #028 – MOVE and Posture with Dr. Keith Giaquinto

 

Habit Two – FUEL

One of the joys of the road is the amazing food and drink always at our fingertips.

I’ve eaten meals most people would die for. I’ve had a variety of foods that make your mouth water from local specialties to international cuisine. Kansas City barbecue, Seattle fish to Paella (pie-ay-a) in Spain.

There’s the Freshman 15 then the Travel 20.

But being the recovering over-achiever I earned the Entitled 40.

Aka: Heavyweight champion of the… road.

My food choices were as follows:

The easiest choice
The quickest choice
The tastiest choice
The largest choice

As a result, the weight gain and hating how I looked in the hotel room mirror – that guy followed me all over the country and showed up in every single hotel room mirror.

Something had to change.

Fuel encompasses the MTHC Formula: (Make the Healthiest Choice)

  • Continually Hydrate – adding more water into my road day
  • Clean & Green – cleaner foods and more greens with each meal
  • Carry a Controlled Substance – having healthy snacks always available

Continually Hydrate – drinking water 1st thing in the morning, drink more water throughout the day especially on a flight, adding 1 glass of water with every alcoholic drink – I even developed and now use the Elite Road Warrior branded water bottle on the road

Clean & Green – less ingredients, less sugar, cleaner meats, more greens in your meals

Carry a Controlled Substance – having healthy snack options available to you at all times to always MTHC – I chose to bring an actual snack bag with me

Key Concept: Food is Fuel and Fuel is Energy

Challenge – choose one of the three in the MTHC Formula to focus on this new year

Do you need to add more water to your day? Could you eat more clean and green? Can you start carrying healthy snack options with you?

What would be the easiest for you to implement to get some quick wins?

What would challenge and push you to start the year with the energy habit of FUEL?

Resource – podcast episode #043 – Five Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road / #037 – Why You Must Carry a Lunch Box to Work on the Road

 

Habit Three – REST

If there was one habit that I neglected the most for the longest time, it was rest. Who has time to sleep on the road?

Sleep was completely optional to me.

I didn’t like it and felt it was a waste of time.

It just didn’t matter to me.

 

I was the guy who:

  • Had dinner with my laptop lover then took her up for a nightcap
  • Had every possible light and screen on
  • Went to bed way too late binge-watching and falling asleep with the TV on
  • Woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and felt like I had swallowed a dozen cotton balls
  • Woke up feeling sharp as a bowling ball
  • Never took a break and came home absolutely exhausted useless to my family and work

The Problem: I viewed rest as the enemy not as my biggest performance enhancer on the road

Rest encompasses the Strategic Resting Formula:

  • Sleep – Improve Than Increase
  • Breaks – Move the Body, Rest the Mind
  • Downtime – Time to Be, NOT to Be On

Sleep – having a bedtime ritual and a set bedtime, keeping your room cool, completely dark, using blue-blocker glasses, Bose sleep buds, Dep Sleepwear, bedtime meditations all to improve my sleep before ever even increasing my sleep

Breaks – taking micro-breaks that lasts seconds, mini-breaks that last a couple of minutes, macro breaks that take 15-30 minutes all with the goal of stretching, going for a walk, getting some water, going to the bathroom, meditating, anything to move the body and rest the mind

Downtime – finding your Road Thing that brings you energy whether going to a ballgame, being a tourist in the city, going to BN or a coffee shop just to read, etc.

Key Concept: Rest Creates Energy

Challenge – choose one of the three in the Strategic Resting Formula to focus on this new year

Do you need to have a clearer bedtime and evening routine? Do you start taking a break to move the body and rest the mind? Do you need to find your Road Thing to have some time just to be and not be on so you can ultimately be more productive?

What would be the easiest for you to implement to get some quick wins?

What would challenge and push you to start the year with the energy habit of REST?

Resource – podcast episode #035 – Why I Have a Sleep Kit and What Goes in It on the Road / #037 – Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

 

Now, we’ll focus on the three mental energy habits:

 

Habit Four – PERFORM

This is why you’re on the road – to perform. I truly believe most of us want to perform at a high level on the road.

But here’s the problem: we’re not willing to pay the price to perform at a high level.

We’re just so used to doing business as usual on the road and just getting by.

Or we compare ourselves to others and doing better than the other guy or girl but not our personal best. This was Paul’s go-to-move.

 

The key is being intentional so we can perform at an elite level.

Perform encompasses the Intentional Performance Formula:

  • Road Plan – is planning your day on paper, every part, and even finding the potential margins that may arise and what to do with them when they do appear
  • Block & Tackle – is focusing on one task for a set period of time
  • Energy Pacing – is knowing why and when your energy is low then how to pair tasks according to your energy

Road Plan – using a resource like the Full Focus Planner to think through your Big 3 of the Day, when you’ll have the gift or margins and an exact plan how to use that time

Block & Tackle – once you have a Time Block to work, spending, for example, 25 minutes to ONLY email and knowing which emails hold the most weight then attack them. Do the same concept for phone calls, CRM, proposals or quotes, etc.

Energy Pacing – actually look at your energy highs and lows through the day. When do they come? Do you need a break? Food? Movement? Change and work on a low energy task due to low energy? This change makes a huge difference for your performance on the road

Key Concept: High Performance Requires Intentionality

Challenge – choose one of the three in the Intentional Performance Formula

Do you need to create a road plan? Do you need two be more intentional with the margins that appear within your day? Do you need to focus on one task for a set period of time? Do you know to pay more attention to your energy so you can know how to pair your tasks accordingly?

What would be the easiest for you to implement to get some quick wins?

What would challenge and push you to start the year with the energy habit of PERFORM?

Resource – podcast episode #022 – How to be Productive in the Margins on the Road / #009 – One Change Every Business Traveler Must Make on the 1st Day of Every Trip

 

Habit Five – DEVELOP

If there is one habit that is often completely neglected on the road it would be professional and personal development.

How could there possibly be time to do anything but work especially time to read or learn?

But once we learn the margins of the road and become intentional about development, you’ll find more than enough time on any business trip to implement this critical energy habit to become an elite road warrior.

 

Develop encompasses the Invest in You Formula:

  • Sharpen the Mind – putting content in
  • Process the Thoughts – getting content out
  • Monitor the Heart – finding out how you’re REALLY doing

Sharpen the Mind – reading books, articles, or podcast with the intent to learn – possibly leverage the moment you find your seat on a plane until you reach 10K feet

Process the Thoughts – putting your thoughts on paper called Think Space into one central location

Monitor the Heart – taking time even 5-15 minutes to ask key questions to make sure your priorities and your heart are in the right place

Key Concept: Learning is Selfish and Something Only YOU Can Do

Challenge – Choose one of the three in the Invest in You Formula

Do you need to find a book to focus and read (like the Elite Road Warrior book for example)? Do you need to get a journal to write down your thoughts for Think Space and to Monitor the Heart?

I highly recommend the Elite Road Warrior Journal – black leather branded journal with two inserts, one to process the thoughts in the Think Space Journal side and one to monitor the heart in the Road Life Journal side. You can order the Elite Road Warrior Journal at www.EliteRoadWarrior.com .

What would be the easiest for you to implement to get some quick wins?
What would challenge and push you to start the year with the energy habit of DEVELOP?

Resource – podcast episode #041 – Eight Questions I Answer Every Morning on the Road / #040 – Why Personal Development is Important on the Road with Scott Mawdesley

 

Habit Six – CONNECT

For the longest time, my connect time with my family and friends back home was very narcissistic, meaning it revolved only around my schedule when it was best for me.

I rarely considered my family’s dinner time, homework time, sports practice, piano lessons, bedtime, just what worked for me.

I was busy os it was okay, right?

 

It consisted of only the following:

Text
Phone call
Video chat
Now, there’s nothing wrong with these three.

But it’s what I call the bare minimums to connect with those we love back home.

Nothing special and reactive.

Connect encompasses the Protect Connect Formula:

  • Connect Intentionally – on purpose
  • Connect Thoughtfully – reflective
  • Connect Creatively – memorable

Connect Intentionally – thinking outside of the reactive text, call or video chat and choosing a time and method to connect on purpose.

Connect Thoughtfully – pre-writing messages to send to people that will really mean something to them when they read the text, recording audio or video for your family to listen or watch over and over, leveraging the Not Forgotten Journal by taking two minutes to write down a memory, encouragement, challenge, speaking words of life into your significant other.

Connect Creatively – sending postcards to your kids from the city you’re in, leaving or sending Connect Cards for your kids to open, creating Flat Kiddos to take pictures of your locations such as your rental car, hotel, people you meet so your kids feel part of your trip, creating a map of the country and draw out where you’ll be on what days so your family knows where you are, having your kids do some research on your location for the trip .

Key Concept: Become a Connect-In Guy or a Connect-In Girl on the road

Challenge – Choose one of the three in the Protect Connect Formula

Do you need to become more intentional about how you connect with those you love back home? Do you need to schedule Think Space time to write meaningful words to others? How can you leverage the creative ideas suggested to begin to implement immediately?

You can order the Not Forgotten Journal, Connect Cards, and Flat Kiddos at www.EliteRoadWarrior.com

What would be the easiest for you to implement to get some quick wins?
What would challenge and push you to start the year with the energy habit of CONNECT?

Resource – podcast episode #029 – How I Shocked My Wife with the Not Forgotten Journal / #013 – Three Mindset Shifts to Stay Connected With Those Back Home

 

Let’s Land This Plane

Back to Paul’s story at the beginning of the episode… He wants to leverage the new year to make some changes not only in his work but also his health, and his home life.

These six energy habits are the basis of the Elite Road Warrior book and philosophy to master the business travel life.

I challenge, double-dog road warrior style dare you to choose one of the six habits and leverage the energy habit for all its worth to become an elite road warrior.

If you’re interested in listening to this article, check out Episode 051 of the Elite Road Warrior Podcast.

Top Five Excuses I Heard From Business Travelers This Past Year

 

I had this coming and more.

People talk to me for two crazy reasons:

  • I ask questions
  • I listen to their response

My Dad used to say all the time:

Son, ask people questions and they’ll talk to you for hours. Talk about yourself and they’ll listen to you for seconds at the most.

And oh how business travelers can talk.

Talk when they’re bored and want to engage with someone who gets them.

Talk when they’re asked a question by someone who seems to listen.

But what they don’t know is WHY I ask many of my questions on the road.

One word: RESEARCH

I want to hear from every single business traveler I can to hear how they feel about Road Life.

Unfiltered.

This past year I wanted to hear what were the barriers to becoming an elite road warrior.

And did I get an earful and my research-validated?

Here are the Top Five Excuses I Heard From Business Travelers This Past Year

Excuse 1 – It’s Hard to Eat Healthy on the Road

Translation: I’m not taking any responsibility for the non-forced food I put in my mouth.

I love this one. I’ve had SO many meals with road warriors who give me this excuse.

But then I watch their food choices meal after meal, restaurant after restaurant, bad choice after bad choice.

It starts with the appetizer then the main course with all the trimmings.

There’s the Freshman 15.
Then the Travel 20.
And if you’re an overachiever like me, you earn the Entitled 40.

How? Saying “It’s hard to eat healthy on the road.”

The reality is many of us have two advantages:

  • We’re not paying for the meal
  • We can choose the restaurant most of the time

These two realities can allow us to eat in healthier places and give you healthier options.

The truth is food is fuel and fuel is energy.

And I want energy to be at my best on the road.

Energy Habit Focus: FUEL

Resource: Five Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

 

Excuse 2 – I Can’t Get in a Good Workout So What’s the Point

Translation: I’m not as busy as I think and could make time for a short, effective workout.

So many choices:

  • Morning or Late Afternoon?
  • Treadmill or Elliptical?
  • Outside Walk or Run?
  • Dumbbells or Resistance Bands?

The answer? YES!

And I’ve found when I take even just 20 minutes, I often have a better workout because I’m time-sensitive and really get after it.

Whether I’m in the hotel fitness center or stay in my hotel room, taking just a few minutes does so much for me especially when I make it happen before the business travel day begins.

Remember, something, anything, just not nothing when it comes to exercise on the road.

Movement Creates Energy.

Energy Habit Focus: MOVE

Resource: How to Workout in a Hotel Room – Podcast Interview with Jeff McMahon

 

Excuse 3 – I Don’t Have Time to Read When Traveling

Translation: I’m not looking at all the marginal time that affords me reading time on the road.

This was me until I really started looking at my business travel days for margin.

Consider these times to get your “read on”:

  • Drive to the airport to listen to an audiobook or a podcast
  • On the long-term parking bus and going through security
  • After you board the plane and until you hear “we’ve reached 10,000 feet blah blah blah”
  • On the flight descent when you’re told to put your tray table up and prepare for landing
  • In your rental car or RideShare
  • 1st hour of your morning when you’re in your hotel

Just sayin, there is more than enough time to get your “read on” while traveling for business.

Energy Habit Focus: DEVELOP

Resource: Five Reasons Personal Development is a Challenge on the Road

 

Excuse 4 – I Just Can’t Get a Good Night Sleep on the Road

Translation: I’m really good at hijacking my sleep when I travel.

I sucked at sleep on the road for a long, long time and here’s how:

  • I was on a screen (sometimes many) way too late
  • I would fall asleep with the TV on
  • I drank too much which my bladder and cottonmouth woke me up in the middle of the night
  • My brain was too active and I would just endlessly lay in my bed
  • My room was too warm and not dark enough

But once I realized that I first and foremost needed to IMPROVE my sleep before I needed to INCREASE my sleep.

Game changer, road warriors!

Now, I’m highly focused on having the best quality of sleep first then focus on the quantity no matter what.

Energy Habit Focus: REST

Resource: Why You Need a Sleep Kit on the Road and What Should Go In It

 

Excuse 5 – My Family is Just Fine with My Level of Check-In While Traveling 

Translation: I’ve never done it any other way to see if it made a difference.

The road is challenging to stay connected with those back home and it may go something like this:

  • I’ll call when I can
  • I’ll send a check-in text here and there
  • I’ll video chat but yet still be checking email and not really paying attention

I know because that was me for way too long and still the case for most business travelers.

This is what I call a “Check-in Guy or Check-in Girl”. We do the bare minimum and it’s usually only when it’s convenient for us.

But what if we leveraged the road to stay connected with the family in thoughtful and creative ways that actually strengthen our relationships?

There are many creative ideas from Connect Cards to Flat Kiddos to the Not Forgotten Journal that can change the depth of your relationships back home in amazing ways and so worth this small investment of time.

Energy Habit Focus: CONNECT

Resource: Three Mindset Shifts to Stay Connected With Those Back Home 

 

Let’s Land This Plane

In my book, Elite Road Warrior: Six Energy Habits to Master the Business Travel Life, I had a theme quote:

If you want to do something, you’ll find a way.
If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. – Jim Rohn

And business travelers are king of excuses hence this article!

Excuses are opportunities that can be easily turned around.

What excuses are you using right now that you can leverage the road to turn around to help you become an elite road warrior?

I challenge you to check out the five resource links offered in this article. Take action and find a way, not an excuse.