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Breaks

Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

Terra is a hard driver. She’s up early and at it late. She never takes breaks and actually prides herself because of it.

During every possible break given in a meeting or conference, she’s working. Her brain is always engaged, and her legs are never moving while she’s sitting in those conferences.

Her philosophy is “who has time for a break?!” and she actually looks down on those who do. She would never say they are lazy but she does question their work ethic. Is Terra right? After all, you’re on the road to work and crank out as much work as possible.

Or is there a reason to take a break?
This is a major pushback for road warriors: the topic of a break. Terra is not alone in this area. But Terra, give it a break already!

I know what you’re thinking: “I barely have time to go to the bathroom let alone pause for lunch. How could I ever have time for a break?” Well, you never “have time.” You “make time” for things that are important. Believe it or not, breaks are important and they matter.

Four Natural Pushbacks To Taking A Break

1. I don’t have time to take a break.

I’m behind before I even start my day and will only fall further behind if I stop and take a break.
I will literally lose more time if I stop. I have TOO much to do and NOT enough time to do it. How could I even consider stopping for a break?

2. I feel fine, why take a break?

Those of us who are locked in and get “in the zone” can easily push back on this one. This is especially true for those of us who love what we do.

3. I forget to even take a break.

If it’s not something we do regularly, especially when traveling, it’s easier to just do a drive-by and miss a break, even if we want or need to take one.

4. My travel schedule does not allow me to take a break.

This used to be me. I never took a break on the road, and the main reason was I never scheduled it. When I started padding my schedule by just 15 – 30 minutes once or twice a day, the results were outstanding.
The problem is, most road warriors rarely take a break, and IF they do, they do it wrong. How do you screw up a break? Let’s start with what a break is first.

I define a break as: MOVE THE BODY/REST THE MIND.

If people choose to take a break at all, they do the opposite – they 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). Aka: they screw it up. They’re not moving because they remain seated and their mind is not resting; it is engaged in something else.

They miss an opportunity to leverage the energy that a break can give you IF it’s done correctly.
A true break is designed to move the body – stand/stretch/walk – MOVE! Resting the mind means stop concentrating and let it roam free. Breaks mean running the car, but on idle.

I agree with what The Huffington Post says on breaks: “It is difficult to see things from a new perspective or find new insights when we come at it the same way all the time. Taking a step away — literally or figuratively — might be just what we need to recharge.”

A break is productive only when you disconnect from the work you are doing and indulge in any other activity that takes your mind off the task at hand. The reality is, we have to see the benefit of a break if we’re going to gain anything out of a break.

Benefits of a Break

1. Your mind gets to rest

I don’t know about most people, but the moment I begin my day, my mind is going, and I don’t want to admit it, but it doesn’t stay sharp all day. The reality is my mind begins to fade, especially being around people on the road all day unless I do something about it. That’s exactly why taking a break to give your mind a rest is so vitally important.

It’s good to push your mind, but if your goal is to stay sharp and productive, we need to consider a mental break. We can only focus for so long before quality begins to decrease. If we’re honest, we’ll admit this truth. Resting the mind is exactly what is needed to become more effective and to increase productivity.
What does resting the mind look like? Well, it doesn’t look like moving from one computer tab to another, from CRM to Twitter, from computer to phone. It means allowing your mind time to roam and not concentrate so it is free to engage in something else without intense focus.

2. Your body gets to move.

One of our biggest unknown challenges is being sedentary. Most of us sit almost the entire day, especially when we travel. We’re in a rental car or rideshare, then to the conference room to dinner and then we crash on the bed.

We are not designed to sit around all day, and it’s definitely not helpful for your creativity or productivity. Getting up for a few minutes gets our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain.

We NEED to get our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain to be at our best. Often times, since you’re naturally sitting most of the day, you just have to take the initiative. How many times have you been in a situation where someone said, “Can we take a quick break? I need to… (Get coffee, go to the bathroom, make a quick call or return some messages)”?

This is the timeout in sports you’ve been looking for but use it wisely. Often, people just sit there and completely waste the break. They stay seated on their can and check social media or talk about absolutely nothing.

Not you, road warrior. Exit stage left and go for a walk. Change locations. Move the body and rest the mind. Leave the building if you can. At least, walk around within the building. Often, I take a few stairs and at least step outside. In this way, I’ve moved and taken in some fresh air and scenery.

3. You come back more focused.

This is where taking a break actually increases your productivity. We don’t want to just do our work; we want to do our best work, and that’s what happens when we’re focused and creative. When blood is flowing through my body and oxygen is getting to my brain, both have had the break they need to come back more focused.

It’s amazing how people can screw up a break and are worse off after a break. Not you, road warrior. You’ll come back sharp and ready to knock out the rest of the time.

So, we’ve given excuses of why we can’t or don’t take a break. And we learned the benefits of taking a break. Now, let’s get very practical on how to actually take a break while on a business trip.

Here are Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

According to the book Rest, a true break from work – the kind that allows what sociologists call detachment, the ability to put work completely out of your mind and attend to other things – turns out to be tremendously important as a source of mental and physical recovery from work.

I realize breaks may be a change of mindset for you, but if you begin to simply change how you view a break, whether given or self-imposed, you will experience the benefits of moving your body and resting your mind as you get the full benefits of a break. Take a short walk and change your environment for a few moments to catch your breath with the goal of coming back refreshed and ready for another round.

Some break ideas are:

  1. Breath Break
  2. Stand Break
  3. Stretch Break
  4. Bathroom Break
  5. Snack Break
  6. Walk Break

These may seem obvious, but so often, we’re simply not doing them.
We’ll choose six excuses. Think creatively about how you could add them to your travel day. If you think you don’t have ANY time for a break, consider the following with examples of how to use the six different types of breaks.

Your goal: Be an overachiever and combine break types.

Three types of breaks on the road:

1. MICRO – Think Seconds/Small Length
We may not have time for anything longer at the moment or we just need a quick energy boost, and that’s exactly why we should take micro-breaks throughout the day.
Here’s a stat for you: a 30-second micro-break can increase your productivity up to 13% and a 15-second break from staring at your computer screen every ten minutes can reduce your fatigue by 50%.

Here are three different types of micro-breaks:

  • Breathe break – Take in oxygen to the brain.
  • Stand break – Simply standing and walking a sedentary body will do more for you than you think, even with such little effort
  • Stretch break – take that stand and move it to a stretch to get some additional blood flowing. You’d be surprised what a simple, calculated stretch will do for your energy.

EVERYONE on the road has time for MICRO breaks. They don’t affect your time but definitely affect your energy!

2. MINI – Think Minutes/Medium Length
Micro is seconds; mini is minutes. You can sneak a little break in with only a few minutes.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) research reveals that taking mini-breaks that range up to 5 minutes can improve mental acuity by about 13 percent. That’s GREAT ROI for just five minutes!

  • Bathroom break – This can be a mini-break. If you’re drinking water, this is a natural by-product of your hydration donation. Most on the road have time for mini-breaks either from your meeting that gives you a break, in-between meetings, or self-appointed mini-breaks.
  • Snack break – There’s no shame in getting a snack throughout the day. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to get some other sources of energy to your body so that you can work most effectively. Just remember to put good food into your body to help this mini-break be effective.

3. MAX – Think Unplug/Large Length
This type of break is harder to come by and is either granted during a long meeting or you just have to take it.

  • Water break – Again, if you’re drinking water, you’re going to need a refill, and this is the time to do it.

This couple of minutes’ break does more than you realize and is worth the quick stop. Often, this is a natural upgrade from the micro and mini breaks.

If you’ve been concentrating for a while, at some point in your morning and/or especially in your afternoon, you need a max break. How often have you found yourself pushing through the mid-to-late-afternoon and everything just seems to take you twice as long and the quality is half as good? The solution? A max break. This is a true un-plug.

I’m not talking an hour or even 45 minutes; 15 minutes is a great place to start with a max break.

Breaks are all over for you on the road if you just begin to look for them then learn to leverage them.
The ultimate goal is maximizing that break for all it’s worth to gain the energy you need for your day on the road.

Seven Mistakes New Business Travelers Do Wrong and How to Avoid Them

Becoming a new business traveler is exciting. It’s like finally getting your license and starting your car up by yourself and going for a drive all by yourself for the first time. #NewfoundFreedom

But business travel has these secret handshakes that seemingly everyone else knows but nobody chose to show you as the new guy or new girl on the road.

As a result, so many business travelers make certain mistakes over and over that can and should be avoided. If only someone cared enough to pull the road warrior rookie aside to show these needed and simple handshake moves. And that’s the exact reason for this article.

I’m here to “help a brotha and a sista out” and give you that chance to succeed quicker and more effectively.

There’s nothing wrong with being a Rookie Road Warrior; we all started there at some point. So, let’s get the rookie green color off right now and get you up to speed.

Seven Mistakes New Business Travelers Do Wrong and How to Avoid Them

Mistake #1 – Not signing up for TSA PreCheck

Before you even step foot in an airport, the first thing you should do is get your TSA PreCheck knocked out and ready.

Why? Time. Unless you prefer to wait with “the commoners” who travel once a year for vacation or an occasional trip, you want to be in the TSA PreCheck lane.

Personally, I’m not a fan of the following:

  • Whipping my belt off feeling like I’m undressing in public
  • Walking on dirty floors with my socks
  • Having to pull my electronics out of my bag

With TSA PreCheck none of the above will apply to you.
It also reduces traveler friction which is anything that causes added stress within a business travel day whether self-induced or part of the joy of business travel.

I remember one time hitting unexpected traffic to the airport and was in the busyness vortex of hurry/worry/scurry. I walked into the airport in San Diego and the normal security line looked like the line for a new Disneyland ride.

If I had to stand in that line, I was sunk. But I walked right up to TSA and was at my gate ten minutes later. Whew! After a long week of travel, I just wanted to get home.

These situations happen often and TSA PreCheck will save you over and over.
You can learn about TSA Precheck here

Quick Tip: If you travel across the US borders, (north eh to Oh Canada or south, no Espanol to Mexico) consider Global Entry. You can look into that here.

Mistake #2 – Not getting your passport now

You may be getting or currently have a region for your role at the moment, so why even bother right now with getting a passport? Here are a few reasons:

1. You never know when you may be asked to cross the border or the water

Early on, I had landed a good size contract and was asked if I could do Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver in two weeks. If I didn’t have my passport, I would’ve missed this great opportunity (along with three hockey games!). But I was given the advice to get my passport right away and all was good.

2. It’s another valid proof of identification

One time I had misplaced my wallet and I was having a road warrior freakout session (C’mon now, you know you’ve had your fair share too!) and I was getting my money’s worth out of the session. I hadn’t gone through security yet and was short on time due to Chicago traffic on my way to the airport. I calmed down instantly when I remembered one thing: I had my passport with me. I breezed through security (TSA PreCheck avoiding mistake #1), went to my gate, and realized I did have it in my bag after all.

Moral of the story: it’s better to have it and not need it than wish you had it and don’t.

Get your passport process going right now so you have it when you really need it.

Quick Tip: Don’t leave your passport at home but always carry it with you in case you need it for another proof of identification.

Mistake #3 – Not using a packing list

When you first start traveling, it’s a challenge to know what you even need to bring let alone forget items that you know you’ll need. It’s guesswork at best.

Early on, I would forget random things: a belt, workout socks, a phone or computer charger, hair gel, and on and on and on.
It was frustrating, inconvenient, and to be honest, avoidable. Once I started working off a packing list, my packing went quicker and my forgetfulness nearly disappeared. My only regret was not using this simple tool sooner.

I used the following categories:

  • Toiletries
  • Dress wear
  • Casual wear (which included workout clothes)
  • Workbag (computer to chargers)
  • Unique for this trip – am I going to a special dinner? The beach?

Then I put in details of what would fit under each of these categories.
Lastly, I asked “Is this item absolutely necessary?” to make sure everything could fit in my carry-on.

Quick Tip: have duplicates of as many items as possible that can stay in your carry-on bag. It was worth the investment and shrunk my packing list to more specialty items depending on my location.

Mistake #4- Checking a bag

This mistake applies to the hoarder whether male or female. If you’re nervous you’re going to not have enough with you, then this mistake applies to you.

I’ve also witnessed this firsthand traveling with a newer female business traveler who has to have numerous outfits and every pair of shoes. I get it but I don’t want to travel with you and wait with you for your bag that looks like you’re on vacation.

Checking a bag is one more way for something to go wrong. The times I check my bag, Murphy’s brother, Mark, is doing bag handling and Murphy was messing with Mark and letting him know I was going to Omaha, not Atlanta.

This is definitely a rookie mistake and sucks up valuable time and leaves you open to travel friction.

Now, there are times when I’ve been gone on a long trip overseas or that last 5 or more days. Then yes, checking a bag makes sense. But this is the exception, not the rule.

Pony up and find carry-on luggage that can work for you that is made for a business traveler.

Personally, I’m using the Genius Pack G4 22″ Carry On Spinner Luggage

Quick Tip: Use packing cubes to maximize space. You’d be surprised how much you can get in a carry-on bag if you pack properly. Here are the ones I use.

Mistake #5 – Drinking too much at business events

I see this guy way too often at business social events or at a customer dinner.  And most of the time, he’s young and green (aka a new business traveler).

He’s not used to good wine or top-shelf liquor and especially anything that is free and seemingly unlimited. As a result, he becomes “that guy”.

It also happens to someone who wants to fit in and “drink with the big boys” when this always ends poorly. I’ve seen this with women business travelers and it’s a brutal next morning.

A few years ago, Ted tried to keep up with the big boys and was a lightweight drinker at best. After two shots, he became the life of the party or should I say the death of the party, and had to be driven back to his hotel early and get his car the next day. He’s now known as “two-shot Teddy” and his legacy lives on.

Quick Tip: Stick with the advice given to me by a CEO very early on in my road warrior career: “Always drink one drink less than your customer and one more glass of water. Be memorable without becoming ’that guy’ at the event.” If you feel the alcohol catching up with you, have your next drink be water or a non-alcoholic drink that looks like a drink. No one will notice and honestly, no one really cares.

Mistake #6 – Working all the time on a business trip

This mistake is understandable and seems to yield immediate results so it’s encouraged and even rewarded.

You may feel you have to work all the time on the road just to keep up. Or when you’re new to the road, you want to prove to your boss you can handle it.

Your company may subtly influence you to work all the time because they own your time on the road.

You find yourself working on an early flight out of town and the last flight home.  If you work for this type of company, they care more about your results than they care about you.

I can guarantee one end result every single time if you fall prey to this mistake: BURNOUT.

Your results will end up inconsistent because you’ll move quickly through the Exhaustion Cycle:

Busy = Can’t Stop Now and I feel hurried
Beatdown = Can’t Take This and I feel stress
Burnout = Can’t Keep Going and I feel done

You can learn more about the Exhaustion Cycle in the article “Why you may be living in the Exhaustion Cycle.”

Your evenings should be your choice of what to do. This was my #1 mistake and burned me out to the point of complete exhaustion and shut me down for far too long.

Quick Tip: Have a hard stop of when you will start work and when you will end work and you’ll be surprised how much you get done within these time restraints. I reserve the 1st two hours of my morning to focus on 5 of the 6 energy habits to allow me to do the last remaining energy habit of PERFORM at the highest level and you can too.

Mistake #7 – Not maximizing your destination

I was flying from Chicago to San Antonio and an older, seasoned road warrior started asking me questions about how I travel. I have to admit as a rookie road warrior, I was trying to impress him. Guess how that went? I told him about how I lived in the travel triangle: airport/boardroom/hotel. I bragged how I worked through dinner and stayed up late. “This is my time to work without interruptions,” I bragged.

When I took a breath (which was somewhere between St. Louis and the Texas border), he said very calmly but clearly: “Son, let me give you a piece of advice. Stop doing travel that way. You never know when you’re going to be in that city again, or even on the road on business travel for that matter, so take time for downtime.”

He told me to see the River Walk in San Antonio. Eat the local foods in the area, see the site-seeing locations, and soak it in. He ended by saying I would be more productive in the long run and it would make my travel so much more enjoyable. I politely said thanks and licked my wounds for the remainder of my flight, thinking about this unusual but enlightening conversation for me.

Guess what I did? I went to the River Walk in San Antonio and I walked by the Alamo (so I could remember it). As a result of the unexpected, influential conversation, I’ve continued his counsel for years and years, in city after city (and I have the pictures to prove it!).

In Elite Road Warrior, we call this “Downtime – time to be, not to be on.” Too often we live in the Travel Triangle = Airport / Conference Room / Hotel Room. Every city looks the same because we don’t see anything.

Make time to maximize your destination and get out of the Travel Triangle and leverage some much-needed downtime.

Quick Tip: Do some research and find something in that city you can look forward to doing (site-seeing, going to a ballgame or museum, dining at a popular local restaurant).

I want to give credit to Jet Set Genius Podcast and an ace of a friend, Brad Kammlah, for inspiring many of these notes on road warrior mistakes.

The goal here is to help young or just new business travelers to avoid mistakes that cost you time, energy, and possibly even your reputation early on and if adhered to, will put you on the path of becoming an elite road warrior.

Resources

7 Early Warning Signs for Companies to Avoid Business Travel Burnout

Top Ten Business Travel Hacks Guide

 

016 – Timeshifting with Mickey Beyer-Clausen

 

Welcome to the show notes for Episode 016 of the Elite Road Warrior Podcast! This week we talk with Mickey Beyer-Clausen about combating jet lag while on business travel.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

1:15 – Mickey’s bio

4:05 – How do you define jet lag?

4:20 – Reset your circadian clock to the newest timezone ASAP

5:12 – What are the consequences of jet lag?

6:10 – Jet lag is related to performance, productivity, and overall health.

8:10 – What is the science behind jet lag that we’ve all missed?

14:40 – Chronotypes

19:00 – Mickey’s typical schedule while traveling

22:50 What is time shifter and how does it work?

27:15 – Work on your jet lag to better CONNECT when returning home

33:20 – Future research on Circadian rhythm is important, and on its way!

Recover the time lost to nothingness #FightJetLag Share on XFirst discover: are you a morning or night person? #FightJetLag Share on XThe problem and the solution to the Circadian Clock = LIGHT Share on XWhen we fight jet lag we are better at CONNECTING with family at home. Share on X

Resources for today’s episode:

Road Warrior Assessment
Mickey Beyer-Clausen and Timeshifter

Elite Road Warrior Book

 

008 – The Importance of Sleep with Terry Cralle

Welcome to Episode 008 of The Elite Road Warrior Podcast Show Notes! In this episode, we talk with Terry Cralle about getting efficient sleep while on the road.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

4:23 – Research shows business travelers are sleep deprived even before they leave on the trip.

6:08 – What is “sleep banking”?

8:06 – Our assumptions about the importance of sleep on the road are wrong

9:30 – Putting sleep on the front burner

11:45 – We don’t realize how impaired our performance is when we are sleep deprived.

14:00 – Elite Road Warrior Assessment Promo

15:10 – Historically we haven’t seen sleep as a biological necessity

15:39 – We hold up people who “don’t need sleep” on a high pedestal.

17:10 – If sleep is first, everything else falls into place.

22:35 – How do I improve my sleep before I increase my sleep?

25:23 – SLEEP KIT – What it is and why.

29:00 – Keep your nighttime ritual as constant as possible.

29:38 – The transition time between wake and sleep is essential.

32:06 – Exercise is the key to better sleep and productivity

34:13 – Next episode preview

There's more to sleep deprivation than "feeling sleepy". Share on XBetter Sleep = Better Performance! Share on XSleep is the foundation of health and wellness. Share on XImprove your sleep before you increase your sleep. Share on X

Links and resources for this episode:

Visit Terry Cralle’s website for information about her books and additional resources: http://www.terrycralle.com/

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

5 Ways Busy Professionals Can Do the Hard Work of Rest

I’ve always viewed rest as a sign of weakness. “You go and rest while I work and get ahead” has always been my arrogant attitude.

To be honest, I looked down on those who would stop and rest.

Hard Work of Rest

You see, I’m a Type-A, hard driver who’s always moving and on the go. I’m known for my unlimited energy and ability to get things done.

Until I crashed.

The Energizer Bunny lost his energy. Not cool.

I was like a high performance car going 100 down the interstate who took an exit at 70 with a curve marked 30.

I was forced to rest. My body shut down and simply had enough.

My arrogant view of rest was humbled and I learned to truly do the hard work of rest.

Rest is defined as a cease of work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recovers strength; to refrain from using for a short time.

Easy to say, near impossible to do for high performers. (That’s a challenge for you over-achievers…)

As busy professionals, it starts with sleep, breaks, and down time.

 

Here are 5 Ways Busy Professionals Can Do the Hard Work of Rest:

1. Recognize Rest is the Super Power of Your Energy

The reality is to most high achievers, rest is a waste of time, a luxury they simply cannot afford. It’s an “if I get to it” response and therefore simply never happens.

I can have all the time in the world and no energy, little to nothing gets done or done well.

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So, do I need more time or more energy? Is it possible that if I prioritize energy, I’ll gain more time..?

Sleep recharges you like nothing else and allows you to regain focus, clarity, and productivity. But few maximize this super power of your energy.

 

2. Value a Good Night’s Sleep

It simply starts with sleep. When you’re tired, it affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Just ask those who have to deal with you!

But sadly, many people are either sleep-deprived and don’t realize it or view not sleeping as a badge of honor.

Ironically, most high performers are horrible sleepers. Their hours are inadequate and inconsistent. In fact, here are Three Decisions That Will Make or Break a Good Night of Sleep.

Sleep is restorative to both our body and mind. We guard what we value and do what we value.

Once committed, there are numerous ways to improve your night of sleep. Here are three excellent book resources:

Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson
The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington
Sleep Your Way to the Top by Terry Cralle and W. David Brown

Pro Tip: Start adding just 10 minutes to your sleep by going to bed 10 minutes earlier then again until you begin to feel rested. Begin to pay back that sleep debt you have and may not even realize how much you owe…

 

3. Break Up Your Day With Productive Breaks

I NEVER use to take breaks. Why slow down? Keep the gas on and get to where I need to go.

Now, I’m not talking about hanging out wasting time at the coffee area or watercolor. I’m focusing on a scheduled, productive break.

I’m also NOT talking about desktop dining for lunch. Just simply taking an actual lunch “break” may be the first and best place to start.

Pro Tip: Unplug for lunch or choose a time in the morning or afternoon (or preferably both) to take just 10 minutes to stop what you’re doing, completely unplug to rest your brain (no email or social media) and stretch your body. Move, man.

 

4. Sign Up for Some Downtime

I’m sorry, did I just read downtime? I didn’t even know THAT existed let alone what it was or how to implement it!

We may feel we don’t have enough time in general let alone down time.

Downtime is a period of time when one is NOT working, not available, or engaged in a planned activity.

Sadly, my only downtime in the past was when my body completely crashed and oh was I down for a time! Not the point of downtime.

Ironically, my most creative times come out of downtime. When my brain is “free to roam” and not tasked to focus, it’s a breath of fresh air that revives me in a way like nothing else.

Pro Tip: Think SMALL on the weeknights and LONG on the weekends. Who knows, your next BIG idea may suddenly appear.

 

5. Schedule Rest As One of Your Most Important Appointments of the Day

As the saying goes, “what gets scheduled gets done.” It’s not something you get to when you “have time.” It must be a priority.

Once you recognize the value of rest, you can no longer leave it to chance. Whether you’re forced to slow down like I was due to my Adrenal Fatigue issues or you’re pro-active in implementing rest (good for you and impressive), rest must become part of your daily rhythm.

Schedule your bedtime and arise time. Schedule your lunch break to rest the mind and move the body. Schedule one or two short breaks as an actual appointment.

Guard this time like your life or at least your energy depended on it!

 

Conclusion

Rest, if done properly, is the little invest that yields big results. The perfect formula for high performers.

Your Energy is the source of your productivity. – Bryan Paul Buckley

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Making these changes are a process. You must commit and seek to make the most of the time.

If you truly believe rest is needed and beneficial, you’ll do the hard work of rest and see the incredible benefits.

Question: What could you do today to begin the hard work of rest in your own life?