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.
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