Traveling for business disrupts your daily routines, there’s no doubt about it. It can be difficult to stick to any good habits when you aren’t in your comfort zone but it is possible.
We all have habits or routines that keep us on target, healthy, and productive but we often rely on having the same environment to accomplish this.
How can you stick with a routine when you aren’t anywhere near your normal living space?
This article will tell you how.
1. Keep the Same Sleep Schedule
Even if you are traveling to a different time zone, if your business trip is less than a week, sleep as you would at home.
Don’t change your alarm to go off at the right time for that time zone, but adjust it to wake you up at the exact same time as you would at home.
A change in sleep patterns can be one of the most disruptive things to a person’s regular routine. Our bodies adjust to our sleep pattern and when it unexpectedly changes, we don’t usually sleep well.
Learn about our body’s internal clock and its relationship to sleep here.
Lack of sleep can seriously derail our productivity and mental capacities. Even the smallest of tasks can seem difficult.
So, unless you are staying on your trip for an extended period of time, don’t change your sleep schedule.
2. Try to Eat Similar Things
When we leave home, we don’t just leave our comfy beds behind. We also leave behind our kitchen or favorite eating spots.
Most of us attempt to eat healthy meals and resist junk foods but eating healthy on the road is a real challenge.
Whenever possible, pack a meal with your favorite healthy foods for the trip. When you arrive at your destination, do a little research to find healthy eating spots or a grocery store.
Preferably, you would stay at a hotel with a small kitchen. It may be hard to find in some cities. A lodging managing service can help ensure you get the right hotel room for healthy cooking.
3. Don’t Allow Any Excuses
It can be all too easy to decide that travel time is time off from your good habits but you’ll soon learn that one trip can derail your good habits for a month.
Instead of finding excuses not to keep up with your routine, look for ways to stick with it.
For example, if you normally get up and run the block, you can still use the hotel gym and hop on the treadmill. You could also have some hotel room workouts downloaded on your phone to use in a jam.
4. Block Out Time for Planning
Mixing work with travel can seem overwhelming at times. To ensure that everything goes smoothly, you should block out at least an hour each day to sit down and go over the activities of the day.
This will not only allow you to wrap your head around the most important events and goals for the day, but it will also help you to find the time to fit in your routines.
You can also foresee any possible problem that could affect your routines and find a solution before it’s too late.
5. Bring the Essentials
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why it is so difficult to stick with a routine while you’re on the road is because you can’t take everything with you.
Even so, you can take some things that help you to stay on track. Don’t underestimate the importance of some items.
Most people would consider packing light as the best way to travel, which in some aspects, would be true. But you shouldn’t pack so light that you can’t complete some of your daily habits.
No matter what, do your best to stick to bringing just carry-on luggage to prevent dealing with any lost luggage.
Conclusion
So, if you want to stick to your regular routine when you are traveling for business, there are a few tips and tricks to learn.
Stick to your normal sleeping and eating habits, don’t allow excuses to stop you, and bring what you need to stay on track. Don’t forget to take the time you need to get organized and plan out each day.
If you follow this plan, you can succeed at holding true to your daily routines even while traveling.