If you're a new business executive wondering how other execs transform travel time to productive hours, know that they do so through pre-planning and by leveraging "dead time." They also take advantage of feature-rich, private transport.
Staying productive during travel time is particularly vital nowadays, as many business trips last for days. As publisher BusinessTravelExecutive.com points out, the average business travel in the U.S. lasts for 4.1 days.
The more you can do while traveling, the less stress and backlog you'll have, and the more personal time you can regain for yourself.
What Does Travel Time Mean?
The term "travel time" refers to the number of hours an employee spends on transporting themselves from one location to another for work purposes. It differs from "standard commuting, which is when an employee travels from home to work and vice versa.
Is Travel Time Compensable?
Yes.
The U.S. Department of Labor states that time spent traveling during typical work hours is compensable work time. Home to work (or work to home) isn't.
How Do Business Executives Turn Travel Time Into Productive Work Hours?
Considering that employees, including business executives, get paid during travel time, you, as a CEO, COO, or CFO, should maximize it and turn it into productive work hours. The more you can do during these hours, the more you can focus on doing the job waiting for you at your destination.
Pre-Planning and Strategizing
Once savvy business executives receive details about their business travel, they map out a travel productivity plan, including all the time-related details of their journey. As an exec yourself, this means you should determine the number of hours you'll spend:
- On the ground (e.g., car or train)
- At the airport
- On the flight
- At the port and the cruise/ferry (if traveling by water)
Next, strategize how to maximize all that travel time to achieve work efficiency on the go. You can, for instance, determine which practical tasks you can finish during these parts of your journey.
Leveraging Dead Time
"Dead time" refers to periods in your travel time in which you don't have any scheduled activities. Examples include:
- Airport layovers
- Lengthy train rides
- Gaps between meetings
You can't control dead time, but you can choose what to do during these periods, including implementing productive travel hacks.
An example is to clear high-volume, low-concentration tasks, such as answering emails with a "personalized" template. Reviewing documents and speeches (if you're giving one) are other executive travel productivity tips.
Using Feature-Packed, Private Transport
If you'll be on the road for several hours as part of your business trip, consider a luxury vehicle rental, such as a custom Mercedes Sprinter Van. You won't just get the privacy you need; you'll also have access to premium amenities and technologies that can help you stay productive, such as:
- Onboard 5G Wi-Fi or Starlink
- Video conferencing capability
- Espresso or coffee stations
- Refrigerator (for snacking)
- Electronic partitions and executive writing tables
Stay Productive During "Dead" Travel Time
As a business executive, you should always aim to stay productive during your business travel time, a feat you can achieve with pre-planning, strategizing, and leveraging dead time. Choosing a private, feature-packed transport can also help.
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