For most of us, business trips are quick affairs that must be carefully planned to ensure you can complete all you need to before returning to the office. So how do you go about making sure you squeeze in all you need to and make the most of your time? Time management is essential for all professionals, however time management while on a trip is not something everyone has experience in. To help you out, here are some time management tips you can utilise on your next business trip.

Set aside some planning time

Of course, it goes without saying that time management and planning go hand in hand. Now how you go about this is up to you; you can choose to either simply plan each day the night before, or plan out the entire trip before you set off. No matter which one you choose, careful and well thought out planning will save you heaps of time when it comes time to put it all into action.

Create a to-do list and check with it often

There are a number of ways to create that helpful to-do list: simple pen and paper, notes on your smartphone, apps, calendar settings that sync to your devices or a diary. Whether you stick traditional or utilise digital methods, ensure you can go back to it and check it regularly to ensure you are on track. Including action items is always a good idea as it forces you to break down larger items into bite size chunks.

Research your destination

Avoid searching the city once you’ve arrived at your destination and do some preliminary research. You’ll want to take a look at:

Where your accommodation is in relation to the areas/offices you will need to visit
Where public transport stops are
Where ATMs are located
Shops and restaurants close by

By doing all this research, you can make the decision on how you want to travel and on which days you want to complete which tasks. More importantly, it will lessen the chance of you getting lost and wasting time.

Make the most of wait times

Travelling by plane or have long train trips ahead of you? Making the most of wait times by getting some planning out of the way can help immensely. This is reasonably easy to do as you can often find access to free WiFi and airports do offer lounge access if you require somewhere quiet.

Time out is important too

Keep in mind that not all down time needs to be productive as relaxation is an important factor in ensuring you are in the best frame of mind to get everything done. By using travel waiting time for your productive planning, your down time at your accommodation or after meetings is for you to do with as you wish.

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