TRAVEL BASED WORK

Feathered Paths Well-being Action Plan

If you travel to where the work is then you will know this brings a feeling of great freedom but also a fair few stresses to your week.

One minute you are driving along, dancing to the radio and the next you've got a flat tire. You may come into contact with many people and their stresses in a day and likely also a lot of traffic!

Working out and about comes with an entirely different list of challenges to being office based but there are ways to make the travel work better for you, so that you can focus on your work and the wonderful feeling of freedom that being field based brings.

Review your morning routine

Wear something that is really comfortable for driving. This may not be the easiest thing if you need to be smartly dressed but at least hang your jacket up, put your tie on once you get there or wear trainers to drive and put your heels on when you arrive.
Keep a roll of small rubbish bags in your car/van and chuck your rubbish in the bin on your way into the house each night. You will feel better getting into a tidier space in the morning.
Do something in the morning before you leave that benefits you, not for work, not for others, just for you.
On sunny days, eat your breakfast or lunch outside, rather than in a rush, at a cafe or in your car. Finding a nice spot to stop for lunch can be an absolute game changer to your day.
Document how long you spend travelling in a week and what times you leave. If you can start your day earlier to miss traffic, you can make your days more manageable.

Work Habits

Do your most challenging and/or beneficial tasks and appointments first.
Schedule time to check your phone/emails before and after appointments so you're not distracted by them.
Plan the easier tasks/appointments/travel routes for later in the day when your brain is beginning to tire.
Keep spares of everything you need in your vehicle - a change of clothes, plenty of water, snacks and a charger.
Try contact batching - Limit yourself to checking your emails/phone just a few times a day and action anything new straight away. Checking back and forth numerous times a day wastes time. An email rarely needs actioning in under an hour. If it does, that person should have called you instead.
Research and make use of tools that can help with productivity. There are tons of apps and systems and even AI bots that can help manage tasks, expenses, route planning and schedules more easily while you focus on the bigger picture.

Ways to take a break

Always take a lunch break - block it out every day in your diary.
Do something physical in your lunch break, even if it's just taking a walk to a nearby shop for a sarnie.
When planning for your next week, do a little research on the places you will be going. Is there somewhere nice nearby that you could take your break or make a quick visit to?
If you're travelling far, could you potentially stay overnight somewhere and split the travel over a couple of days? Then enjoy a lovely relaxing evening in a hotel, all to yourself.

Health and energy

Prepare healthy snacks for your day - fruit, nuts, a smoothie even. Anything containing high energy and goodness.
Try as often as possible to make your own healthy lunches. It's cheaper and better for you than grabbing the first food you see when you're hungry.
Fill a water bottle each day and keep it with you to stay hydrated. Add ice cubes, a lemon slice or some squash if you struggle to drink water.
Walk and stretch your legs as much and as often as you can. Even if it's just parking slightly further away from your destination than you normally do.
When it's a hot day, get outside before you start work - walk the dog, eat breakfast on the patio or do yoga in the garden.
Prioritise sleep and time to recharge.
Regular stretching is really important if your work is physical or you spend a lot of time travelling so build stretching into your day, whenever you can.
Find ways to add movement and exercise to your days. Staying away for work? See if the hotel has a gym or a pool. Try to get plenty of exercise when you aren't at work and stretch your legs as much as you can on your breaks.
Find a place you enjoy going to often with no particular responsibilities when you're there. Go here regularly after work. Somewhere like a coffee shop or your best friend's house on your way home. Somewhere you can unwind.

Planning and Organisation

Add planning time to your diary at the end of the week. Use that time to fill your diary for the next week. Plan out your appointments, travel routes and priorities and what time you need to leave at the start of the new week. Now you can forget all about it until the next week starts, knowing it's all planned out ready.
Plan your evenings and add them to your diary - cooking dinner, taking a bath, going to an exercise class. Whatever you're doing after work - plan it in so you have a better chance of actually being able to have some unwinding time after work.
Use your travelling time to benefit you. Dance to the radio, listen to a podcast, pay attention to signs and learn the road names or try a mind calming technique like counting how many houses or trees there are on your journey.
Be prepared for different environments, make sure you always have warm layers, a coat and a spare pair of shoes. Make sure you have all you need for general vehicle maintenance and safety.
Keep a notebook for keeping your own information from appointments. Things you notice, information that might be useful if you go there again.
If you need to work while travelling on public transport, invest in noise cancelling headphones and pre-book your seat where possible.

Confidence Boosters and Stress busters

Power pose stretch when you're parked up or stationary in traffic. Stretch your arms up and then put your hands on your hips, puff your chest out and breathe. To anyone who sees, you are just stretching but you are also refilling your body with confident energy.
Make time to find out the interests of people you come across in your day - hobbies, family etc. People love to be listened to and what you learn may make your day more interesting or lead you to discover something new and exciting.
Give yourself credit for everything you do and in your mind celebrate every little achievement in your day.
Try to avoid too much travel when you aren't working or take public transport or see if someone else can drive you. If you drive a lot for work, you need breaks from it, in the same way as people need a break from their desk.
Set boundaries between work and home, just like you would between an office and home. You can even have an ‘end of the day’ routine like listening to your favourite song once you are nearly home to tell your mind the work day is done.
Practice relaxation techniques like mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing exercises and don’t forget to stretch as often as you can.

Stay Connected

Add 'check-in' times to your diary. Use this time to make a call or text a friend when you are taking a break in your day.
Embrace small talk on calls and in person and allow others to do the same.
Why not send a morale booster to your colleagues each week, even something small like a ‘Happy Friday’ gif to keep you connected to other team members.
If your colleagues are mainly field based too, you could create a Whatsapp group to keep in touch and share travel news.

Resources;

Jet lag disorder - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic.

Improve your drivers' mental health and well-being

How To Enjoy Work: Tips and Strategies | Indeed.com

10 Simple Ways To Become More Productive at Work | Indeed.com

Building Good Work Relationships - Making Work Enjoyable and Productive

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TRAVEL BASED WORK

​

If you travel to where the work is then you will know this brings a feeling of great freedom but also a fair few stresses to your week.

​

One minute you are driving along, dancing to the radio and the next you've got a flat tire. You may come into contact with many people and their stresses in a day and likely also a lot of traffic!

​

Working out and about comes with an entirely different list of challenges to being office based but there are ways to make the travel work better for you, so that you can focus on your work and the wonderful feeling of freedom that being field based brings.

Review your morning routine

Wear something that is really comfortable for driving. This may not be the easiest thing if you need to be smartly dressed but at least hang your jacket up, put your tie on once you get there or wear trainers to drive and put your heels on when you arrive.

Keep a roll of small rubbish bags in your car/van and chuck your rubbish in the bin on your way into the house each night. You will feel better getting into a tidier space in the morning.

Do something in the morning before you leave that benefits you, not for work, not for others, just for you.

On sunny days, eat your breakfast or lunch outside, rather than in a rush, at a cafe or in your car. Finding a nice spot to stop for lunch can be an absolute game changer to your day.

Document how long you spend travelling in a week and what times you leave. If you can start your day earlier to miss traffic, you can make your days more manageable.

Work Habits

Do your most challenging and/or beneficial tasks and appointments first.

Schedule time to check your phone/emails before and after appointments so you're not distracted by them.

Plan the easier tasks/appointments/travel routes for later in the day when your brain is beginning to tire.

Keep spares of everything you need in your vehicle - a change of clothes, plenty of water, snacks and a charger.

Try contact batching - Limit yourself to checking your emails/phone just a few times a day and action anything new straight away. Checking back and forth numerous times a day wastes time. An email rarely needs actioning in under an hour. If it does, that person should have called you instead.

Research and make use of tools that can help with productivity. There are tons of apps and systems and even AI bots that can help manage tasks, expenses, route planning and schedules more easily while you focus on the bigger picture.

​

Ways to take a break

Always take a lunch break - block it out every day in your diary.

Do something physical in your lunch break, even if it's just taking a walk to a nearby shop for a sarnie.

When planning for your next week, do a little research on the places you will be going. Is there somewhere nice nearby that you could take your break or make a quick visit to?

If you're travelling far, could you potentially stay overnight somewhere and split the travel over a couple of days? Then enjoy a lovely relaxing evening in a hotel, all to yourself.

Health and energy

Prepare healthy snacks for your day - fruit, nuts, a smoothie even. Anything containing high energy and goodness.

Try as often as possible to make your own healthy lunches. It's cheaper and better for you than grabbing the first food you see when you're hungry.

Fill a water bottle each day and keep it with you to stay hydrated. Add ice cubes, a lemon slice or some squash if you struggle to drink water.

Walk and stretch your legs as much and as often as you can. Even if it's just parking slightly further away from your destination than you normally do.

When it's a hot day, get outside before you start work - walk the dog, eat breakfast on the patio or do yoga in the garden.

Prioritise sleep and time to recharge.

Regular stretching is really important if your work is physical or you spend a lot of time travelling so build stretching into your day, whenever you can.

Find ways to add movement and exercise to your days. Staying away for work? See if the hotel has a gym or a pool. Try to get plenty of exercise when you aren't at work and stretch your legs as much as you can on your breaks.

Find a place you enjoy going to often with no particular responsibilities when you're there. Go here regularly after work. Somewhere like a coffee shop or your best friend's house on your way home. Somewhere you can unwind.

Planning and Organisation

Plan your evenings and add them to your diary - cooking dinner, taking a bath, going to an exercise class. Whatever you're doing after work - plan it in so you have a better chance of actually being able to have some unwinding time after work.

Use your travelling time to benefit you. Dance to the radio, listen to a podcast, pay attention to signs and learn the road names or try a mind calming technique like counting how many houses or trees there are on your journey.

Be prepared for different environments, make sure you always have warm layers, a coat and a spare pair of shoes. Make sure you have all you need for general vehicle maintenance and safety.

Keep a notebook for keeping your own information from appointments. Things you notice, information that might be useful if you go there again.

If you need to work while travelling on public transport, invest in noise cancelling headphones and pre-book your seat where possible.

Confidence Boosters and Stress busters

Power pose stretch when you're parked up or stationary in traffic. Stretch your arms up and then put your hands on your hips, puff your chest out and breathe. To anyone who sees, you are just stretching but you are also refilling your body with confident energy.

Make time to find out the interests of people you come across in your day - hobbies, family etc. People love to be listened to and what you learn may make your day more interesting or lead you to discover something new and exciting.

Give yourself credit for everything you do and in your mind celebrate every little achievement in your day.

Try to avoid too much travel when you aren't working or take public transport or see if someone else can drive you. If you drive a lot for work, you need breaks from it, in the same way as people need a break from their desk.

Set boundaries between work and home, just like you would between an office and home. You can even have an ‘end of the day’ routine like listening to your favourite song once you are nearly home to tell your mind the work day is done.

Practice relaxation techniques like mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing exercises and don’t forget to stretch as often as you can.

Stay Connected

Add 'check-in' times to your diary. Use this time to make a call or text a friend when you are taking a break in your day.

Embrace small talk on calls and in person and allow others to do the same.

Why not send a morale booster to your colleagues each week, even something small like a ‘Happy Friday’ gif to keep you connected to other team members.

If your colleagues are mainly field based too, you could create a Whatsapp group to keep in touch and share travel news.

Resources;

Jet lag disorder - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic.

Improve your drivers' mental health and well-being

How To Enjoy Work: Tips and Strategies | Indeed.com

10 Simple Ways To Become More Productive at Work | Indeed.com

Building Good Work Relationships - Making Work Enjoyable and Productive