Work Travel: Exploring New Places Alone

One of the benefits of some careers is the ability to travel for work. I love work travel for many reasons. That’s not to say I would want to travel 100% of the time, but I do like to travel about 25% of the time. For my family, this number works for us.

Family Benefits

I love to experience different places, cities, and try regional restaurants. I love exploring and taking in new sights. It is also not to my expense so that is also helpful. I view it as scouting for future family vacations and places to put on my bucket list for when I have more time to spend in an area. Often times, I will FaceTime my family and give them a room tour, share my meals and usually bring home a little treat. I try to share with them as much as I can so they do not feel as though they are missing out. Technology is a wonderful thing!

Traveling for work allows everyone to develop independence. Especially the kids. I hear countless stories from coworkers whose children cry when they leave. Their children are afraid of the parent not coming back or they feel abandoned. My kids know I will be back and that I am working. We talk about this alot and they understand it to be part of life. So whether I am gone for a day or for a week, they know it is temporary. Ultimately, I get “me time” while my daughter gets ‘Daddy time’.

They also understand that schedules may be flipped. We all get a better understanding of the various job roles around the house and this fosters a better understanding of everyone’s importance. Like when my husband had to attend school’s open house alone or when I have to remember to take out the garbage. It gives an appreciation for the family as a unit and for everyone as an individual. It ultimately leads to a better balance for you as well.

Work Benefits

There are times on a work trip where there may be not much time to explore. This is especially true if there are dinner events and meals scheduled. It doesn’t mean, however, that it needs to be all work. If there is any personal time allowed, try to explore. The only two rules I abide by is 1) always be on time to any scheduled events and 2) do not overdo any alcohol consumption. It seems silly to even write but I have seen many people not know their alcohol limits and pay for it both personally and professionally.

Prior to leaving for the trip, I will often check for things to do in that area or restaurants I may want to try. Choose places close to the meeting center as so that traveling to explore is under 20 minutes each way. Think “Uber-able”. Yes, I made up that word but you get the idea! If your meeting involves anyone from the local area, this is a prime networking opportunity. If they live there, you can ask for their input or, better yet, ask if they would like to accompany you. It is a great way to build relationships and foster collaboration.

Many times, I may take an earlier flight to the meeting or come back on a later flight to accommodate some exploring. For example, when I have an afternoon meeting, I will fly out the night before and explore in the AM. This guarantees I will be at the meeting on time and allows me to see a few sites.

Site seeing and finding out about a local area also gives you some great topics of conversation. There have been so many times when facilitators or meeting hosts will ask “What did you do last night?” and the resounding response is “Sat in my room and worked”. Boring. I, on the other hand, will talk about the Museums I visited, the restaurants I tried and the shopping centers I explored. It makes the travel so much more interesting and in turn makes me more interesting and helps me build my network. It also shows independence, inquisitiveness, and ability to think outside the box and be confident wherever I am.

The next time you are able to do some traveling for work, take that opportunity. With a little forethought, you can get both personal and professional benefits from it!

If you are prepping for a business trip, shop some of my favorite styles below:

My Favorite Notebooks for the Office

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Ever since I was little, I used to love trying out different notebooks and different methods to take notes. Loose leaf, stitched, hard cover, or soft cover there are so many different types to choose from. This is a great thing because we all have different tastes. Sometimes those tastes change depending on the task at hand. Regardless of the style you choose, the only thing that matters is that it works for you. Here, I want to share what I look for in a notebook for work. I specify work because these are not ones I use for personal use. That may be a separate blog at a later date.

You will notice that the notebooks I choose for work are usually leather and are a darker color. They also may not be notebooks in the traditional sense but may be a system. You may also notice that I will not use any notebook for work if it has any sayings (other than my name) or any kind of image on the cover. I like to keep it pretty plain on the outside for work. That’s not to say that plain is boring. A notebook or note taking system with great paper combined with the ability to add-on accessories can be a way to personalize it. These subtle elements allow me to make it mine yet still allow me to feel comfortable bringing it to any meeting.

#1: Markings Soft Leatherette Journal by C.R. Gibson

I have had this particular notebook/journal for about 4 years now. It is not the notebook I bring to meetings but it is a notebook that I use for work to jot down quick notes, brain dumps, phone messages, and when I just want to write down any work related honey do lists. I love this notebook because it has a good hand feel to it. By that, I mean it is buttery soft. The soft cover is not so soft that it is flimsy, but yet it is not so hard that it is rigid when you are carrying it. Weird but real hard covers are a total pet peeve of mine. Basically, it bends nicely when placed into my work bag. The size is perfect for travel. It measures approximately 8″ long x 6″ wide when closed. The paper is a creamy beige with college-ruled lines. They are not numbered. The notebook comes with an elastic to keep it closed and a single ribbon to mark your place. The paper is good quality with some minor shadowing from various inks. It is not enough to dissuade me from using or not recommending.

#2: Travelers Notebook

These are also known as TNs and they are becoming more and more mainstream. There are two main parts to the TN. There is the cover and then the inserts. The particular cover I have is from a company called Chic Sparrow. It is the Deluxe Chocolate Creme in the personal size. It has four elastics to hold four different inserts. This particular style of leather is just heaven in my palm. It’s soft and supple and becomes more and more so as I use it. It also smells amazing as any high quality leather should. With all of the types and styles of inserts available, these TNs can be customized many different ways. You can add monthly, weekly or daily calendars. Notebooks of dot-grid, lined, blank, or even graph paper. Paper weights and qualities of varying degrees. The options are endless.

The draw to a TN for me was my ability to have my work life and home life combined into one place. I have my daughter’s schedule in one insert, food shopping and meal planning in the second, work calendar in the third insert and then the last insert is the notebook I use in meetings. The drawback to this particular TN is the size. As my daughter and I are getting busier and busier and my eyesight is getting older, I am finding that this is not able to easily fit everything. I am quite verbose in my planning and the size limitation is something I cannot get around. The beauty of a TN is that I can replace the inserts and re-purpose the system into something else that will fit my needs. I just have to go shopping!

#3: Leuchtturm 1917 Medium A5 Hardcover

This particular notebook is famous for being the notebook of choice for those who Bullet Journal ( aka BUJO). I chose an A5 size and with a hard cover. The paper is high quality and, like the TN inserts, come in a variety of styles such as hard cover, soft cover, graph, dot-grid, lined, and blank papers. They all have an elastic closure and ribbons for placement markers. These particular pages are also numbered and come with a pre-printed index sheet so that you can be extremely organized. The whole concept of Bullet Journaling can be many, many blog posts long. There are even multiple websites, stores, and YouTube channels dedicated to this topic. For me, I just liked the notebook. The paper quality was terrific for my work notes and task lists. It was a perfect size to carry for meetings and it was available in black.

As a side note, I did attempt the Bullet Journal style of note taking and realized pretty quickly that it is not for me. I found it is too structured for my brain and that makes it difficult to capture all of the details I feel I need to capture when in a meeting. I was concentrating too much on using the correct formats and spacing that I was missing important information. So I ditched the structured BUJO note taking style and reverted quickly to using it as a notebook.

#4 Levenger Circa Leather Foldover Notebook – Letter Size

As you can see from the list so far, I prefer a lot of smaller sized notebooks. They are just generally easier to carry around in a purse or work bag. I do, however, realize sometimes we need to have a larger size available. So, with a few projects coming up, I really wanted to find something that could provide me with more paper real estate. Also I needed it to hold some additional papers that I need to reference. That’s when I stumbled upon the Levenger Circa Foldover Notebook. This particular one is a disc bound system so it provides endless possibilities as far as organization.

Circa is very much an upscale version of the Staples Arc disc system. Both of the concepts are the same. The difference for me is that Levenger has beautiful full grain leather options which you can have imprinted. The discs come in a variety of materials and sizes and are all very sturdy. These notebooks would make a really amazing gift for any executive or new grad. Additionally, the paper quality is smooth and creamy. The Circa system has a large variety of options including calendars, project planners, lists, and there are even special punches so you can add your own papers. This is exactly what I need for my larger projects.

One of the great things about notebooks and note taking systems is that there is such a variety available. Covers, colors, papers, and styles vary so that there is something for everyone and for every need. What works for me now, may not work for me in the future. Or it may work just fine but I want to try something new and that’s okay.

So tell me below what are some of your favorite notebooks or systems to use and why?

Please feel free to shop A Working Mom’s Guide by clicking here for items I am loving and for some additional savings not mentioned in this post.

5 Tips to Manage Your Inbox

It happens to all of us and no matter how hard we try to stop it, they just keep coming. You sit at your desk, intent on completing a certain number of tasks done before lunch. But, then you notice the pop-ups on your screen. As soon as you see them, you click on them. FOMO? Perhaps. Instant gratification? Who knows! What you do know is that what you planned to accomplish before lunch, has not even been started. Suddenly, you are going down the inbox rabbit hole.

Emails can derail the best laid plans. I know that during the course of my day, I may get upwards of 100 emails a day. Some people get more or less but regardless of the amount, you must be able to managed them so that they do not manage you. In order to be successful during your work day, I want to share my top five tips for managing your inbox for success.

Tip #1

Create Rules

Now, where I work and anywhere I have worked, I have always used Microsoft Outlook. One of the great features about using Outlook is its ability to allow you to create rules. These rules send designated emails by Sender, Subject or Keyword directly into a specified folder. This is truly important because many times in business, you may end up on many list serves. Although these include important industry information, they are not crucial to your day to day. Do not let these types of emails clog up your inbox. Move them right along into a specified folder. Then, when you want or need to reference that newsletter or publication, it is there waiting for you.

Tip #2

Create Folders

Yes- I know that you can search all of your folders for keywords but bear with me. The main reason for these folders: see Tip #1. These folders will allow you to create rules so that certain emails will bypass your inbox altogether. This can be very helpful in maintaining control over your inbox. Now, what I am not saying is go overboard with your folders. You do not want to create a folder for every person that sends you an email. That would be a waste of time and completely counterproductive.

Breaking these folders down to what makes sense to you will help you manage your inbox and also cut the time a search takes when looking for information. The method I use for creating folders is based on my interaction with the person or business sending. Anyone reporting to me is placed in one folder while anyone I report to is in another. I create folders by project- large projects only. Another folder is called ‘Publications’. This is where I place any automated emails or newsletters. Company generated reports are automated to go to ‘Reports’. Original huh? I also have a folder for years. This corrals everything so that my searches are quicker. I keep about 3 months of emails in my inbox because those usually include projects I am working on and it just makes it handy.

Tip #3

Use your out of office

That’s right. Use it when you are on vacation but also use it even when you are not on vacation! Having your email constantly up and active, leads to the rabbit hole I spoke about earlier. Once you see the pop up, how many times do you immediately click on it? This habit not only interrupts what you are currently working on but it also interrupts your train of thought, your work flow, and ultimately will lead to you being non productive. So put an out of office on your email at regularly scheduled times every day.

A simple message like “Thank you for the email. I am currently in the office working on a project. I will be checking and addressing emails during the following times:_________. If this is an emergency, I may be reached at the following extension:__________.” This way, the person sending knows that you have received the email and you will be working on the request during the allocated times. Therefore, they won’t expect an immediate answer. Additionally, if there is an emergency, you are able to be reached. You will find this practice allows you to concentrate on the tasks at hand without interruption. Additionally, as people start to type an email to you and see your out of office, they may rethink the email. This will help decrease the volume as people subconsciously set a higher bar for actually sending that email.

Tip #4

Unsubscribe

Yes. Just go ahead and hit that button. When we live in such an information rich society, it can easily happen that we get overwhelmed with too many electronic publications. Every time we turn around there is another list serve that send us emails as frequent as every day. Now, this is not to say unsubscribe from all newsletters or list serves. However, be very cognizant of the value they bring to your daily operations. Ask yourself a few key questions.

Does this publication have up to date information relevant to the current field I am in?
1. if the answer is no, rethink your subscription
Does this publication add value to my current business by way of best practices or trends?
1. if the answer is no because the information is dated and not validated practice, rethink your subscription
Is this publication filled with sales flyers and/or sponsored by one particular company?
1. if this answer is yes and it is just a way for that company to tout more of their products only, rethink your subscription

Ultimately, you have to be able to discern the value that these types of emails bring to your day to day career. Once you isolate the subscriptions you want to keep, create that folder from tip #2. Once that folder is created, send your subscription emails there so that your inbox does not get cluttered. Here, the information will remain accessible to you.

Tip #5

Dump the zero inbox unicorn

Yep. Mic drop. I know this does go against a lot of people’s advice. I will admit when this advice came out, I tried it. I really did. However, (insert voice of French narrator from SpongeBob) 2 hours later, after clicking, reading, moving, answering, and stressing, I managed to get through about 20 emails. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration but seriously I didn’t get far and I lost 2 hours of my life chasing that unicorn. That’s when I decided to just create folders, unsubscribe and use the other tips I am writing about. The stress of a zero inbox is immense. Nobody talks about that part. I mean when I wake up in the morning, there are times I already have 15 emails. That does not set me up for a successful start to the day. Ditch that unicorn and save yourself some stress.

There are so many ways to manage your inbox and these are just a few that I employ on a regular basis to help me. These help me stay on track so that I am more productive and can balance my work day better. If you use Outlook, I hope you give these a try. What are some of your tricks in regards to emails? Share them in the comments below..

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