Long flights, especially international flights, are a great opportunity to unplug, get focused and be productive. With a little planning before departure, you’d be surprised how much work you can get done on your next flight. Check out a few tips below:
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Prior to Departure
Check to see if the flight has in-seat power outlets (prior to booking with an airline). American Airlines, Virgin America, and Air Canada are some of the most popular airlines that have outlets on most flights. For a comprehensive list, check SeatGuru.com. Additionally, make sure you have an external battery pack and power strip for long flights.
Download necessary documents to your hard drive – In-flight Wi-Fi can be expensive and slow. Avoid a headache during air travel by making your documents accessible offline. Google Drive allows you to view and edit doc files and slides when you’re not connected to the Internet. Alternatively, you can save documents to a flash drive.
Pack Smart — Avoid the hassle of getting out of your seat during your flight to access your must-have travel accessories. Keep snacks, a sweater to keep you warm and electronics in your carry-on and place them under your seat so they’re easily reachable.
During Your flight
Avoid Wi-Fi Services & Work Offline — In-flight Wi-Fi is tempting but it can be costly. While many airlines offer Wi-Fi services, one of the best ways to get focused is to simply unplug from e-mail and social media.
Minimize in-flight distractions with noise cancelling headphones — Crying babies, passengers talking loudly, and in-flight announcements are inevitable during a flight. But these distractions can be minimized with noise cancelling headphones.
Do the ultimate brain dump — Long flights are a great opportunity to get all of your to-dos and ideas out of your head and into a journal or an app such as Evernote. Time-management expert David Allen recommends doing a brain dump exercise by breaking down random thoughts even further into categories, such as work, house, family, and health-related tasks. Once the list is on paper, review the items to determine action steps.