On our recent family road trip, I had a few projects I wanted to work on and stay productive with business, even while we were “on vacation.” While it was nice to look up and see the changing terrain there just some wide-open flatlands that were boring!
I did get a lot done. I set myself up for greater productivity when I got back, just by taking advantage of sitting still and car time, even if my screen time report ridiculed me at the end of the week.\
Here are a few tips for staying productive on your blog during a road trip:
- Make a list of what you want to do. Organize yourself before you go, so you can think less about what you need to do while you are gone. I added a calendar item for the time I knew we would be driving and then in the body of the note, listed out the posts I wanted to work on. At the end of your work time, update your to-do list and move it on your calendar to the next wide open time you will have to write again.
- Add posts to google drive-make a new google doc for each post. If it is a recipe post, go ahead and put the outline of ingredients and directions in the post so you can write the intro and story while you are driving. I like to write in google docs because you can write from anywhere and have it all saved in the same space. They also save as you go, so if you get interrupted to look up directions or research a food spot it’s all still there.
- If you like to write on your computer instead, create a Word doc for each post and have them ready before you go. Just remember to save!!
- Make sure your driving partner is awake and ok to drive without you talking to them. Or rotate with a kid who can sit in the front seat and let them catch up while you can ride in the back and focus.
- Communicate to others in the car that your plan is to write along the way. You don’t want them thinking you are rude and you are essentially asking your spouse or driving partner for permission to work while you travel.
- Put the phone down when it’s time to make memories. You are on this road trip for a reason, so be on the road trip. Don’t spend the time with your family with your face stuck in your phone. Be present where you are and make incredible memories. You will think more clearly and be more creative for unplugging and having time away.
- Take notes of the trip you are on and have your first post ready when you get back. I kept a note open on my phone and added to it as we went along. Noted things we liked and didn’t like all with the goal of sharing it when I got back. As the content grew, I decided to break it down in separate pieces because I had so much content while it was fresh. (more on that to come!)
- When you get home, quickly jump on scheduling your trip post and work the next week to schedule the other content you wrote on the road. Now, you are ahead and can finally do some of those catch-up activities like webinars, cleaning up Pinterest and tackling SEO. You know the stuff you always find a reason to put off, but is so beneficial to expanding your brand.
- BONUS: make sure you have your charging cords ready and maybe even a “lipstick” charger ready through the day.
I had no idea how a few easy steps could make me so much more successful on the road. I got the body of 10+ posts written along the way and just had to edit, add images, and schedule them when I returned home.
What do you do to keep yourself most productive, all the time? It is a self-management process, right?
