You may not be able to see it but I’m smiling under my mask as the plane lifts off.
Yes, the world is opening again, and for me, that means starting to do more travel.
Whether I’m off to some exotic locale far away or a weekend close to home, I relish the opportunity to have new experiences, explore new places and be exposed to different cultures.
I’m frequently asked how I can travel AND run my Allstate agency, at the same time, the implication being that you can’t effectively do both.
I disagree.
Here are my tips. They work for me, and I hope they can work for you as well:
I’m determined to not drop any balls and so I take care of work that will be due either when I am away or as soon as I return home. The stress of coming back to a desk covered with work that is due immediately can make all the pleasure you experienced on the trip disappear entirely. It’s far easier to complete as many things as possible BEFORE you leave so you can come home and work at a normal pace. It’s even better if you can anticipate what “might” arise and take care of that as well. The fundamental need is to PLAN.
Face it, you might have to do a little work when you’re away and honestly, I don’t find that to be too big of a problem. There’s often time in the morning or during the few hours between end of day activities and dinner. These are great times to check in with your team, clear your email, social media, and messages, take care of a few time-sensitive issues, and clean up anything that has come up over the day. If you love what you do, this time shouldn’t be too much of a hardship.
Delegate, and I can’t stress this enough. The more you train and groom your team to handle certain tasks and responsibilities, the better it is for you and them. This is true regardless of whether you are traveling or not.
And, if you are someone that wants to totally disengage, you must pay even more attention to planning and delegation and accept that an impromptu trip may not be in the cards.
Travel is very important to me and of course, so is my business. Learning how to effectively do both was always my plan.
Don’t let anyone dissuade you and I’m happy to chat and share more tips.