How do you recover (mentally and physically) after returning from a conference or work travel? Do you set aside time to catch-up before you even first leave home? What advice do you have to make sure I am bringing all that I learned back?
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CFO Advisory Director in Finance (non-banking)a year ago
Yes. take some time out. Consider the healthy mind platter and how balances it has been for you. Health - Mental and Physical is always a balance with all the other aspects of life - work, family, finances.
Sleep, Focus, Physical, Time In, Downtime, Playtime and Connecting Time. All part of a balanced “platter”.
CIO in Governmenta year ago
That is a really good question. I think wherever possible it's great to take a down day so you can come back fully energized. I also think it's important to schedule a follow up meeting with your team so you can debrief them on what was learned and put a plan in place to get the value out of the conference. Too many times I have learned something only to get back and get buried and never implement the new knowledge gained.CISO in Softwarea year ago
This is why I always like to return on Thursday night so you can use Friday to recover and not sacrifice your Saturday/weekend which impacts your family.Program Director, Manufacturing Professional Development in Educationa year ago
I like what David Cross said, avoid traveling in or out on the weekends. Keep an effective boundary between your work life and your personal life. Some general bits of advice:1. Stay physically active while traveling -- exercise/walk, rest, reflect.
2. Take notes during the event and spend some time at the end of each day summarizing what you heard and what you are learning.
3. At the end of the trip, capture 2-3 big ideas with the idea of applying one of those ideas. If you are flying, use the downtime on the way home to reflect.
I take notes as if I need to debrief someone about each session, what it covered, relevance, what I learned or what it reinforces or even what I disagree with.
If time allows I always stay the last night of the conference if possible even if I need to pay for it. This allows for me to see a city I may not normally travel to, avoid running out of the sessions right to a flight to home to back in the office the next day and gives me more options for flights and a more restful return. I am able to retain my room and not worry about storing my bags or checking out mid conference and to have a decent meal and unwind after the conference.