Vacation: Ready, Plan, Go!

My friends and coworkers know thatI love to travel, but I am starting to suspect that they think I am a closeted trust fund baby or possibly, Gordon Gekko in disguise. Why, you ask?

I am always planning international vacations.

Here are a few tips that I use to satisfy my exorbitant travel whims:

 

1. Think long-term.

I am able to travel to far-flung places, because I plan trips waaaaay in advance. I am talking years here. Time gives you the benefit to search for cheaper plane tickets, earn points or miles on credit cards, find deals on hotels and vacation rentals, learn more about your destination, reach out to locals for advice and ultimately, take longer vacations. Look at the calendar and pick a date that realistically represents the size of trip you would like to take. The first step is always the hardest, but once I commit to a date, the motivation to plan and save comes easy.

 

2. Enjoy the planning.
Read this. It is all true.

 

3. Save where it counts.
I work for a non-profit and, unfortunately, do not have a money tree in my backyard. Saving is hard, no matter which approach you take. I find that weighing everyday choices with travel goals in mind is the best way to turn a little into a lot. So, I make it a game: Starbucks on the way to work or café crème at a sidewalk café? Date night here or date night in [insert chic global city]. Netflix subscription or museum pass? Beer at the local bar or a rum punch on the beach? Splurging at Whole Foods or exploring a quaint outdoors market? Pretty quickly, you will realize that purchasing a thing in the here and now does not compare to investing in an experience later.

 

5. Don't play hooky.

I will go out on a limb here and guess that most of you do not hail from Austria, Brazil or France. These fine countries mandate that employers provide an average of 34 days of paid leave every year. What is the helpless American worker to do? Hoard your vacation days! Do you really want to take off work, because it's Spring and the weather is nice? Because you don't want to deal with your boss on Monday morning? Because you have writer's block and cannot face your deadline? NO! If you are a wanderluster like me, you would rather enjoy an island holiday, a stroll down a boulevard in Paris or do pretty much any activity in a foreign destination rather than one in your present location. Keep that in mind next time the idea to raid your vacation balance pops into mind.

 

6. Au revoir, adios, sayonara
The grand adventure you have always coveted is possible! It only boils down to motivation and a commitment to make it happen. A few little sacrifices add up to major benefits and they are all worth it!

Make the Most of Your Commute

According the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 90% of Americans commute to work. A full 8% of workers commute more than an hour each way to their place of employment. While that last statistic is mind-blowing to me, the simple fact is that even average commuters spend a large part of their waking life getting from home to work and back again: 38 hours per commuter per year!  

How many times have you put off starting a new habit, practicing an old one or taking the time to relax, because you're just "too busy"? Well, it might be time to "Treat Yo Self"!

  

Learning how to multitask during a long commute will not only take your mind off the traffic, unexpected delays and smelly passengers beside you, but will also give you a head start on feeling great about the day (or help leave work stresses behind as you head home). Here are a few suggestions:

Audiobooks

The old standby. Worried that you'll never have the time for Anna Karenina? LibriVox has a ton of free audio books available, searchable by author, title or genre. Also, check out Audible, where you can download a free book when you sign-up for their membership program. Commuter Bonus: did you know that you can rent audiobooks from Cracker Barrel? (However, I do not recommend stopping for the Double Meat Breakfast everyday on the way to the office.)

Podcasts

In just a few seconds, you can download some pretty incredible podcasts to your iTunes account, computer or smartphone. Some of my favorites include: Marketplace Money, This American Life and Radiolab. Most podcasts can be pre-set to download new episodes every time your device is near WiFi and it's a great, on-demand way to stay entertained or informed while trapped in a car, train or plane.

Knitting

For all you public transportation commuters out there! Knitting is the perfect way to pass the time, make something cool (or uncool, depending on how experienced you are) and also keep obtrusive people at bay with big metal weapons needles! Need help? You don't need a fancy class to get started. YouTube and KnittingHelp.com are excellent resources: from step-by-step beginners instruction to advanced skills and everything in between.

Learn a language

Thanks to a killer hour-long commute in law school, I now claim basic French* as a skill. Try it for yourself. Most local libraries offer lots of language courses in various formats, plus there are some amazing free classes online. I love Learn French with Alexa, Learn French by Podcast and my all-time favorite: Notes in Spanish. 

Meditate

Mindfulness is not defined by sitting on a pillow surrounded by Tibetan chanting. A commute is the perfect time to let the mind wander, use your imagination, brainstorm for a project or to practice deep breathing. If driving in silence seems overwhelming (or too hippy-dippy) check out these tips or these for ideas and inspiration.

Lastly, don't over do it. I don't care how agile your texting fingers are, typing into any device while driving or walking on a crowded subway platform is a terrible idea. (And it's totally not worth it to prove me wrong.)

For more facts about commuting, check out this fascinating study from the Texas A&M.

*Defined as the ability to order croissants, find a bathroom and order wine with ease.

Carrot vs. Stick

This piece produced by AsapSCIENCE has my name all over it. Creators Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown break down the precise reasons that workers humans take every chance they can get to procrastinate. (Chances are you are procrastinating right now!) 

See for yourself:

Thankfully, the video offers a great solution: the Pomodoro Technique. This time management strategy focuses on four major actions, all of which are ones I happen to think lead to Sanity with a Side of Paycheck: 

1. Work with the time you have.
2. Eliminate burnout.
3. Manage distractions.
4. Balance your life. 

While I don't follow the precise timing of Pomodoro, I do stick to a similar work-break-work schedule. Earlier this year, I purchased a Fitbit Flex. This personal health tracking device allows me to set a silent alarm (I schedule one every 45 minutes) to ensure that I take a break from what I am doing, get up and move around. I'll walk around the block, make tea or just shift gears from the project I'm working on to another. While Fitbit is definitely geared toward fitness, it also offers the benefit of shifting perspective and avoiding procrastination. Try it out!

Travel Tips

Here are my top tips to keep your Joie du Travail mindset while jet-setting around the world:

Pack Snacks. Pre-washed, pre-cut, finger-friendly food. Berries, grapes, carrot sticks, hummus and pitas, granola bites, nuts, cheese cubes, apple slices, whatever*. Throw them in a tupperware with a napkin and you're ready to go. You'll be so happy to munch away on good food while the masses around you suffer through Sbarro or Mandarin Express. *Exception: bananas... they do not travel well and nobody wants to dive into a brown one.

Download the App. Say goodbye to standing in line at customer service. I cannot tell you how many times the Fly Delta app has saved me in a pinch. You can use it to upgrade your seat, find and book other flights when yours is delayed, search old itineraries, book a last-minute hotel, you name it. In addition to Delta, I highly recommend Kayak, Southwest, Hilton Honors, TripAdvisor and XE Currency apps.

Do Yourself a Solid. Solid shampoos, conditioners and detergents save space and sanity when traveling through security with a carry-on. For travel-friendly, non-liquid body care products, I recommend Lush and I cannot live without Wash and Stain bars from The Laundress. You'll never come back to a hotel room that smells like your morning workout clothes again!  Speaking of which...

You Really Should Work Out. Hotel gyms ain't what they used to be. In fact, I am constantly amazed at how nice some are compared to the gym I actually pay for at home. There is nothing worse than sitting in meetings all day, eating out for most meals and returning back to the hotel late at night feeling like a tired old slug. Even 20 or 30 minutes in the morning will give you energy and a positive outlook for the rest of the day. Traveling is taxing - so don't expect to set a PR - but putting on your sneakers will break up an otherwise monotonous schedule and leave you feeling positive. Bonus: You'll be glad you packed tennis shoes when stuck in the airport and want to take a concourse walk instead of watching the same CNN loop for hours.

Photograph Receipts. It is hard to keep up with those pesky crumpled slips of paper. Take a quick photo of your receipt with your phone right when you receive it. It takes 30 seconds and can save you so much hassle on the phone with Finance when you get back.

Life in Graphs

Want some great lessons on interviewing life? Check out this amazing website, created by Liz Fosslein. She has a unique knack for boiling down big, complex things (emotions, cities, news, economics, etc.) into simple, easy-to-understand infographics. At a glance, you can learn about crime statistics in Chicago or get relationship advice thanks to her clever use of pie charts, line graphs and dots.

Why is this relevant to work-life balance, you may ask? Well, check out her take on how to get hired. It includes excellent tips on making the best impression possible to a potential employer, but with funny twists along the way. A few examples...

The Suit

http://fosslien.com

Describe A Time You Had Difficulty With A Coworker

http://fosslien.com

What Was Your Biggest Mistake?

http://fosslien.com

Why Do You Want This Job?

http://fosslien.com

I know an inspirational someone whose motto is "Show up." That's a big part of what I get out of these interview infographics: be thoughtful, show up, be yourself and success will come.  Good advice for interviews and life.

The Buck Stops Here

Are you a good boss? Wait, you're not a boss? Oh, and here I thought all my readers were successful Fortune 500 CEOs!

Question two: would you be a good boss? As a peon, I do not have a definitive answer to this, however my inner-worker screams: YES. In my mind's eye, I would take every bad decision, every slight, every unproductive employer-employee conversation to heart and do exactly the opposite. 

I know, I know. It is much harder to be a good boss than not: otherwise, everyone would be one, right? Like most things, it is impossible to know exactly why managers act the way they do until you walk the maze of cubicals in their shoes. That said, I do think that imagining oneself in a managerial position is a productive exercise. How else will you ever get a feel for being your own boss, assuming that is a professional goal? It is certainly a requisite in my own search for Sanity with a Paycheck. 

Here is some great advice that I received from my old friend Duncan Niederauer, CEO of the New York Stock Exchange. (Ok, actually I read these leadership tips in a magazine, which you can find online here.) 

- A good boss often focuses more on communication than strategy

- Diversity, diversity, diversity. Surround yourself with people who think differently, act differently and solve problems differently.

- Exude confidence. 

- Be relevant. Avoid tasks, meetings, busy work and people who do not contribute to your productivity and success.

- Use power strategically. Throwing weight around just because it's possible is not a wise investment. Use it instead to further your goals and push your priorities.  

- Spend time thinking about consequences and perspective. Words matter. Actions matter. Spend time recognizing your impact.

Good advice. We'll see if it leads to bringing home $10M a year by the time I'm 50. You can read more about Mr. Niderlander here.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Yesterday was all about success, but today let's think about happiness. In my obsession with making lists, I like to jot down a few words of current things that make me happy.
Daffodils       
                Travel daydreaming
                                                Yoga workshops
                                                                            Date nights
                                                                                               Glass of wine
It's the small things, right? Well, positivity psychologist (what a job title!) Sonja Lyubomirsky has a good list of her own: 12 Things Happy People Do Differently. Here's a quick run-through: Happy people express gratitude, cultivate optimism, avoid over-thinking and social comparison(*guilty), practice acts of kindness, nurture their relationships, develop strategies for coping, learn to forgive, increase flow experiences (that state where everything slows down and you are solely focused on a task), savor joys, commit to goals, practice spirituality and take care of oneself.

What I like about Sonja's list is that each suggestion is DOABLE, i.e. not something that requires a particular situation to arise before achieving happiness is possible.

What are the small things that make you happy?  

Be Flexible

Ever heard of behavioral flexibility? It describes a person's ability to respond and adjust his or her actions based on external stimulations. Ben C. Fletcher, who writes "Do Something Different" for Psychology Today boils it down like this:

People with LOW behavioral flexibility tend to:

- stick to routines

- go to the same places

- have strict schedules

- hang around the same people.

People with HIGH behavioral flexibility tend to:

- act differently in different situations

- try new things

- resist routine

- not rely on habits.

Mr. Fletcher uses behavioral flexibility to explain work-related stress: people who are inflexible tend to describe themselves as stressed, anxious and depressed while at work. He argues that it is not the job itself that causes these feelings, but rather a worker's inability to meet demands, leading him or her to blame the workplace instead of reacting in a resilient way.

I certainly fall into the inflexible category of routine, schedules and living within a well-defined comfort zone. Work stress is also a complaint near and dear to my heart, so this perspective is a challenging one for me. I want things to happen my way, on my timeline, according to my standards. When that doesn't happen (nearly always), I end up dissatisfied, disappointed or angry. Thankfully, Mr. Fletcher's theory isn't all gloom-and-doom. His suggestion? Ride the wave! By being flexible, "people become better equipped to deal with the world. As a result, they perceive it as a less difficult place."  Doesn't that sound nice?

The bottom line is to go with the flow. Look for ways to reconcile situations instead of fighting them with predictable tendencies. Try to see things from your boss's point of view or adapt to a coworker's work style, even if its just for one project. Who knows? Maybe their approach isn't as infuriating as you once thought. And just think of how laid back you'll appear to your coworkers!

To read more about behavioral flexibility and coping mechanisms, check out this article. To learn how to "Do Something Different", head over to Psychology Today.

Working From Home

I work from home. No, those are not magic words. Consider this a wake-up call, Oh Ye Cubical Dwellers of the World.

To begin with, my desk is within view of laundry. Dirty laundry, clean laundry, folded, unfolded, whites, darks, you name it. When you work from home, there is a constant pressure to multi-task, with the majority of tasks being housework-related. In theory, it sounds like no big deal, right? I imagine you rolling your eyes and thinking "can't you listen to conference calls while tidying up?" 

Well, no. Not with any real attention being paid to the people on the phone. Not when the UPS guy comes and the dog goes ballistic at the door. Not when your husband comes home for lunch and can't find the mayo. And certainly not when the washing machine does that thing when it's too full and starts jumping around the laundry room like a 500 lbs. gorilla.

Working from home isn't glamorous. There are no coworkers to shame you to clean up your desk, empty your trash or wash the old coffee cups laying around. It's certainly not classy to start work in your pajamas and, eight hours later, realize that you're still in them. There's little human interaction beyond GoToMeeting, no office gossip, no lunch out, no YouTube breaks. (They aren't as funny by yourself, trust me.)  Worst of all, work assignments and to-dos are with you day and night.  It's just too easy to be lured into answering one more e-mail from the couch, or worse, your bed.

Thing two: pets do not understand work. They understand walks and potty time and snacks and toys. Dogs like to bark when you're on speakerphone and chew beloved items of clothing when you close the office door on them. Cats like to sit on your keyboard. When it's cold, my dog crams herself in between my feet and the small heater under my desk. (There is not room for both.)  

Hey, remember those school days when the weather was superb and everyone would beg the teacher to have class outside? Well, when working from home, you experience that feeling times 500. When it is nice outside, the longing to work outside is powerful, like the force, and you rationalize using that powerful wi-fi signal to your advantage.  But, the minute you step into the backyard... forget getting anything done. The sun glares on your computer screen, your iPhone overheats turning your ear red and you end up focusing on - you got it - yard work. Next thing you know, you're in the hammock with a beer in your hand.

What is the lesson here? The grass is always greener on the other side of the cubical/laundry pile. Make the best of your situation and take comfort in the fact that each work environment has challenges. Attempt to make friends with your coworkers, even if they are weird and steal food from the office fridge.  Myself, I try to set boundaries with chores, maintain a somewhat organized desk, stick to a realistic work schedule and enjoy the fact that sometimes I can begin work in my pjs (but should make an effort to look presentable by 10am).

N.B. I am not the only one who sets up shop in bed.  Writer (and famous spouse) Ann Leary has a whole series dedicated to her bed desk.

Resolutions

Enjoy this infographic of suggestions from AGBeat to start your year off on the right foot.  (You can still be thankful that this was a short work week...)

Monster also has a good list of career resolutions for 2013, many of which make for great guidance in one's personal life too, like taking time to understand your peers' responsibilities and communicating clearly about goals and challenges. Work and Life do not have to be separate balls that we juggle continuously.  My resolution for 2013 is to make them one and the same, with the hope that balancing each aspect (sanity + paycheck) will lead to a more complete, fulfilled and happier me.  Now, who doesn't like a two-for-one deal?