(From Madison, WI) I've been at home for two weeks now. That means sleeping in my own bed, preparing my own meals, walking my dogs. No room service, client meetings or wake up calls. It's been BLISS.
At least 34% of my last two weeks' outbound trips have been to Homo-Depot (wink) where I've purchased enough crap to single-handedly underwrite HD's $5,000 give away. (Go to www.homedepotopinions.com before mid-January to register.) I guess you could say I've been nesting, with tools.
This is a huge departure for me. In October, I slept in my own bed only ten nights. In the first 15 days of November, my travel reimbursement form showed expenses for all but one day. My partner advises me to wave wildly at our car when she picks me up at the airport because she's forgotten what I look like. The life of a consultant is a marathon whose mile markers are security screening check points.
But the work and clients I adore are in every time zone, so travel is inherent. As I understand it, there are only three ways to deal with any life situation that throws you off balance:
(1) Change the situation so that it's more palatable;
(2) Accept the situation as it is;
(3) Abandon the situation.
Since #3 isn't an option, Denise and I have devised a few ways to make travel more pleasant. You probably have some, too, and we'd like you to eamil them to us: info@nextgenerationconsulting.com.
(1) Only travel during normal business hours. No 4 AM alarms to catch 6 AM flights to arrive bleary-eyed on client site by 9AM. It's not sustainable.
(2) No more "night before" dinners. When I arrive to my destination the night before I'm scheduled to consult or speak, I need down time to decompress, enjoy a nice meal, and prepare for a great day.
(3) Coffee. No more sketchy in-room brew for me. Heretofore, I'm taking my own freshly ground beans, Melitta cone and filter. It's the one "at home" pleasure that is wholly portable. And port it I will.
Enjoy the beinning of your new year. I'll be painting trim.

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