Elite Road Warrior with Bryan Paul Buckley

Become An Elite Road Warrior and Master The Business Travel Life

Bryan Buckley

044 – Five Elements of Live Free with Sarah Quiriconi

 

Welcome to the Elite Road Warrior Podcast Episode 044 show notes! This week we talk with Sarah Quiriconi about her Five Elements of Live Free and her tips for road warriors.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

1:00 – Subject Matter Expert Intro: Sara Quiriconi

4:53 – Sara’s Backstory

11:30 – The Five Elements of Live Free

  • Choice – in each and every moment, we have two choices – what we end up choosing make up our life
  • Intelligence – if you don’t know, you can’t make better choices for yourself
  • Intuition – the best teacher is yourself
  • Play – if we’re not having fun with something, we will not make it a habit
  • Will/Determination – when you’re trying to change something, you’re going to hit a lot of rocks and bumps… how long can you keep on the path?

14:24 – What does a day on business travel look like for you?

16:10 – What are some tips for mobility/stretches that you MUST do?

19:20 – How do you handle eating healthy on the road?

22:05 – What are your recommendations for sleeping better and de-stresssing on the road?

The best sleep habits on the road are the ones you start at home #SleepBetter #SaraQuiriconi #EliteRoadWarrior Click To Tweet

30:00 – What are ways with dealing with addictions/choosing a different, healthier path than other co-workers when on the road?

What you can add in rather than numb out? #Addiction #EliteRoadWarrior #MakeTheHealthiestChoice Click To Tweet

35:50 – Closing Thoughts?

Links and Resources: 

Road Warrior Assessment

Elite Road Warrior Book

Sara Quiriconi Website

 

 

Seven Things I Do On Every Flight

Most business travelers have one thing in common and that is they’re on an airplane. But how they use their time on the flight is where things change.

How we use our time is a very personal thing. Not convinced?

Tell someone they’re not using their time wisely and just wait for THAT response.

I suggest stepping back or ready for the inner defense attorney in them to come pouring out.

And since I’m a student of road warriors as a business travel performance expert, I’m always watching, listening, and learning how they spend their time.

One of the best labs for this observation is the airplane, imagine that.

You can tell who is on the plane for business travel and who is there for leisure. The ones that stand out as the business traveler use their time doing three primary things:

  • Work
  • Watch Something
  • Sleep

They sleep because they’re exhausted before they even land to their destination on the very 1st day of the trip.

We know how THAT story goes and not the ideal way to start your Anchor Day.

I’m often either asked how I spend my time on a plane and/or those around me comment on my use of time on the flight.

Let me give you a money PRO TIP this early in the article.

Create Your Flight Plan.

A pilot has a flight plan and so should you. Both take you from one place to the other.

This is the exact opposite of most road warriors.

Again, what do they do?

  • Work
  • Watch Something
  • Sleep

Some multi-task and somehow able to do all three at the same time and doing none of them well.

Have you seen that guy or girl? Is that you?

If it’s an early flight, they’re knocked out before the flight even takes off.

When they awaken from their coma nap with award mocking, I mean marvelous hair, they crack open their laptop and randomly go at it.

Then they get bored and start to watch something.

That’s more of a Flight C’mon Man than a Flight Plan.

There are four arguments going on with business travelers on “who’s time” it really is on a flight:

1.  The company time and no matter what time you’re on a flight (I’ve worked for companies like that and despised it by the way)
2.  The company’s time during normal business hours (and is there such a thing on the road?)
3.  The company and your time as long as you get your work done
4.  YOUR time and only your time unless you choose to use YOUR time for work – after all, business and personal hours are easily blurred on the road

No matter where you stand on the four arguments, the point is you need a plan and I propose…

The Elite Road Warrior Flight Plan which has the following three elements:

1.  What you’re going to do
2.  The order you’re going to do it
3.  Approximate times

The moral of the story here, Road Warriors, is whatever you do, you do on purpose.

If you work, you know…

  • What you’re going to do
  • The order you’re going to do it
  • Approximate times

If it’s a blend (between work and your time), you know…

  • What you’re going to do
  • The order you’re going to do it
  • Approximate times

If it’s only your time…

  • What you’re going to do
  • The order you’re going to do it
  • Approximate times

Why is this so important? Because how we use our time is how we spend our lives and this includes a flight especially if you fly a ton as I do.

Elite Road Warriors use their time wisely in their Work, their Health, and their Home Life, the three focus areas of Elite Road Warrior.

And it starts with one of my favorite locations to do Focus Work.

It’s where the phone doesn’t ring.

Someone can’t swing by my office.

I can choose to be online or offline.

And that my fellow road warriors, is the gift of the plane.

 

Seven Things I Do On Every Flight

The following things everyone can do on every single flight no matter if it’s an hour, across the country, or across the ocean.

What changes? The length and frequency.

The longer the flight, the longer each of the following may occur and just how often I chose to do them. The important point here is what they are.

And remember, our Flight Plan exists of:
1.  What you’re going to do
2.  The order you’re going to do it
3.  Approximate times

It’s asking this very critical question:

Where Do I Want This Time to Take Me in the End?

When you land, how did you use your time?

So learn to ask:

Where Do I Want This Time to Take Me in the End?

  1. Read / Listen

The 1st thing I do every single time is read/listen to a book.

Why first?

Personally, I just can’t get any work done because of all the interruptions of people boarding the plane, getting by me since I prefer the aisle to get up to stand, stretch, and walk.

So, through the years, I’ve learned that if I don’t read the first thing, I rarely get to it later on, but that’s just me.

I find it also calms my mind and puts me in a place of personal or professional development which is energy habit #5.

Prioritize the important not urgent first.

To be clear, my reading time is boarding time after I find my set and get situated until once I reach 10K feet is my goal is my read/listen time.

It always happens and 100% predictable that I choose my seat and get set, we take off and the announcement of 10K feet.

So, leverage this predictable time to get your “read/listen on”.

Challenge:  If you’ve not read the Elite Road Warrior book, I challenge you to get it, and dedicate this boarding to 10K time to read the book.

 

2.  Drink Water

Most people avoid water on the plane for a couple of reasons:

  • They say they don’t want to have to get up to go to the bathroom but then will have two cokes or an adult beverage or three.
  • They just don’t drink water normally when they’re on the ground and it’s just not part of their Road Routine.

But the reality is you should double your amount of water on the plane. Huh? Why?

When you are on a plane, you’re basically flying in a sky desert, according to Life Hacker, where the humidity hovers around 10- 20%, which is less than the Sahara Desert, crazy enough.

This is due to the plane’s air circulation, or lack thereof.

Compare that to normal humidity, which is between 30-60%, and it’s no wonder you’re more dehydrated on a plane, which is why you often feel a little more fatigued, have headaches, and nausea when flying.

On a plane, if you were to bring a soaking wet washcloth on to the plane, within 90 minutes, it will be completely dry!

The last thing I do before boarding the plane is head to the bathroom and try and go (I hear my father say, “Son, just push and try anyway!”), then I fill up my water bottle.

It’s the times when I don’t and rely on drink service that we hit turbulence for six hours on a two-hour flight and the flight attendant can’t get up – or can they? Hmm.

And did you know every airline has at least this one thing in common? Free Refills on water.

So, I chug water often and let it do its magic.

Challenge: Drink about 8 ounces of water for every hour you’re in the air, According to Dr. Peter Hackett, the director of the Institute for Altitude MedicineSo just plan on drinking twice as much water on a plane when you’re flying.

 

3.  Think Space

What is Think Space? Taking time to think and put your thoughts on paper.

It’s the key element of Process the Thoughts which is the 2nd part of the Invest in You Formula of energy habit 5, develop.

Why take time for Think Space?

Personally, my brain is always and I mean always going. I need time to get what’s in there, out of there.

I’ve always been good at the 1st part of the Invest in You Formula of Sharpening the Mind by putting things in but not getting things out.

And hence the need for Think Space.

What do I use?

The Elite Road Warrior Journal which has two sections: one for Think Space (process the thoughts) and one for Road Life journaling. (monitor the heart).

How long do I take?  It depends on the flight but anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.

What do I think about?

You name it.

Sometimes it’s just free form. I just open it up and go wherever my mind takes me.

And since it’s scary in there, what I think or write about maybe all over the place.

But usually 5 minutes or so into Think Space, my mind starts to settle and I think about something specific and process it.

Ideas:

  • Your trip
  • Follow-up
  • Your goals
  • How to connect with fam/friends

The point here is leveraging the peace and quiet in the air and create time to think.

I have a blog post about Think Space along with an entire chapter in the Elite Road Warrior book for more details and examples.

Challenge: make just 5 minutes to do nothing but think on your next flight and write it down, preferably in the Elite Road Warrior branded journal (just sayin’ man).

 

4. Stand and Stretch

Believe it or not, you’re actually not completely at the mercy of the seat belt light or everyone else’s sedentary behavior.

30-60 seconds to stand and stretch makes a huge difference every 30 minutes.

Why?

Your body gets tight especially the older you are.

And your mind gets tired.

I define a break as Move the Body and Rest the Mind. And a break can be a micro-break of 30-60 seconds. Perfect time to stand and stretch.

If you don’t stand and stretch consistently, you’ll be surprised and quickly of just how much this one act will do for you on a flight to go back and do whatever you’re doing.

Challenge: commit and take just one stand and stretch break during your next flight

 

5.  Work

This one goes back to the four arguments of who’s time is it really on a flight.

If and when I work, I try to leverage this unique time:

  • No phone calls
  • No work chat or texts
  • No stop by your office to chat
  • No WiFi if you want to – if I want to be officially “off the grid”, I can be and ain’t nobody can do anything about it

My guidelines for working on a plane:

  • Have Rules – how long
  • Have a Plan – high leverage tasks
  • Have focus – drill down on only one task

This can be Deep Work time. If you abide by the guidelines, you can knock out this Time Block of focused, deep work time to make some serious progress.

Challenge: Choose one high leverage task at a time and focus on that one task for a set period of time

 

6.  Walk

Every hour or more I get up and am “free to move about the cabin” as they say.

My water I drink (from Drink Water, 2nd on the list of things I do on every flight) kicks in and it’s Go Time and I mean literally.

It’s a great reminder to stand, stretch, and walk.

I always choose the bathroom in the furthest direction. Why? Get more walking and potentially stand and stretch time if I have to wait.

Again, going back to the definition of a break, Move the Body and Rest the Mind, a walk no matter where you walk is a great catalyst to do both and then come back even more refreshed to get back to the task at hand.

Challenge: commit and take at least one stroll down the aisle during your next flight (if you did #2, drink water, this may just be your trigger reminder)

 

7.  Meditate

Once we’re about to land and the cabin is getting cleaned/ seat trays in their full and upright position, I use this time as a trigger to meditate.

I don’t get down in a lotus position and make a scene to go Zen on everyone.  But I do take a few moments to meditate after I put all my gear away.

Why? Get in the right headspace.

I want to get where I’m going prepared, focused, and in the right state of mind.

And this is done by mindfulness.

You can hear more about it on the Elite Road Warrior Podcast episode #27 on why meditation didn’t work for me on the road… (which is a hook title, FYI) so I’m a big believer in the benefits of taking time on a flight to meditate and get my head in the right place.

Why? Because, at least for me, once that plane lands and I stand, it’s Go Time. To Work or head home.

Either way I want to be mindful.

Challenge: take just one minute to try and meditate once your flight begins to ascend to become mindful of what’s next after the flight

 

Honorable Mentions…

A. Watch Something

The default and the top two tasks by far most do on a plane.

If and when I watch something, this is my binge-watch something. Breaking Bad was my show and now it’s Bosch from Amazon Prime.

Sometimes, especially on a late flight on the way home, it’s nice to zone out to a show or a movie.

There’s nothing wrong with it but to me, it’s a reward once I get my Flight Plan high leveraged tasks complete.

 

B. Talk To Your Neighbor

The irony here is one of the unwritten rules of a business traveler on a flight is applying the DND international symbol – putting on the Do Not Disturb headphones then not making contact.

But sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone – you never know where it could lead. My last keynote came from someone I sat next to on a flight!

 

C. Develop

Learn something beyond a book/audiobook.

For this very reason, I’m creating an online course called The Kickstart Road Course which is the “video how-to” of the Elite Road Warrior book.

This is definitely “ELITE” Road Warrior status but a great use of focused time.

 

Let’s Land This Plane

I want to prove to you the power of a Flight Plan in action with focused work.

The Elite Road Warrior book was written over a nine-month period of time by committing to this very plan of the seven things I do on every flight. I prepared myself with reading, drinking water, and standing/stretching/walking to stay sharp to write flight after flight after flight.

This can be done Road Warriors and if you’ve read or listened to my book, you’ve benefited from it too!

043 – Five Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

Welcome to the Elite Road Warrior Podcast Episode 043 show notes! This week we talk about the FUEL energy habit, and the 5 decisions to make at every restaurant.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

2:45 – Food as Fuel and Food as Energy

Click To Tweet

7:50 – Break

10:03 – Decision 1: What I will Drink? 

  • Always (and I mean always) order a glass of water if one is not already provided for you then here’s the key: drink as much as you can to start.
    • Why? Most of us are more dehydrated than we even think so getting some water into your system is always a smart decision
  • Water fills us up and hopefully deters us from over-eating
  • Join the Free Water Match Program –  make sure you match any drink you order 1:1 with water.
  • Think about what you’re really drinking and how much you plan to or should drink.

12:35 – Decision 2: Will I Order or Eat an Appetizer? 

  • Always pre-decide – don’t base your decision on what looks and/or smells good.
  • If you choose, eat the cleaner and greener appetizer.
  • If you’re a moderator, which means you can take just one bite and stop, stick to the plan
  • If you’re an abstainer, which means if you start, hide the women and children, it’s going to get ugly quick and the appetizer will disappear, Know Thyself, and don’t start.
Before you go out, Know Thyself! #Fuel #EliteRoadWarrior Click To Tweet

15:10 – Decision 3: What is My Main Course?

  • Always do your research – every restaurant now has an online menu so do some intel.
Avoid Impulse Choosing! #Fuel #MakeTheHealthiestChoice #EliteRoadWarrior Click To Tweet
  • Put the sauce on the side – sometimes when it’s doused all over the place, you’re forced to eat ALL of it. But if you can just try it, maybe it’s not as good as advertised. Sometimes just a dip here and there is all you need and a better choice in the long run.
  • Add First Then Reverse – first and foremost, get the healthy in. Start there if this is not natural yet and feels like too big of an ask. Add the good stuff in first then begin reversing by taking the bad stuff off. For example, the sauces all over the meat or salad.

17:43 – Decision 4: What Are My Side Dishes?

  • Always have at least one vegetable and preferably with not a ton of processing – steamed broccoli / asparagus / green beans, sautéed spinach, cauliflower, etc.
  • Choose a sweet potato over a baked potato or fries
  • Choose double veggies – another way to sneak in more “Green” of the clean and green.
  • Take a healthy side to go.

20:05 – Decision 5: If I Will Have Dessert

  • Learn to say no upfront so others know where you stand
  • Know if you’re a moderator or abstainer – I know the “wanna be moderators” who there “just a bite” is the gift that keeps on giving or should I say taking. I’ve eaten with you people.
  • Choose a fruit bowl – this is my go to when I want something sweet but not go down heavy with the dessert. I love anything berries and you can’t go wrong.
  • Carry dark chocolate with you – I carry a bar in my Carry a Controlled Substance work lunch box (episode 037) – far healthier choice and less ugly in the long run.

22:26 – Let’s Land This Plane

Links and Resources: 

Road Warrior Assessment

Elite Road Warrior Book

Keto Diet by Dr. Josh Axe

 

042 – Interview Mashup: 6 Energy Habits Review Show Notes

Welcome to the Elite Road Warrior Podcast Episode 042 show notes! This week is an interview mashup episode reviewing the 6 Energy Habits!

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

1:20 – 6 Energy Habits Quick Review

2:17 – Jeff McMahon – MOVE (Original Episode 018)

5:07 – Treva Thompson – FUEL (Original Episode 006)

7:50 – Terry Cralle – REST (Original Episode 008)

11:35 – Alan Stein Jr. – PERFORM (Original Episode 010)

15:05 – Mirdu Parikh – CONNECT (Original Episode 022)

20:27 – Scott Mawdesley – DEVELOP (Original Episode 040)

29:33 – Megan Bearce – CONNECT (Original Episode 024)

36:15 – Dr. Nick Howard – CONNECT (Original Episode 014)

40:00 – Closing

 

Links and Resources:

Road Warrior Assessment
Elite Road Warrior Book

 

 

How to Prove to Those Back Home You Truly Care on the Road

There’s no doubt Barry loves his family. Nobody would ever question his commitment to his wife and kids. But there’s a breakdown for Barry: when he gets on the road, he has a real tendency to be “hit or miss” connecting back at the ranch.

It’s not on purpose, but the road takes on a life of its own, and he finds himself checking in at odd times, “in the margins,” and he is often very distracted when he does check-in.

I feel you, Barry. He all too often hears his wife saying, “Barry, what else are you doing? Are you checking your email or texts?”

Barry has become a check-in guy on the road. He checks in when it’s convenient for him and gets the highlights, but that’s about it. His family has never really said anything to him about it but he knows his efforts in this area are marginal at best.

The good news about Barry is he realizes it and wants to make some changes in this area, but he is not sure exactly how to do it. Barry met me at the airport one day when I was doing something creative called Flat Kiddos.

Immediately, Barry resonated with the effort and a spark was lit in him to connect at an intentional level with his family while on the road.

 

 

I’ve learned through the years you become a check-in guy by default. No effort is required, and when many other road warriors don’t even do THAT, it makes you feel like you’re an over-achiever on the road. But the check-in guy is not the ultimate goal. It’s to become a connect-in guy.

One of the most difficult parts of becoming a connect-in guy and leaving a check-in guy behind was my struggle with intentionality.

It was just SO easy to send a text here and there, to do a quick “check-in” call or Face Time video chat. And there was nothing wrong with that except that was the only thing I was doing for years! It was predictable, inconsistent, and not strengthening my most important relationships.

The reality is most do the usual occasional text, phone call, or possibly video chat. This is the bare minimum. I’m going to assume you’re doing “at least” this on the road. If not, then this is a free wake-up call.

C’mon, man – get in the game. But we’re going to ramp this up big time so those in your life will, in time, see a difference in their relationship with you, no matter where you are!

What does it take to connect intentionally? It requires these three key areas. Even though there are only three, do NOT assume these will be easy. These three are brutal and brutally important.

 

Three Ways to Prove to Those Back Home You Truly Care on the Road

 

  1. BE COMMITTED

When I first started to be more connected with the family, my biggest struggle was my inconsistency. I would be actively engaged on one trip, then would “go dark” on the next.

It wasn’t by design; it just seemed to happen. Easy to do, and I had every excuse to back it up (verified by other road warriors who sucked at connecting), but do you know what was lost the most? An opportunity to build momentum due to consistency.

This can’t be a “one and done.” If anything, it will confuse your family and they will wonder if something is going on with you. If you’re married, your spouse may think you’re up to something!

 

Your Commitment to Connect Needs to Remain, No Matter What – Susan Buckley

 

If you’re going to have a busy day or evening, carve out a few minutes to think ahead and plan ahead. Most travel schedules can be navigated by planning ahead, which we discussed in detail with the perform energy habit. Now that you know you need to be committed to your connect energy habit, you’ll need to begin looking for ways you can keep up the momentum.

Your schedule will be your biggest inhibitor to your consistency at first. But remember, your commitment to connect needs to remain, no matter what. It becomes a vow to your family that you’re going to be the road warrior who is committed to going beyond the bare minimum to deepen your most important relationships.

Did you catch that?

A commitment. This means it’s a priority and that often means NOT doing something else in order to honor your commitment. This is possible once you embrace becoming intentional in how you connect with those you care about while on the road.

But initially, this is an internal commitment or with another road warrior. This is NOT to be proudly declared to your family in some grand presentation. You don’t call a family meeting, have everyone sit in front of the living room and impress them with your PowerPoint on how you will be committed.

Why not? You are really good at PowerPoint, after all. Well, although that might be true, they need to experience your commitment, not have it announced. They need to feel it, not be told about it. Over a period of time, that is as consistent as your travel.

This may be one of your biggest challenges on the road. You think eating healthy or exercising is difficult? I deeply encourage you to make this commitment internally and prove it externally.

It can be done and is done every day of business travel for an elite road warrior. But part of being committed in this manner requires a character quality rarely found in most people, let alone a road warrior, namely being patient.

 

2. BE PATIENT

I’ve found most road warriors are anything but patient. One would think that the road, with all of its challenges and opportunities, would teach us patience!

But patience in the area of growing your connection with your family while on the road is paramount. If you’ve been a slacker in this area of travel, be realistic.

It will take time to warm your family back up to this “new way” of connecting with you. If you’re anything like me, you’re also impatient and will want instant recognition for your incredible efforts.

You’ll want full credit and right away – heaps of praise thrown on to you like your experience on the road. But, it probably won’t happen that way.

They may be even skeptical at first and not respond the way you wanted or hoped for, especially with the effort you put in. You may hear crickets.

You may get pushback like, “What was that for?” But keep the faith. It’s worth it in the long run because you’re investing in the people you love, and they will very likely grow to love and depend on your investment into their lives while you’re away.

Often, I need to remind travelers that neglected relationships often take longer to heal. It took months and even years for the relationship to decay, so it’s going to take time for it to turn around.

It’s hard when you put the time and effort for it not to be appreciated. But just because there wasn’t the expected response, doesn’t mean it didn’t matter to them.

Here’s a challenge: Don’t ask how they felt about what you did to connect on your trip and what they think about it – let them come to you. When you ask, it puts them on the spot to say what they think you want to hear, not what they may really be feeling. So, let them bring it up to you.

 

3. PLANNED

You may be Spontaneous Scott or Sharon, and you can be that from time to time, but to be intentional, it must be planned. How consistent are you with your current check-in system? And the results? Just average at best?

I’m with you, man. I did it this way for years, and it made very little difference. I can’t speak for you, but I want any efforts over time to make a lasting difference, especially with my family; hence the need to change and plan it.

This is what it looks like for me. I schedule CONNECT in my planner, just like I do a meeting or anything work-related because what gets scheduled, gets done or at least the chances of it getting done dramatically increase.

Plan the When – This is absolutely critical, especially when you’re starting out and building this as a habit in your road routine. You don’t need to schedule an hour.

When you first start out, it may be only 5 or 10 minutes. I suggest 15 minutes so you don’t feel rushed, but put on the calendar CONNECT and lock it in. If you can put it in the same place most days, it will only help the habit to take form.

MOST of the time, I schedule CONNECT before my day has a chance of going off the tracks, so it’s more likely to happen. It’s become part of my energy hour, so I know it gets done, usually before my family even wakes up.

Plan the What – In order to be effective, you need to know what you’re going to do to connect.

We’ll get into the details of a number of ideas for “the what”, but know in advance it’s part of the planning. Being clear about “the what” will only help build a lasting habit that makes a real difference with those who matter most.

 

Key Reminder – STILL DO THE USUAL

I want to challenge you to commit just as much to do the usual text, phone call, and video chat. They still add tremendous value! Just be all the more committed.

I love nothing more than seeing those I love back home on a screen and how happy they are to see me. It warms my heart.

Remember, oftentimes it’s more for them than it is for you. So, put your big boy pants on, get over your day, and make the call. Often, it’s harder on me when we hang up, but those are the times it reminds me just how important those back home mean and matter to me.

They deserve every second and ounce of my attention and commitment to stay connected with them on the road.

 

BABY STEP TO CONNECT INTENTIONALLY

Commit to doing one small intentional thing each day you’re on the road.

The goal is consistency, and if you get overwhelmed upfront, it will be easy to give up, which is the worst thing for intentionality.

 

THREE-POINTERS

1. The Check-in guy does the bare minimum. Don’t be that guy – become the Connect-in guy or the Connect-in girl.
2. Your commitment to Connect needs to remain, no matter what.
3. You must plan when to Connect and plan what you’ll do to connect and then be patient!