Where my feet are

By Sarah Williams, Founder of Leading Culture | Business Growth Strategist

My poor little brain breaks over time zones.

It doesn’t seem to matter how often I do this.

This morningI’m sitting waiting for an Uber, trying to align meetings. I’m being texted about an appointment I need to make in New Zealand, while responding to an email from a client in Australia.

SoI’m trying to work out where I’ll physically be on that particular day, what time zone I’ll be in, what time zone they’ll be in… and somehow make all the calendars align.

It’s one of the occupational hazards of working globally.

And don’t even get me started on the US, with multiple time zones and the challenge of finding a sensible time to bring a team together virtually.

But all this got me thinking about something people often ask me:

“How do you deal with constantly changing time zones when you travel so much?”

Over the years, I’ve developed a few little hacks.

The first is what I call my “where my feet are” strategy.

When I get on an international flight, the plane has no time zone.

I’m no longer in the time zone I’ve left, and I’m not yet in the time zone I’m travelling to.

So I don’t think, “It’s breakfast time,” or “I should be asleep now.”

I eat if I’m hungry.

I sleep if I’m tired.

And if I’m neither, I work.

Then, the moment my feet hit the ground, I’m in the new time zone.

Completely.

Even if I’ve been travelling for 20 hours and land first thing in the morning, I won’t go to bed until that evening. It might be a very early night, but I try to get my body onto local time immediately.

My other slightly unusual hack?

I always leave my laptop on New Zealand time.

Partly because changing it can create havoc with my calendar.

But mostly because it gives me one constant.

I can glance at my laptop and instantly know what time it is at home. No mental arithmetic required. And when I want to call family, I immediately know whether it’s a sensible time to do it.

So perhaps that’s my philosophy for travelling across time zones:

And somehow, most of the time, that keeps my brain functioning.

I’ve accumulated quite a few other travel hacks over the years, particularly for long-haul flights and reducing jet lag.

If you’d like me to share those too, let me know.

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