I find myself having to fly a lot. Based on the length of the flight, and of course all of the waiting around before and after, it is very easy to feel unproductive. After all, emails build up, calls get missed, and meetings happen without me. Through a lot of trial and error, I think I have finally gotten to a place where I have found a way to be productive and self improving on flights. In part one of this three part series, I will cover how I have been able to relax and rejuvenate when flying. In part two I will go over some ways to work way more effectively. Finally, in part three I will share a few easy ways to entertain yourself on the flight.
How to Relax and Rejuvenate on a Flight
Relax and rejuvenate
Flying is inherently stressful. Between the commute to the airport, to getting through security, to never seeming to have enough time to have a good meal (or drink), to the madnss of boarding, there is a lot of anxiety filled buildup…and that doesn’t even cover what happens when you get on the plane. The thought of using this time to relax seems very unlikely, but here are a few tips that I’ve “perfected” over many years and many flights.
Meditation
Everybody should meditate for at least 20 minutes per day. The flight is a perfect time to tackle this. The Chakra Meditation app is very basic. You can pop that on while working or doing whatever else, and let it run in the background. I find it to be very soothing and it doesn’t really involve you having to engage with the app.
Other good apps for meditation are Meditation Studio and Calm. Meditation Studio consists of guided meditations, but it is very easy to melt away during them. I use this at home and on the road. Calm has a cool feature called Sleep Stories. If you plan on transitioning to sleep on your flight, this is a great feature.
Sleep
Speaking of sleep, what better way is there to maximize a flight than to catch up on some z’s? Whether you are able to sleep the minute the plane takes off or you need to ease into it, try to get a nap in during your flight. I am one of those people who falls asleep very easily (which pisses off my wife) but if I have trouble, I will use either the Chakra app or Calm, as mentioned above. Even 20 minutes of sleeping on the plan makes me feel extremely good. It might be mental, but I’ll take it.
Stretch
The body is not meant to be crammed into an airplane seat. While it might be annoying to the person sitting next to you, it’s definitely worth getting a good stretch in at least once an hour. You should also get up and walk the aisles as much as you can. I normally sit in the aisle seat for this reason.
