Published February 11-15, 2023
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Business Class Travel
I remember the first time I travelled in business class. It was in 1999. I had to make a trip to the US for meetings on both coasts. For some reason, the economy class fares were coming out to be quite expensive. A friend then mentioned to me about a special Round-the-World business class fare from Cathay Pacific (and its partner airlines). As long as I met their conditions (single direction travel, minimum stay abroad of 10 days), I could get a business class ticket for a few thousand rupees more than what the economy class ticket was costing.
It was an amazing experience. Even though the seats were not flat-bed then, they reclined enough to enable a good sleep on the long flights. The access to the lounge was a novelty. The overall comfort was something I had not experienced before. I was so much more productive with my reading and writing; I was less tired when I landed. And it was then that I decided that when it came to international travel, I would only travel business class. And so it has been for the past 23 years. (I still travel economy for short-duration flights.)
I am at my most productive best on flights. Business class seats are very comfortable. Flat-beds now enable one to sleep well. The lounge access and easy boarding make travel less stressful. Without Internet access and any distractions, a long-distance flight is great for thinking. I am a captive of the seat – literally, with the seat belt! I let my mind roam free and the thoughts flow. I fill tens of pages in my spiral notebook as I write and doodle what I am thinking. On my return flight to Mumbai from an international trip, I typically use the time to summarise all my notes from the trip. I also use the time to read and, of late, listen to music.
For US travel, my preferred airline is Air India. I like their non-stop flights to Newark, NJ – though I wish they would upgrade the interior. Nothing has changed since I flew the non-stop for the first time in August 2007 – on the first flight out of India. I am delighted that there is now a non-stop from Mumbai to San Francisco – it will save me the transfer in Delhi and reduce total travel time by about 5-6 hours. The magic of air travel: New York and San Francisco are both now 16 hours away from Mumbai!
Of course, there is a price to be paid. Business class fares are typically three or four times economy class fares. But I think it is worth it – for the experience. I figured that I do about 2-3 trips a year. The delta on each trip is about 2-3 lakhs. So, that is about 8-10 lakhs extra a year – about $10-12,000. Definitely a price worth paying for the extra benefits – especially if one’s mind and thinking is the key to future success.
For me, business class is not about the food, drinks or networking. It is about sleep and comfort for my body and mind. For any travel longer than 4-5 hours, business class is a good investment. It provides excellent RoI (return on investment) in terms of thinking time and idea flow. And I also figured that over the rest of my life (I am 55 years old), it probably means an additional extra investment of $100-150,000. Given that I have very few other needs (or vices), international business class travel is one luxury I have no hesitation in spending money on!
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My BB
When travelling, I carry a compact shoulder sling bag in which I put my notebook and iPad. found it in Bangkok some years ago, and thus it got the name “BB” – for Bangkok Bag. If I remember correctly, I bought it for just Rs 300 or so.
The BB allows me to keep my hands free when travelling, and this is very convenient. Before the BB, I carried my notebook and iPad in my hand. When walking around, it meant that I could not use both my hands. And that’s where the BB comes in so handy. It also has a couple of pockets on each of the sides allowing me to stuff things like pens, additional business cards, tissue paper, napkins, and other things I may need when travelling. At conferences, I hang it on the chair as an alternative to putting it on the floor.
Here are a couple of pics showing the BB and how it’s the perfect size for the notebook.
If I try hard enough, I can also squeeze in a third item – typically a book. So, on short duration flights, this is the only carry-on I need (though I do tend to carry a backpack at times). Through the years, the BB has become my equivalent of “cannot leave home without it.”
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The Zone
I have written previously about time with oneself in which I referenced “flow”. One aspect of that is getting into a “zone” – a period of high productivity. In my case, it is when I can switch off from the surroundings and just be with myself, letting the thoughts flow. For example, when I write my blog columns, I am in that state of mind. It is typically a weekend early morning. For about 2-3 hours, I am converting my thinking into words – undistracted and oblivious to the world around me.
One necessary condition is to be able to avoid the temptation to check digital devices and our inboxes. The alerts that come from our messaging or social apps induce us to open them, and then there goes the mental momentum that we had. So, creating conditions which eliminate these interruptions becomes very important.
During a recent visit to Rajasthan, I experienced the zone as I was sitting in the temples. I had my writing notebook with me, and just let the thoughts flow. To keep my mind clutter-free, I write everything that I am thinking. It was like being on a plane – contiguous time with myself.
In recent months, I have found another way to create a zone for myself. I use the Bose QC45 headset, put on music at low volume, sit on a comfortable chair or sofa at home or in the office, open my notebook and let the words flow; there will be plenty of time to filter the useful from the useless later.
Each of us needs to create a mechanism to enter a zone to be at our productive best. There is plenty of advice out there. This is from Entrepreneur:
- Have a pre-work ritual
- Curate a playlist
- Clear mental clutter
- Create a forced deadline
- Build a fortress against interruption
- Use social facilitation to your advantage
- Follow the Goldilocks Principle
Ladders: “The first step is to recognize the conditions necessary to bring it about. By understanding your body’s circadian rhythm, for example, you can schedule challenging projects for the time when you’re most alert. Fuel your body with snacks that are high in omega-3, which improve brain function, and you’re well on your way to creating ideal circumstances for getting in the zone. The environment around you is also vital if you want to get in a flow. Music without lyrics has been proven to focus your mind and increase performance, while the color green also has a significant impact on how productive we are. Looking at scenes from nature, or even just the color itself can boost your productivity significantly.”
HBR: “The first time you sit down to do something, you’re not going to find flow; nor the second, or the tenth, and probably not even the hundredth. Why? Getting in the zone requires activating the subconscious part of the brain. The very nature of it requires you not to be trying, not consciously thinking about what it is you’re doing — instead, you’re just doing it…The Zone requires your subconscious: Flow only works when the subconscious takes over from the conscious mind. Being practiced at what you do is necessary, but it’s not sufficient. This is where other techniques start to kick in: meditation is a well-known way of doing exactly this; visualization is, too.”
My advice: Getting into the zone can do wonders for productivity. Try out a few methods and see what works best. Keep a notebook handy so you can write out the thoughts that flow thus keeping the mind free at all times for fresh ideas to stream in.
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Presence
I was at the airport security check. I removed various digital devices from my bag to pass through the scanner. It was almost routine so I wasn’t thinking much about the process. Because I had packed a few extra items in the carry-on bag, it was a procedure that was different from what I normally did. Also because I was not thinking about it, I did not pay as much attention to what I was doing – distracted by the bustle of movement all around.
It was only later that I realised I was missing my Bose QC45 headset. I first thought that I had forgotten it at home, but the more I thought, I realised I had probably removed it at the security check to access my laptop and iPad, and had not put it back in. The only way to be sure was to go back home and check. (I was travelling with family so there wasn’t anyone at home to ask.)
A couple days later, when I returned home and didn’t find the headset, I knew I had forgotten it at the airport security check. I called Mumbai airport’s Lost and Found, and was relieved to find that it was indeed there. I picked it up the next day.
I then spent some time thinking about my mistake at the airport. I came to the conclusion that I was not “present” when I was going through the motions of removing the items from my bag and putting them back. My mind was elsewhere and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, and hence I erred.
A similar mistake had happened a couple of months ago. At the end of a long day’s conference, I got up from my chair and started working – very tired and sleepy. A friend sitting next to me called out to me saying I had forgotten my BB (shoulder bag) on the chair. Again, I was not “present” when doing an action.
As I thought more, I realised that I needed to be more present in the moment when I am doing things or with people. I cannot let the mind wander at these times. It means tuning out my thoughts and being focused on the actions I am doing or the conversation I am engaged in. Mistakes in words or actions can happen when one is physically present but mentally absent.
As I investigated more on this topic, I came across a phrase to describe it. “Present-Moment Awareness.” Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp write: “Presence involves a simple yet incredible shift—from the ordinary state of mind wandering to bringing our attention to the experience of what is happening right now. You can make this shift anytime, anywhere. Why develop this habit? Spiritual leaders and philosophers have attempted to answer this question for thousands of years. And yet Ferris Bueller…might just have the best answer: “Life moves pretty fast,” he warned. “If you don’t stop and look around for a while, you might miss it.” He’s right. Life without presence moves pretty fast. When we wake up, go to work, and do the other things we need to do, we often operate on autopilot; the days fly by, as do the weeks, months, and years. In fact, scientists have confirmed that this experience of time “flying by” increases with age. With each passing year, the novelty of life diminishes and our perception of time accelerates. This has led the mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn to argue that if you really want to live a longer life, presence—not drugs, healthy eating, or any other strategy—is the best solution. You may not actually live longer in terms of calendar time, but your experience of life and your perception of time will expand. The days, months, and years can be richer, more meaningful, and more fully lived.”
From The Human Condition: “Present-moment awareness is a practice in which someone focuses attentively on what is occurring in this moment, including a host of sensations like actions, feelings, and experiences. The Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi said, “When you eat, you should eat. When you sleep, you should sleep.” In this example, rather than rushing through a meal to get to the next activity, attention to the present moment means savoring the food and company. This type of attention can be practiced in any situation—from work to play. In a work setting, someone might focus entirely on the message they are conveying in the email they’re composing instead of pre-emptively thinking about other items on their to-do list.”
Think of being in the Zone and Presence as two complementary ideas; both are needed. But there is a time and place for each of them.
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The Unexpected
Last year, there were two unexpected work-related travels I had to do: to Vietnam and to Qatar. In both cases, a colleague could not make the trip and I was the ‘substitute.’ A younger me would perhaps have grumbled about the unplanned developments, but I am now much more welcoming of the unexpected. I go in with a mindset of adventure, and how doing something different could actually make for a richer life.
I did not have this mindset in my earlier years. I liked things to be planned and organised. An unplanned trip, a delayed flight, a cancelled appointment, a last-minute meeting – I didn’t like any of these and would get grouchy. Through the years, I have started to view these as part of life’s journey – like the beautiful landscapes that show up suddenly when driving. They are to be welcomed rather than shunned.
A few months ago, I had gone to Goa to attend a conference. The organisers sprung a last-minute surprise on the attendees: a Covid self-test. I ended up testing positive. (I had no symptoms.) Initially, I was angry that they had not informed me about such a test in advance. As I reconciled to the fact that I would not be able to attend the conference, I decided to use my 2-day stay in the confines of a hotel room productively. It is not often that life hands out a couple days of absolutely free time! I read, thought, slept – and decided that I was not going to regret missing the conference. It turned out to be a different experience than the one I had planned for, but what I made from it was in my hands.
In fact, it is the twists of the unexpected turns that enrich life. Even as I dislike conversations with strangers on flights in the seat next to me, it was one such conversation more than 20 years ago which had me sitting in the cockpit of a Cathay Pacific flight watching a landing into Hong Kong. A chance meeting at a conference in Barcelona started a friendship that has lasted over a decade. The recent Vietnam trip gave me an opportunity to see a city which I probably would never have visited in the normal course of events.
In fact, each of these events creates its own connections and takes us down unexplored paths. I would never have gone and watched a FIFA World Cup match had it not been for Kalpit’s inability to travel because of a knee surgery. In fact, even if my marketing team had asked me if I wanted to travel, my first reaction would have been, “Me and Football? Impossible!” And here I was, watching Portugal play Switzerland in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I have become more open to life’s unexpected surprises as I have grown older. I go in with a mindset that there is a good reason something unexpected is happening even though I may not immediately understand the reason. The unexpected events, the chance meetings, the accidental encounters – they are the spices which bring flavour to our existence. At times, if we trace the connections, we will find that they have done much more because no single event can be viewed in isolation. We should therefore take the unexpected opportunities that came our way in our stride and embrace.