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Carrying On: Lessons Learned from Tech Travel

Carrying On: Lessons Learned from Tech Travel

Given by Kara Sowles at Donut.js in Portland, Oregon, August 2017.

This talks is about tech travel ⚡️ burnout ⚡️ the dangers of advice ⚡️feelings ⚡️ travel tips ⚡️

See the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOs8hYJ8s-4

Kara Sowles

August 01, 2017
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Transcript

  1. "Wow, you must have so many free miles on your

    account from all that travel!"
  2. "Ahh, the food in that city is so amazing. Where

    did you eat? Did you eat at [restaurant]?"
  3. I'd admit "Yeah, travel can be a little...overwhelming." They'd say

    "Same! You need these noise-cancelling headphones - they're a must-have when traveling."
  4. Burnout? Signs of physical and emotional exhaustion: Chronic fatigue Insomnia

    Forgetfulness/impaired concentration and attention Physical symptoms Loss of appetite Anxiety Depression Anger Signs of Cynicism and Detachment: Loss of enjoyment Pessimism Isolation Detachment Signs of Ineffectiveness and Lack of Accomplishment Feelings of apathy and hopelessness Increased irritability Lack of productivity and poor performance From The Telltale Signs of Burnout...Do You Have Them? By Sherrie Bourg Carter in Psychology Today 2013/11/26
  5. Other symptoms Other symptoms of jet lag can include: •

    anxiety • clumsiness • confusion • constipation • diarrhoea • difficulty concentrating • feeling disorientated • generally feeling unwell • headaches • indesgestion • irregular periods in women who travel frequently • irritability • lethargy (lack of energy) • lightheadedness • loss of appetite • memory problems • muscle soreness • nausea • sweating Symptoms can last up to six days for some people who've flown across nine or more time zones, particularly in an easterly direction.
  6. “[Business travel] has a wide range of physiological, psychological and

    emotional, and social consequences that are often overlooked, because being a ‘road warrior’ tends to get glamorized" - Scott Cohen in Why Frequent Business Travel Is So Bad for You, Fast Company, Sept 9th 2015
  7. From Why Frequent Business Travel Is So Bad for You,

    by Michael Grothaus in Fast Company, September 9th 2015
  8. Food It's okay to order room service It's okay to

    eat at the closest place It's okay to not track down the local delicacy There is no pure, perfect experience you need to live up to
  9. Reading a book or phone in a restaurant isn't rude

    or weird This could be u and a book Photo by Michael Rys /CC
  10. Other tools I personally love Medium size purse with cross-shoulder

    strap; by Pixie Mood (vegan!) Rick Steves guidebook I'm not ashamed WhatsApp / Signal / any app to text friends pictures on wifi
  11. Let people assign value to their own experiences for example…

    Leaving a company A breakup or divorce A new boss A diagnosis None of these things are inherently good or bad - so when I don't have the personal context about their situation to make an informed guess, I ask before I react.
  12. Learn to offer advice without doing damage Ask permission: "Are

    you looking for advice on that?" Get personal rather than prescriptive: "I was in a similar situation once…"What Ask open-ended questions: Give them an opportunity to talk it through Keep privilege and diversity in mind: Everyone's situation and solution is different They're in control: Give advice and then move on
  13. Thanks! Thank you to friends who made contributions to this

    talk: ✨ Tiffany Longworth (wrote the title pun) ✨ Andrea Horbinski (advice on advice) ✨ Annalee Flower Horne (advice on advice) Thanks to my many supportive and kind friends who offered to help - except I didn't finish in time to get edits or help - next time!✨ My name is Kara Sowles I work at Puppet in Portland (and I love it there) I'm on twitter as @feynudibranch Thank you Donut.js for hosting this talk! Donut.js in Portland is my favorite meetup and I highly recommend it! shrug