You’re on the road all day, week or month. If you don’t manage your time well, fatigue, loneliness and disappointment can occur. Let’s dive into ways to help maximize your time management, productivity and work schedules, and maintain a work-life balance.
Get plenty of sleep – rest at least eight hours, but if you don’t like sleeping too long, take short naps of 15 minutes here and there to avoid fatigue while driving. Learn more about keeping an eye on your sleep.
Don’t change your sleep schedule – maintain the same schedule at home when you’re on the road. Returning from home fatigued could result in an accident.
Take at least a 30-minute break within the first 8 hours of driving. It’s an FMCSA rule created for trucking safety. The more breaks, the better, so you’re at your best throughout your trip.
Plan your route to avoid running out of driving time – schedule in the unexpected, like traffic slowdowns and weather delays, and the time of day you may arrive somewhere. For instance, it may take longer to get through a major city at 4:00 p.m. than it does at 2:00 p.m. Or it may be harder to find a place to park at a truck stop if you’re trying to find a place to park at 5:00 p.m. or later because all the spots are taken. These can cause you to go into hours-of-service violations because you run out of time but are still driving.
Set goals – perhaps there’s no better way to be productive than to set daily targets. How far do you want to go today? What time do you want to arrive? How many hours do you have available on your clock? When not driving, consider what you’d like to do with your family for the day. With goals set, you can plan accordingly and set yourself up for a win at work and home.
These are some ways you can take charge of your time management. They’re not difficult to maintain and can do you a world of good—so be mindful, safe and productive.
