Many people could no longer stand their daily lives where work clearly encroached on life. They dreamed of having a professional career, but also of being able to have fun, discover new things and above all travel. With 35-hour weeks in company premises, their desires clearly resembled a utopia. Fortunately, working from home has been a revelation. Many have even transformed into nomadic workers. This waking dream still has some small drawbacks. The main thing is the sometimes difficult management of the time difference between your destination and the country where your colleagues are located.
What is jet lag?
OUR internal clock, biological or even circadian regulates various functions of the body. Among the latter, there is, for example, the control of hormonal secretions. It has a certain rhythm that fits perfectly with your daily life. During a trip, it risks getting out of order. In fact, your body will be able to generate melatonin, the molecule that helps you fall asleep, even though the sun has just risen. You will then feel like you are going through gas, you will have a very headache and you may become very irritable. You will practically be unable to work because of these sensations and the difficulty concentrating caused by this time difference.
But do not worry. Little by little, your hypothalamus will record your new environmental information and your clock will adjust. You will then need to put in place an effective strategy to be able to keep up with your colleagues.
How to manage jet lag on a neuropsychological level?
We would have liked to tell you that in order not to suffer jet lag, simply pull the adjustment button on your internal clock as soon as you arrive on the soil of the country that welcomes you. But there are no methods that work in a snap.
How to avoid jet lag?
If you really don't want to deal with all the constraints of time difference, you can simply opt for destinations that provoke it less. Among these, we can suggest Dubai, Mauritius or even the Seychelles. These countries are paradises for digital nomads. Set with a time difference of only 2 hours with France, they are very beautiful and you can enjoy their deserts or their magnificent beaches while working without constraints.
How to quickly recover from jet lag?
Jet lag is inevitable when you choose a destination with odd schedules, but there are ways to anticipate it or recover fairly quickly. To do this, you must prepare well for the trip. Start staggering your sleep and waking up several days before departure. This will help your hypothalamus align to the new time zone. We also recommend that you choose your flight wisely. Prefer to arrive at night so that you can easily recover. And if you don't feel like sleeping at that time, you can exceptionally take a melatonin supplement. During the day, do some sport and try to stay outside. This exposure to light is essential to quickly adjust your internal clock. Note that some applications can provide you with a complete program that will quickly get you back on your feet.
How to manage the time difference with your team or clients located on the other side of the Earth?
Once the physiological gap has been resolved, you should put all the chances on your side so that your geographical location does not disrupt the productivity of your company.
How to organize your work?
This will greatly depend on the nature of your task. Can it be accomplished completely independently or is it dependent on other missions accomplished by your colleagues.
If you are in the first case, there is no problem, you can organize your schedule as you wish. The important thing is to respect your deadlines. You will only have one results requirement.
But if you are more in the second configuration, you will have to find a compromise between what the new environment imposes on you in terms of hours and your professional obligations. This will normally remain punctual, but you will sometimes have to sacrifice an evening or wake up at dawn so as not to block the team. Other great places to put your desk include: Cape Verde (UTC-1) or the Bahamas (UTC-5). These destinations allow you to start your day when your colleagues start the other part of theirs.
How to maintain cohesion with your professional partners?
Fortunately, the technological advances will make these sacrifices exceptions. In fact, you will only have to do them if you are communicating with a partner external to the company, for example. You will also have to adapt in case of important meetings. But as for the rest of the work, there are collaborative tools. These applications and software facilitate remote working and allow all stakeholders in the company to monitor the progress of different projects in real time. You can even work with several people on the same file so that there is never any loss of data. To avoid problems with transmitting information, companies put in place HR digitalization process increasingly efficient. Through messaging and other communication channels, you will maintain good relationships with your colleagues, lying on a hammock in the shade of a beautiful palm tree.