Airline travel is regarded as a necessary evil today. Between the Fort Knox-like security checks, lost luggage, cramped seating, and ever-vanishing services, it's getting harder to see light at the end of the flying tunnel. But is this the way it has to be? Could you, with a slight attitude adjustment and some simple suggestions, transform that burdensome flight into a a few much-needed hours of productivity and personal betterment? Our last article discussed 5 ways to make the plane ride comfortable and enjoyable. Today, you'll learn 5 ways to spend that enjoyable and comfortable flight on productive, life-bettering things - things you would probably never take the time to do if you weren't on an airplane.



1) Introspection

The life of a busy, traveling businessman (or woman) doesn't leave much time for the personal reflection we all need. Luckily, with a notepad and the right mindset, the hours spent sitting still on an airplane can be used for just this purpose! While on the flight, simply think about your life, your goals, your relationships or hobbies - whatever it is that makes you tick. Reflect on your place in the world, where you've been, and where you are going. Ask yourself if there is anything you are not doing, but want to do, or should be doing. Grab a window seat if you can, and try to let your mind wander. Write down what occurs to you, and see if you haven't come to any new or exciting realizations by the time you land!

2) Drawing up a time revolution

Are you spending your time in the most efficient, effective way? Paradoxically, most of us don't have time to sit down and figure this out! But since you're going to be sitting still for hours on an airplane, you now do. According to David Koch in his excellent book "The 80/20 Principle", almost everyone, "whether ultra-busy or ultra-idle, needs a time revolution." Koch goes on to explain that "most of our significant achievements are achieved in a minority of our time" and "most of our happiness occurs during bounded periods of time." Taking this into account, it follows that you should identify what periods of time you are most productive and happy in, and try to maximize the time spent in those areas. Could you be spending your days in a more satisfying way? With a little thinking, you might be able to have a full time revolution mapped out by landing time!

3) Sudoku puzzles and MENSA riddles

Sudoku puzzles are an excellent, highly portable way to sharpen your mind while you sit idle during flights. These logic-based number placement puzzles are sold in booklets, can be clipped out of newspapers, or accessed on laptops and handheld PDAs. You might not be able to get any physical exercise on the flight, but there's no reason you can't use Sudoku puzzles or MENSA riddles (a lateral thinking-based riddle game) to keep your mind in shape!

4) Wisely chosen reading material

Plenty of people bring comic books, throwaway romance novels, and issues of Cosmopolitan on airplanes. While there's nothing inherently wrong with such pleasure reading, this type of reading does little to enhance or better our minds! You probably don't get a lot of free time, so why would you spend a precious three or five hour (or longer) flight on such intellectually barren reading? A much better idea would be to read something mentally challenging instead - say, a business book, an autobiography of a public figure, or something about your field of expertise. Literature on the country you are visiting is another good bet. Such books or magazines can impart a great deal of wisdom in the time it takes to fly!

5) Any computerized or written work you've been putting off

Like most of us, you probably have some type of work you've been putting off - drawing up a new budget for the company, finishing something for a client, writing that long-overdue article, etc. What better time to get caught up than during your flight? If the work you've been putting off can be done on a laptop or pen and paper, there's probably no better way to spend the flight than that. While everyone elses exits the plane cramped, tired, and jetlagged, you will bask in the satisfaction of finished work and a spotless to-do list!