How do you create a routine if you are out of familiar settings?

“I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a “transformer” in any situation, any organization. Such an individual is yeast that can leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith to be a transforming leader.”

For the last month I have been travelling. I have been to Madison Wisconsin, made my way up to Connecticut, then to Columbus, Ohio, and tomorrow I will be flying to San Francisco. This has been a chaotic 24 days. Through all of this I have started new work, dealt with the holiday distractions of family, old friends, and all of the obligations related to those activities.

My brother has been with me this whole time, and as I continue to struggle with accomplishing the necessary tasks at hand, he has continued to do a phenomenal job. Why is he so good at this, and why do I seem so terrible? I asked him that question, and his response was simple. He told me that we have completely different working habits. He has been able to adapt to working anywhere. As long as it is a quiet, comfortable atmosphere, then he is able to get everything done.

This is not the case with me. I am, “a creature of habit” according to him, and I am successful based on my surroundings, and my familiarity with them. I thought about what he said, and it started to make sense.

When I was in Madison, having never been there before, I would wake up and start doing work immediately. I was able to create a new routine, having not had prior habits in this setting. I would go to the local coffee shop, or get my spot on the couch, and get my work done. I was in a zone.

Then I went home to Connecticut. I immediately returned to my unmotivated ways of high school, and this stint at home was the peak of my wasted time over the past few weeks. As soon as I got home I was immediately in a rut. I had little stimulus to do any work. I spent time on the couch, or in bed, sleeping upwards of 14 hours a day, an absurd amount for me, as I rarely even sleep the necessary 8 hours. I didn’t write one blog post, and only made it to the gym two times in nine days. I felt like I couldn’t help it, all I wanted to do was get back to Columbus, and get back into some sort of productive routine again.

Finally, I got back to Columbus. Within hours of being back I had got more work done then I had in the past nine days, and made it to the gym.

So as the New Year comes around I decided that a goal of mine is to learn how to work wherever, and whenever. How am I going to do this?

· Begin working in new, unfamiliar settings. This could include any number of coffee shops, book stores, or anywhere that has wireless internet.

· GET OFF THE COUCH!! I have a habit of working while sitting on the couch. This is a terrible habit that I picked up while studying in school. It is fine if I am sitting here reading, but if I am attempting to be productive it is a terrible approach to working.

· Make a list every night of things that I need to get done the next day. This list should be based on a larger list of all of the tasks I need to complete for an extended period of time.

· Find a mentor. Luckily I have my brother to keep an eye on me when I need him to. I will ask for his advice and guidance to make sure that I stay on track.

These are a few ideas I have to help myself this year. But I would love some input. How do you stay productive when you’re not at home?