Blocks of Time

I just got back from a trip to LA. I promised myself that I wasnt going to travel as much as I did last year, but so far in the first 22 days of the year, I have been on the road for 7 of them. I’ll be back on the road February 5-7 (which should coincide with some big Graphic.ly news), and I imagine more trips will follow.

Why does that matter? Well, unlike 2009, which was my Year of the Body, 2010 is my Year of People. I am making sure to spend time with people in a way that I have never done before.

Generally, when I travel, I try to sneak into a city, do my meetings and bail the heck out. I make the arrangements as tight as possible, and literally gave myself no time for anything.

How have I changed that?

Well, this time, when I flew to LA, I left blocks of open time. I still was able to get 7 meetings in 3 days in, but I took part of my first day to spend some time with my friend Micki Krimmel, of Neighborgoods, and learned a ton about roller derby, neighborgoods, LA, and more importantly, Micki herself. I am pretty certain our friendship is stronger because of it, and I truly enjoyed myself.

I also set up time to have lunch with Erin Kotecki Vest, Jeremy Pepper and luckily, Micki was able to join us. Erin and Micki had known each other online, and I thought it was a great opportunity to connect two of the stronger women in the LA tech scene. Jeremy has helped me a ton with Graphic.ly and getting the word out, and frankly, that short little dude makes me laugh.

I wasnt sure if I would feel comfortable working in these blocks of time that on the surface seemed to be only beneficial personally. After all, I was on a work trip. I should be working 24 hours a day (just like home!). But, an interesting thing happened. I found myself more centered and relaxed. I found that by connecting with people, I was sharper for my meetings and over all more satisfied with the trip. And frankly, I spent time with people that clearly are much cooler than me, so my social profile got a boost.

We live in a world of people. It seems that in a business, where we are touting the importance of engagement, we should also practice it (and not only with other social media wonks). We shouldnt be afraid of travel, even if its driving 8 hours from Salt Lake City to Denver, in order to connect with people that enrich our lives.

After all, shouldnt we practice what we preach?