- by Jane Halford and ChatGPT

"I'm finally home!"

You know that feeling of relief when you have survived a long, intense, or simply annoying period of business travel. You are so over it!

Logically you know that your next business trip is weeks away, but you're still struggling to really feel "at home". Tell me I'm not the only one.

This happened to me again recently. After three months of in and out travel I knew I had a month at home. The first two weeks were rough. I called with the Business Travel Hangover. Do you get those too?

Symptoms May Include:

• Daily sense of needing to pack a suitcase or not even unpacking "just in case"
• Moments of panic that you are going to miss a flight
• Staring down the empty fridge, realizing that you need to cook for yourself
• Being intimidated by a mountain of laundry 

It all accumulates into an unsettled feeling. You're not away, and you are not yet present at home. 

What's happening and how can you rebound faster?

The Productivity Paradox

Business travel creates a rhythm. A highly structured, externally imposed, always-on rhythm.

Where to be. When to show up. What matters (everything). What doesn’t (personal time, enjoying nature).

There’s comfort in that clarity. Obvious priorities. A steady cadence of movement that feels like productivity.

So, when it stops, it feels like....silence.

Now, you have less scheduled demands for every waking hour. You can do anything.

Work? Rest? Catch up? Get ahead? 

Or just… sit?

This feels so unfamiliar. It can be deeply uncomfortable.

Why “Being Still” Feels Like Failure

When your routine is tied to motion: meetings, travel, activity, stillness can feel like slacking. Even when it’s exactly what’s needed.

The Leadership Trap

This isn’t a personal flaw, it's a cultural norm.

When leaders operate in constant motion, organizations start to equate a busy schedule with effectiveness. The unspoken rule becomes: If you’re not moving, you’re not having impact.

Which leads to:

• Over-scheduled calendars and very tired humans
• False sense of urgency
• Decision fatigue dressed up as “high performance

"How you do one thing, is how you do everything." I don't know who said that, but I can certainly relate to the trap of bringing the frenzy of work travel back into home life. 

Who's really at fault here? You can't run from this one, it's you.

What’s the Antidote?

I struggle with this. I don't have a magic answer. I can only share what I've tried. If you have other ideas, please share them. We could all use some help.

• Unpack as soon as you get home. Even if you are leaving again. Allow yourself the opportunity to stop.
• In the first few days, do something that you can't do on the road. Here are a few ideas
  • Buy groceries and cook for yourself
  • Go outside - maybe it's working in the yard, watching birds, or just stopping to feel the breeze or the sun on your face
  • See your friends, pet your dog, or go to your favorite restaurant at home - see that you are in a familiar place
• Rely on your systems. Your calendar, your EA or anything else that organizes your life is your source of truth. Look at the weeks ahead and confirm you are home.

What's the hardest part? Admitting that you're struggling. Try it first with one person that you can trust. 

• In your business world, that person may be relieved to know that they are not the only one that feels terrible when they get home.
• In your personal life, it will help explain why you are not "being yourself". More importantly, your friends and family can help ground you if they realize that's what you need.

A Different Kind of Discipline

You have proven that you can sprint through airports and navigated packed schedules.

It takes a different kind of discipline to reground yourself at home when the travel pace drops.

Trust that leadership isn’t measured by speed, but by clarity.

Recognize that the absence of urgency isn’t a problem to solve.

The Real Work

A few days (or maybe a week) after being back, something shifts.

You stop feeling so "off" and you realize the extra hours that you have without the pressure of taxis, planes, and restaurants. 

Because sometimes the real work isn’t in the running around.

It’s in knowing when to stop.

Have a governance or transition question on your mind?
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