I had to cut short my visit to Austin, TX, to start a new contract on Monday 19th March.
The ever-present problem of time-zone adjustment and jet-lag is a bit of a bugger.
When I flew back from LA last summer, the jet-lag wrecked four solid days; this time I thought I’d get right on top of the problem.
And I have.
Here’s how:
Thursday, Austin, Texas:
- Up at 9.30
- Busy and full day
- Busy and full evening
- Busy and full night until 2.30am
- DO NOT SLEEP AT ALL TODAY
Friday, Austin, Texas:
- 2.30am, catch a taxi back to the hotel
- Pack
- Check out
- Catch a taxi to the airport
- Check in at the airline desk
- Go through TSA/Customs
- Sit in the departure lounge and read
- Board the flight to Chicago
- Read some more
- Allow yourself two hours sleep
- Arrive Chicago
- Make my way to the appropriate departure lounge
- Read a little more
- Board the flight to London
- Read lots
- Write lots of notes
- Listen to music
- Arrive Heathrow (10.40pm)
- Go through passport control
- Collect suitcase
- Go through customs
- Pick up car
- Do a little shopping at a 24-hour Tesco
- Drive home
- APART FROM THOSE TWO HOURS, DO NOT SLEEP AT ALL TODAY
Saturday, Witney, Oxfordshire
- Arrive home (2am)
- Put the shopping away
- Unpack
- Have a snack
- Go to bed
- Read until dozy
- Sleep (4 hours)
- Get up at 8.30am
- Have a full and active day/evening
- Go to bed at 11.30pm
Sunday, Witney, Oxfordshire
- Wake at 9.30am
- Have a full and normal day because (tada!) you are back on UK time
Simples.
Well done. In the 80’s my then girlfriend flew back from Australia and had to take two days off work to recover from the lag. When she returned to the office her manager said “I fly to Spain every year and have never taken a day off for jet lag!”. He was serious!