I’ve been in the States for a few weeks now, enjoying a crazy mix of road trips, work deadlines, visits with friends and family, eating, and catching up on shopping, errands, and organizing.

Moving locations always upsets the equilibrium a bit—physically, emotionally, and in terms of routine and productivity—and it’s been a challenge to stay on track with my projects and goals. I guess I must be out of practice!

So you can learn from my mistakes, here are a few things I wish I had done, and that I’m now doing, to help me keep track of it all while traveling or otherwise not following my typical routine:

1) Automate as much as possible.

Set up an out-of-office autoresponder if you won’t be checking email frequently (or hire an assistant to manage it). Set up automated payments for credit cards, and schedule reminders for other important deadlines so you don’t miss anything.

2) Plan/write ahead.

I let my store of blog posts and newsletter drafts dry up before I left, and I really wish I hadn’t! If you blog or send out other content for your business, write and schedule at least some of your content in advance so you can continue following your typical schedule. Using a service like HootSuite, Buffer, or SmarterQueue*, you can also schedule Twitter and Facebook updates in advance so your feed doesn’t sit dormant while you’re off doing other things. (The links with asterisks are affiliate links, for which I may earn a small commission, but there’s no additional cost to you.)

3) Prioritize.

When you do have time to get online, FOCUS. Zero in on the most important things you need to get done in the short amount of time you have, so you can get back to spending quality time visiting or exploring.

What strategies help you manage routine on the road?