On long flights I like to change what I am doing about every 20 to 30 minutes. I often plan four or five things to do, and then I rotate to a different one of these regularly. Naturally, I take a book. After about 30 minutes of reading I am usually ready to do something else. Often I have work to do before I return home. As a pastor, this could be preparing a funeral sermon.



Many people use a laptop computer on an airplane. But, if the person ahead of you suddenly pitches his seat backward toward you because he wants a more relaxed position, his seatback can catch your laptop screen and break it. If I take a laptop on the plane, I do not often use it. First, the battery may not last the entire flight. Second, space is cramped and I do not want to risk damage to my screen. I prefer to think and make notes on a pad. When I am in an airport waiting for my next flight I can type the handwritten notes into the laptop. I can also use programs on my computer to generate more about which to think on the next leg of the trip.



Although it is now old technology, I really do like using my Palm organizer with a folding keyboard in place of a laptop. It synchronizes with my computer and allows me to compose or edit standard documents. If I am preparing a sermon, I can use a Bible loaded onto my Palm to find, copy, and paste references. The battery lasts and it is so small that I can use it on a seatback tray without danger of it being damaged.



I take an audio player with me and prefer earbuds as the best thing I have found for being heard over engine noise. But I do not often use them inflight because the volume must be quite high to be heard well, and I do not like to do that to my ears. Still, that is one thing can do for 20 or 30 minutes.



Reading the inflight magazine usually takes no longer than 30 minutes and is not a repeatable activity. The same can be said for consuming the inflight snack and beverage. I might sleep twice during a flight, but probably only once, at the best.



Occasionally, a seatmate is willing to converse, but that seems to be more rare all of the time. Sometimes I just think about some problem in my workshop that I would like to solve and make notes on it.



One good aspect of changing activities is that your mind can problem solve in the background while working on another activity.

