How I Turned Flights Into My Favorite Time to Focus
Three comfort-first upgrades that helped me turn travel time into something useful.
I used to treat flights like something to get through.
A book. Maybe a bad action movie on a tiny screen—whatever it took to pass the time between where I was and where I was going.
Quick note: these links aren’t affiliate links—just products I swear by for travel! I’m sharing them because I genuinely love them, and I hope they make your trips a little easier!
Long-haul flights were the hardest.
On one of them—a flight to Japan—I made the mistake of starting Up, the Disney/Pixar movie. No one warned me about that opening montage. I was doing my best to hold it together, tears streaming down my face, when the businessman next to me gently said, “But... it’s only a cartoon.”
I nodded, embarrassed.
A few minutes later, I noticed he had started watching it too. After the montage played, he glanced over—with quiet emotion in his eyes—and simply nodded back.
After that? No more tearjerkers on planes.
But something else had started to shift—beyond my movie choices.
I realized flights didn’t have to be dead space. They didn’t have to be something I endured between real life and wherever I was headed next.
They could become one of the few places in modern life where I’m unreachable, uninterruptible, and mentally still.
A place for focus, not just escape.
And that shift—from discomfort to calm, from passive time to intentional space—came down to a surprisingly simple arc:
Comfort → Control → Focus
Not productivity hacks. Just a few small choices that helped me feel more like a person, and less like cargo.
The 3 Tools That Made That Shift Possible
1. The Travel Foot Hammock
Because comfort creates capacity
Does anyone actually find airplane seats comfortable?
When I first tried this little contraption, it felt like unlocking a secret upgrade. No, it doesn’t turn economy into business class—but it definitely makes it feel less like self-imposed exile at 30,000 feet.
This foot hammock offers just enough lift to take the edge off. It’s a simple, inexpensive luxury—one that signals to my body: you’re supported now. And when my body settles, my mind follows.
I keep one in every suitcase. I forgot it once. Never again.
2. A Privacy Screen
Not for secrecy—just mental boundaries
I don’t review sensitive documents mid-flight, but I do sketch outlines, frameworks, and half-done drafts. And if I even sense someone glancing over, my brain shuts the whole operation down.
This screen isn’t about hiding—it’s about holding the mental space.
A quiet cue to stay in my lane and keep the creative current flowing.
I bought it after a flight where someone across the aisle actually tapped me on the shoulder to ask about what I was working on. He meant well, but the moment stuck. After that, the screen became part of the routine.
This one fits my laptop perfectly (they have lots of sizes)
3. Loop Earplugs (Switch 2)
Block the noise. Keep the clarity.
Planes are noisy. Engines drone, conversations spill over, carts clang by. These earplugs filter out just enough to help me focus—without cutting me off from the world around me.
The best part? They come with three sound modes, so I can shift from deep work to “ginger ale, please” without pulling them out. No pressure, no isolation. Just a softer edge on everything.
I bring them everywhere now—planes, cafés, conferences, even busy sidewalks when I want to think without being swallowed by noise.
Here’s the pair I use (they have other colors, too)
What Actually Changed: I Started Designing for Focus
I’m not chasing productivity on planes. I’m not trying to wring value out of every second.
Sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and rewatch a favorite comedy. For me, it’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping—one of these days, I will have “Catchphrase” fully memorized. Feel free to judge. I stand by my choices.
If I’m in that mood, I also pack this Bluetooth adapter—it lets me use my AirPods with the seatback screen and skip the sad airline headphones.
Whether I’m outlining a draft or quoting Conner4Real in my head, being even a little more comfortable makes the whole flight better.
These tools don’t guarantee focus. They just reduce the friction.
And in a space that’s loud, cramped, and always moving, even small pockets of ease can make a big difference.
Your Turn
What’s the tool, ritual, or small design choice that makes travel something you look forward to instead of something you just push through?
Maybe it’s a scarf. A playlist. A notebook that always gets opened somewhere over the Rockies.
Tell me what works for you. I collect great travel gear like some people collect passport stamps.
TL;DR
I don’t use flights to catch up on work—I use them to drop into deep focus.
Sometimes that means writing. Sometimes it means rewatching Popstar.
I won’t promise these tools will boost your productivity.
But they do make flying less miserable—and sometimes even enjoyable.
✈️ Foot hammock – Keeps me from curling into a pretzel mid-flight
🧼 Privacy screen – So I can write without worrying who’s watching
🔇 Loop earplugs – For quiet focus or just blocking engine hum
🎧 Bluetooth adapter – Because airline headphones are not it
