As I sit in the Istanbul Airport watching the snow fall outside, I'm reminded of the song by the great Willie Nelson. Some of the best memories of my childhood include singing that song with my father, as we traveled on holiday from campsite to campsite. Today, those words have a much different meaning.

I just drained the last few electrons of my BlackBerry's battery, as I told my family the bad news. My flight has been canceled, and it will be another day before I get home, and another weekend lost in the air.

We've all done it. Waking up before the crack of dawn, at a time when, not long since, we would be just leaving the clubs and bars. Jump into a hot or cold shower (or alternate) to try to wash the sleep out of our eyes. Walking outside, we take a quick glance at the stars that we so rarely get to see, before we take a seat inside the car, and start wondering how we'll make it back to the driveway that night. Day trips certainly are not fun, but they have seemed to become a necessity for improving productivity ... or have they?

Prepping for a day trip isn't unlike any other trip. Confirm the itinerary, check-in online, review tasks and meetings planned for the day, etc. After spending a full day at work, we go home, visit the family, and perform our typical nightly routine, If we're lucky, we get to sleep slightly sooner than usual, but nothing seems to help with that early wake up call.