Make your work commute more productive with these tips
Commuting to work is easily my least favourite time of the day. Other drivers clearly are unaware of traffic guidelines, people on the subway should be able to walk faster, and why is there a line at the supermarket? Commuting is stressful and often times, it takes longer than you need it to.
A recent infographic by MOMA includes insight on the number of employees commuting 120 minutes or more per day and new research from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) reveals that the number of UK commuters travelling more than two hours a day has risen by 72% in the past decade. The results suggest that women are affected most by the increase in long commutes, with 131% rise in women travelling three hours or more.
So with that many hours spent commuting on a daily basis, how can we actually avoid commuting trouble and instead use those long hours and turn it into something moderately productive? I mean, aren’t we just sitting in our vehicles or on the tube or on the bus? How productive of an environment can that be? Well, as with anything, it can be as productive as you make it and anything’s possible if you put your mind to it, right?
If you’re on the tube, try subscribing to a news newsletter or check in on your favourite newspapers on the mobile app in order to stay on top of what’s actually happening out in the world, past your doorstep or neighbourhood. Or if you like the snooze button like I do, bring your breakfast along with overnight oats that you can just take out of the fridge and go on your merry way to making that money or that life you’ve always dreamed of. But what if you’re stuck in a car, there’s highways, and you actually need to concentrate on the road instead of aimlessly reading while somebody else takes the wheel?
Try podcasts or NPR. Listen to a news channel that actually tries to circulate headlines that are more than ripped out of the tabloids and your favourite airport magazine. Start a to-do list in your head of what you need to get accomplished when you walk into the office.
Being productive on your commute can even just mean taking a breather and treating your commute as what it is-your entrance walk to work. Use it as time to get ready, be prepared, and all that jazz for what you’re about to take on at work. Use it as time to prepare yourself mentally and physically to focus the next 8, 10, or even 12 hours to doing what you do for the work week. It can mean plenty of things and you can run with it any way you deem necessary.
