The average American spends about 25 minutes each way travelling to and from work. Some who work in metropolitan areas even spend more than an hour commuting to their offices. This adds up to the stress of daily living, and many commuters find themselves thinking of ways to cut down on their travel time or find a job that’s nearer their homes.
But whether you decide to troop to an Audi dealer and get yourself a new car, take the bus or train, carpool, or find a job that’s nearer your place, you need to make the commute as productive as possible. Successful people don’t browse their Facebook newsfeed on the train. They don’t gaze mindlessly at the people on the train. They don’t sleep or stress out over the fact that they’re stuck in traffic.
Instead, they make those hours more productive by doing a number of things that are essential to their everyday routine. They don’t waste those precious hours commuting. They find a way to maximise their time on the commute.
Read or Listen to Audiobooks
The most successful businessmen, such as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, spend an inordinate amount of time reading and learning. Even if they are the richest people in the world, they make it a point to learn from others by reading biographies and history books. You can do the same. If you’re driving, listen to a podcast or an audiobook that’s relevant to your work or the things you’re passionate about.
Create a To-do List
Truly successful people know what they want to accomplish in a day. They set out in the morning with their minds firmly focused on accomplishing their tasks. During that long hour of commute, create a to-do list that will serve as your guide throughout the day.
Record Your Thoughts
If you’re driving, use Alexa or Google Voice to record your thoughts. Don’t try and type anything if you’re behind the wheel. Just focus on the road but randomly voice out things that run in your head. If you have any ideas, jot them in a notebook—only if you’re a passenger—or dictate them to Alexa. You’ll find that your best ideas usually appear in the morning. You lose these ideas by not recording them.
Meditate
Many apps will keep you calm and collected on your commute. Put on your headphones and listen to some soothing music. Whether or not that puts you to sleep doesn’t matter. But if it allows you to relax before the start of a busy workday, that’s good enough for you. Just remember where you need to get off the bus or train.
If commuting is still stressing you out, you might want to consider just working at home. Stress leads to a lot of diseases. More than 70% of employees globally are already turning to home-based jobs. While these are not an ideal setup for everyone, those who can do so should take the opportunity of avoiding the commute altogether.The average American spends about 25 minutes each way travelling to and from work. Some who work in metropolitan areas even spend more than an hour commuting to their offices. This adds up to the stress of daily living, and many commuters find themselves thinking of ways to cut down on their travel time or find a job that’s nearer their homes.
