5 Ways to Make Your Commute Bearable – And Even Productive

Businessman on Commuter Train with Laptop Computer

October 13, 2011
By Jessica Lawlor
19 Comments

Americans spend an average of 50 minutes each day commuting to and from work. That’s an hour most of us don’t enjoy; recent happiness research revealed that commuting consistently makes the list of “least favorite activities” and “worst part of the day.”

Yet while most of us gripe about bad weather, slow drivers and annoyingly long red lights, commuting doesn’t have to be such a drag. Whether you walk, take public transportation or crawl through rush-hour traffic, your commute may actually have potential.

So resist the urge to honk your car horn. Instead, check out these tips, and you’ll be rocking out, enjoying your commute and crossing items off your to-do list in no time.

1. Take care of business. You’re stuck in commuter hell for however long your drive or ride to work is anyway; might as well feel good about how you make use of your time. I recently bought my first car, and my absolute favorite feature of my new Nissan Rogue is the bluetooth hands-free phone connection. I take meetings from my car (when I know I won’t need to be in front of a computer or taking notes), which pleases the crazy multi-tasker in me.

If you take the bus or train to work, bring along your laptop or iPad to catch up on emails, write a blog post or get a jump start on work for the day.

2. Read or listen to an audiobook. During the four years I commuted to Temple University, I devoured book after book on the train, often times almost missing my stop.

Now that I drive to work, I reluctantly decided to give audiobooks a shot. To my surprise, I quickly fell in love with being read to, and it certainly makes my time in the car all the more interesting. Use your commute to read that novel you’ve been eyeing at the bookstore or borrow an audiobook from the library.

3. Scheme. Thinking of starting a side business? Planning a career break? Writing a novel? Your commute is the perfect time to brainstorm and figure out those next steps. Using your commute time wisely to sort through ideas and lay the groundwork can help give you the confidence to dive headfirst into that big, scary goal.

And if you can’t write down your thoughts, consider purchasing a digital voice recorder. Don’t worry, we won’t judge you for talking to yourself in the car.

4. Professional (or personal) development. Jump on the phone with your mentor, coordinate an informational interview, listen to an industry podcast or catch up on your Google Reader. Try to figure out a way to do at least one small task a week during your commute to reach your goals, whether they be personal or for work.

5. Unwind. While knocking out your to-do list feels great, your commute doesn’t have to productive all the time. Sometimes that half-hour drive to work is ideal for relaxing. Consider your commute crucial “me time.”

My absolute favorite part of my day is when I’m in the car at 7 a.m. laughing my ass off listening to the Preston and Steve Show. I’m even guilty of staying in my car in the parking lot at work to catch a few extra minutes of this hilarious talk show. Once or twice a week, I spend my afternoon commute chatting with a friend; it’s our weekly catch-up date, and makes driving home in annoying traffic a breeze.

How do you make your commute bearable?

Jessica Lawlor is a public relations professional in Philadelphia. In her free time, she manages a book review and writing blog and is currently writing a novel.

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Category: Smart Hacks

Tags: Commuting

John Mason

Here in Australia. People spend up to two hours each way travelling to and from work. I used to work for the NSW Railways as a conductor one of the trains that I worked was Called “The Fish”. From Mount Victoria to Sydney. By the time the train left Springwood on the Blue Mountains. I would have 800 passengers on the train from their you still have 1 hours travelling time to Sydney. The same people every day Monday to Friday. They were the days before laptops were not even thought of.

Anonymous

So that’s four hours a day … that’s a LOT! Wow.

Anonymous

Great tips! I like to use the train time to check up on my personal twitter account, so I can stay in touch with my connections and get a jump on the day’s content.
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http://www.christianstressmanagement.com/ Miriam

As you said, unwinding is a great way of making the best use of an unavoidable commute and I like to listen to my favorite music especially if I have had a stressful day so that I can be refreshed instead of being re-stressed by the long commute.
http://www.citycv.co.uk cv writing company

I had a train commute and used the journey to work to plan my day and the journey from work to think about issues that I encountered that day and how I was going to resolve them. It probably only took 20 mins total so was a tiny proportion of the journey but was invaluable.
M Web Sir

Thanks you man
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Anita Bruzzese

I think you’ve got some great tips here, but I have to strongly disagree with the first one. Even though you may have a hands-free device, if you’re doing business (especially attending a phone meeting), then you’re a danger behind the wheel because you’re not devoting full time and attention to the traffic. Is it really worth causing yourself or someone else to be killed or injured because you need to take care of business this way? Distracted driving is never a good idea. Period.
GailenC

I hope I don’t have to share the road with this joker as he is thinking about everything but driving.
A menance
Joloughery

Jessica–I linked to your article because my husband is planning to take a commuter bus to work beginning on November 1 in order to save wear and tear on our car and over $250 a month (the difference between what he’s been putting into the tank each month and the monthly bus fare). I like your ideas…especially the one about making this “me” time…but have to agree with others who’ve commented about hands-free phone usage while driving.

Several years ago, while talking on the phone with a Bluetooth device, I became so engrossed in the conversation that I came within inches of hitting and, in all likelihood given the speed at which I was driving, killing, a runner who, seemingly, came out of nowhere. It scared me enough so that I NEVER use the car phone when I drive anymore.

If you’ll take the time to look into it, you’ll find that the science on this is not on your side. You’re young and may feel as if it’s worth taking the risk because you’re very good at multitasking. I want to ask you to force yourself to answer two questions: 1) Could I live with myself if I injured or killed someone because I was distracted by my phone usage; and 2) can I do my calling at another time? If your answer is no to the first question and yes to the second, it might be time to reconsider.

Finally, making the right choice is never bad for one’s career. I wish you all the best in yours…

Janie O.
Ryan_promo

TEMPLE!!! LETS GO!!
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Really interesting idea…Maybe a little busy
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http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QT2TO6JYB2P47NGPYILFCFU5W4 Kate

An hour commute in a rural area is not conducive to talking on the phone while driving, nor is it good for listening to a book on tape. Concentration is number one in that commute, looking out for school buses, deer running across the road (lost one car to them) and watching cars in front of and behind my car. I prefer to be safe on the way to and from work.
When driving in blizzards, the last thing I want to do is relax. Not to be negative, but I was in front of a driver who talked on their cell phone for at least 20 miles or more and they kept swerving all over the road, sped up and then slowed down. It was not good to see. Then, when they passed me, they had their tires in my lane and just missed my car.
Unsafe at any speed.
Challenger3

I agree with those who say it is dangerous to make business phone calls while driving. I make a quick call to let my family know I’m on my way home. Otherwise, I try to avoid phone calls, even with my hands-free phone connection. However, I LOVE audiobooks, and have trained myself to listen while driving safely. The trick is to teach yourself that it’s okay to miss something in the book in order to concentrate on driving. You can always replay the section you missed. I also love to unwind by listening to comedy on satellite radio.
Challenger3

P.S. I have to get up very early in the morning for my long commute. The audiobooks really help me to stay awake – much safer than nodding off!
Patrick Furlong

I am glad so many people put public transpo stuff in here. It’s worth checking if your company provides incentives to use public transpo. Here in LA, I not only save $90 a month on parking and other costs like gas, wear and tear, etc… but I also get half of my transit pass paid for by my company. On the bus, I do a lot of my grad school homework and other things- it’s a great way to pass the time!
Allison

I recently got into audiobooks. There are so many books I want to read and so many great books out there that I just don’t have time for. Listening to them during my commute, not only makes my commute bearable, but also productive and somewhat enjoyable (once I forget I’m sitting in traffic that is..).
http://profile.yahoo.com/2K6WALYWCKJFJ5ES5XCO3IDISI Vitro

great procdure and tips
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5 Ways to Make Your Commute Bearable – And Even Productive

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