FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR COMMUTE MORE ENJOYABLE AND USEFUL

MAKE YOUR COMMUTE MORE ENJOYABLE AND USEFUL

Five Tips For Maximising And Optimising Your Journey To Work

The commute. Often sweaty, usually stressful, and without clever planning ultimately always dull! Whether you walk, drive, cycle or catch a train / bus, the commute is more often than not those hours of the day that feel wasted and like a chore. I personally catch a tube and despite actually living and working in London my commute is usually an hour each way door to door. That’s 2 hours a day and 10 hours a week, of (if i’m not careful) utterly wasted time!

However after 9 years of the commute, i’ve most definitely found ways to maximise that time getting myself for a to b, and if anything have come to look forward to the commute opportunities and that little bit of forced ‘me time’ it gives each day. Trains, buses and tubes are in some ways the worst commuting transport (out of your control and always late) yet they give you a solid block of time where you really can focus on other things! Driving and cycling is that little bit harder as concentration is essential, but there are still so many ways to make that journey more useful, motivating and inspiring.

Today I wanted to share five ways you can make your commute more effective for you! From utilising it as downtime, maximising the opportunity for productivity, or simply using it to get informed and inspired.

FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR COMMUTE MORE ENJOYABLE & USEFUL

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ESCAPE

Enjoy A Little Escapism With A Good Book

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First of all, if your commute doesn’t require concentration, then for me it’s the perfect opportunity to get a little escapism and get stuck into one of the many books piling up in your ‘to read’ list.

If you’re anything like me then you’ll love a good book but simply reserve them for holidays when you finally get some time to yourself. But the reality is the commute is the perfect time to indulge in a good novel or fiction and not only will reading relax you and make your commute whiz by, it’s also a great way to get inspired, motivated or simply informed.

I currently have three books on my reading list; Firstly Jodi Picout’s latest novel ‘Small Great Things’. I love Jodi’s books because not only are they beautifully written they also tackle really important cultural issues so I find them both informative as well as entertaining. Secondly I have a book which came recommended to me by my local book shop owner after I told her I loved novels based in WW1 and WW2 (the Book Theif and The Girl You Left Behind are two of my favourites) called ‘All the Light We Cannot See‘ by Anthony Doer, and finally ‘The Rosie Project’ by Graeme Simsion again another recommendation! If you want something a little more informative and motivating, then Arianna Huffington Thrive is worth a read.

And if it’s not a good book, then I love to use my commute for catching up with my favourite blogs! Informative, inspiring and entertaining all in one.

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RELAX

Take Some Time For Yourself

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But escapism doesn’t have to require the effort of reading, your commute is also a perfect opportunity to take some me time and time to relax. I absolutely love the app Head Space & frequently use my commute to do a little subtle meditation with it.

Sometimes mastering the art of doing nothing and truly unwinding is just as good as filling your time with actions!

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BE ENTERTAINED

Get Inspired & Informed With A Podcast Or Simply Entertained With A Series

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Perhaps one of my favourite commuting habits is to listen to podcasts, I have a whole breadth of podcasts downloaded on my subs list, from #Authentic & the old PanDolly podcast, to my lovely friend Monica’s podcast ‘Lets Discuss’, I have a whole host of different podcasts on my subs list. Some blogging related, other business focussed some simply entertaining. But my absolute favourite has to be ‘The High Low’ this podcast is literally what it says on the tin, the high culture, the low culture and lots of relatable, entertaining and informative debate and discussion along the way. Pandora and Dolly have the magic formula!

The great thing about a podcast is that no matter what your style of commute, it’s a great way to get a little entertainment without tons of concentration or effort required.

But if a good podcast isn’t your thing, then actually the ‘on the go’ Netflix binge watch is another fail safe entertainment option. The pre downloaded option is incredible, so when I’m in the midst of a good series i’ll find myself streaming on my commute to and from work as well as binge watching in the evening!

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DO EXERCISE

Make It Healthy

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But if you really want to maximise that hours commute and really do something a little more useful, then ditching transport and getting active is a huge opportunity! I’ve often debated ditching the tube in exchange for an hours cycle … if you’re tight on time and really hate the stress of packed trains and traffic, then using your commute to get active could be a really great way of making more use of your commuting time? Walk, run, cycle …

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GET PRODUCTIVE

Get Ahead With Work Or Your Side Hustle

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And last but not least, and probably the secret to me juggling a blog and my career, is to make your commute productive! If you’re busy, up against it, juggling a career and a side hustle or simply want to make more efficient use of your commuting time, then put it to good use and use it to get jobs done!

Whether it’s tackling and responding to emails (even if you’re underground simply writing your emails ready to send is a huge help), drafting documents in your notes, reading & reviewing documents, rehearsing presentations or working on your side hustle, the commute is a good few hours a day of undisrupted time that you can use to get ahead and be productive.

I constantly use my commute to tackle my blogging emails, schedule my Instagram content, engage and respond to comments and my followers, and sometimes even draft my blog posts. It’s completely quite and dedicated time that I can use without any interruption to get my work done, before I get in the office for the day. This time is absolutely invaluable and the only way I truly am able to juggle a career and a side business.

So before plugging in those headphones have a think about how you could get ahead with work or start making that dream business a reality during your commute!