This guide outlines several things you can do to make your commute more time efficient and add more to your day.
If you have to commute to work daily, you will know how much time it takes out of your day. It is easy to spend hours stuck in traffic jams, on crowded trains, or on slow buses, trying to get to and from work. If you have to travel a long distance, this problem is further compounded. Unless you quit your job or start working remotely, there is no solution to this ultimately, but you can make your life more pleasant by making time efficient use of your commuting.
It may be that you are sitting on a train, looking to distract yourself from the monotony of your routine, which is where playing games might help. Alternatively, you may be trying to expand your knowledge, so using this time to read a book is more helpful.
Technology becomes a great ally when it comes to making better time efficient use of commuting home-work-home. Using this daily period in a double way, that is, choosing some other activity that is possible to do while you move, can change your perception of commuting time. Today, all technology makes it possible to do something useful in these moments of displacement.
Instead of “losing”, for example, two hours every day on the move, you start to gain this time to invest in yourself. “From the moment I accept that I live in a big city and that traffic, unfortunately, is an integral part of my routine, I end up adapting to reduce my level of stress, emotional exhaustion,” says Andrea Patterson, consultant and specialist in time management.
Time efficient strategies to make use of your commute to work
Whatever the type of commute you embark on every day, you can do a number of activities to pass the time more productively. Here are a number of top tips for making the most of your workday commute:
Time efficient strategy 1: Take the opportunity to study
The time lost during the daily commute can be used to review subjects or read some handouts. It’s the perfect chance to dedicate a moment of your day to further strengthen your studies and upgrade your skills.
Nowadays, with the popularization of distance education (DE), it is possible to obtain a diploma or graduate directly over the internet. In this way, all study materials are available online, and can be accessed by mobile phone itself. So, how about taking advantage of all the free time on public transport to invest in your career?
There are also some applications that help studies. Whether to organize yourself or to solve exercises and simulations of various subjects, this is also an excellent way to enjoy your time, especially if you are studying for the entrance exam or public tenders.
Time efficient strategy 2: Watch series and movies
The advancement of smartphone technology has brought several benefits and made life easier for many people. Nowadays, it is possible to watch series and movies directly on the screen of your mobile phone.
There are services, such as Netflix, that allow you to download your catalog by wi-fi so you can see what you want later without consuming anything from your data plan. How about, then, enjoying that commute when you return from work to relax and get to know a new show?
Time efficient strategy 3: Unwind from work
If you find yourself in a stressful job or life situation, the last thing you will want to do during your daily commute is to strain your brain or do anything too demanding.
If you are taking public transport to and from work, then you might want to unwind by playing games on your device – such as online poker on legal US poker sites – or listening to an entertaining podcast, or watching a movie.
Time efficient strategy 4: Take business calls
Alternatively, if you are looking to use your commuting time productively, then you could take work calls while on the move. If you run your own business, for example, then it will help you gain more of an edge over any competitors and allow the company to function properly.
If you work for someone else, then fielding work calls will demonstrate initiative and help you do your job better, making your life simpler and impressing your superiors.
Time efficient strategy 5: Start preparing for the day ahead
One of the worst aspects of a daily commute is the dread of the workload you will have to endure for the rest of the day. Many people spend a good time of the day just to plan. If you are like that, then take the opportunity to organize your schedule at times when you are going to work.
Schedule your day and review your appointments during the daily commute. If you are driving, try to plan mentally, remembering everything you have to do that day or week. In cases where you are on public transport, enjoy your freedom to take notes on the agenda and organize your documents.
In addition to relieving stress, these tasks increase your productivity and motivation to work. After all, with the day prepared, everything gets easier! You could help reduce this workload by making a head start on it while traveling. Naturally, this is only appropriate if you are commuting via public transport because you have access to your devices. You might want to open and reply to your emails, start completing tasks or correspond with clients – depending on the nature of your job.
Time efficient strategy 6: Read a book
If spending the daily commute working sounds like your idea of hell, then you could use the time to enrich your personal life. Perhaps you want to read more books but struggle to find the time in the morning and are too tired at night. Using the commute to read both helps to destress you and enrich an otherwise wasted period of time.
You know that book that has been abandoned on your shelf for days? Yeah! Now is the time to get it out of there and start carrying it with you everywhere. If you are a person who uses the subway, bus, taxi or Uber a lot, time stopped in traffic is the perfect time to catch up on reading.
Buying a Kindle or any other digital reader is also an excellent tip for voracious readers who waste precious minutes on their routes. In addition to being devices capable of storing thousands of digital books, they are also lightweight and small, easy to carry in any bag or backpack. Since its screens do not have their own brightness, the digital reader is optimized not to tire the reader’s view.
Another alternative is the mobile phone itself, which can be used to read news over the internet and is also able to store several books. In this case, however, the screen lighting may end up tiring the view. There is still the battery problem, which is usually low when returning from work and does not allow the smartphone to be used for long.
Time efficient strategy 7: Listen to podcasts, audiobooks or music
Reading on public transport is not always possible, either because of discomfort or lack of concentration. In addition, if you go by car to work, reading during commuting is not an option! Driving is an activity that requires all the driver’s attention, so forget about your cell phone or any other visual distraction!
In these cases, it is better to find another way to enjoy the time spent on your daily commute. An excellent idea is to use your mobile phone (or the vehicle’s sound system) to listen to some music and relax. Few things are more effective in relieving the stress of a working day than good music!
If you are a person who always wants to be aware of everything that happens in the world, tuning in to a news radio can also be a good idea. Time stopped is an excellent time to keep up to date on the news. In addition to radios, you can also listen to your favorite podcasts! To do this, simply top them up to your mobile phone or use services such as Spotify or iTunes.
