#CommutingTips #ProductivityHacks #LongCommute #TimeManagement
Are you facing a daily commute of 1 hour and 15 minutes each way? That’s a significant amount of time spent behind the wheel, but fear not! There are plenty of ways to make the most of your commute and turn it into a productive and even enjoyable part of your day. Here are some tried and tested tips to help you pass the time while driving:
### 1. Listen to Audiobooks or Podcasts 🎧
– Download some audiobooks or subscribe to interesting podcasts to keep your mind engaged during the drive.
– Choose topics that you enjoy or want to learn more about to make the time fly by.
### 2. Learn a New Language 🗣️
– Use language learning apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone to practice a new language while on the road.
– Repetition is key, so daily practice during your commute can help you make progress faster.
### 3. Make Hands-Free Calls 📞
– Use Bluetooth technology in your car to make hands-free calls to catch up with friends and family.
– Multitask by scheduling important work calls during your commute to make the most of your time.
### 4. Listen to Music or Create Playlists 🎵
– Create mood-boosting playlists or discover new music genres to elevate your mood during the commute.
– Music can help reduce stress and make the time spent in traffic more enjoyable.
### 5. Plan Your Day or Week Ahead 🗓️
– Use the commute time to mentally plan your day or week ahead, setting priorities and goals.
– Visualize your tasks and responsibilities to stay organized and focused when you reach your destination.
### 6. Practice Mindfulness or Meditation 🧘♂️
– Utilize the quiet time in your car to practice mindfulness or meditation techniques.
– Focus on deep breathing and relaxation to de-stress and center yourself before and after work.
### 7. Take Online Courses or Webinars 📚
– Enroll in online courses or watch educational webinars related to your interests or career goals.
– Continuous learning during your commute can help you stay ahead in your field and boost your skills.
### 8. Stay Updated with News or Current Events 📰
– Listen to news podcasts or radio stations to stay informed about current events and trends.
– Being knowledgeable about what’s happening around you can make your commute more meaningful.
### 9. Play Mind Games or Brain Teasers 🧠
– Challenge your brain by playing word games, puzzles, or brain teasers during your drive.
– Keeping your mind active can help you stay alert and sharpen your cognitive skills.
### 10. Use Voice Memos to Record Ideas or Thoughts 🎙️
– Have a sudden burst of creativity or a great idea? Use voice memos on your phone to record your thoughts while driving.
– Listening back to your recordings later can help you flesh out your ideas and turn them into action.
By incorporating these tips into your daily commute routine, you can turn your long drive into a valuable and enriching part of your day. Remember to stay safe on the road, focus on the task of driving, and enjoy the journey ahead! 🚗✨
Audio books.
– fiction (pure entertainment)
– non fiction (learning, self help)
Podcasts and audio books.
TED talks, audiobooks, podcasts
Learn a foreign language
My little bro travels a lot. He borrows audio books from the library and listens to them as he drives to/from the stores in his territory.
Listen to interesting things for you in Spanish or other language that you barely know, so you can get more familiarized on how it sounds.
Audiobooks. Get a library card and the Libby app.
I used to drive 100miles one way. Podcasts got me through. I highly recommend Stuff You Should Know (that is the name of the podcast). Josh and Chuck just sound like 2 friends having a conversation.
Audiobooks
Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive currently clocks in at over 200 hours, with another book coming out at the end of the year to push it out another 50-60 hrs. Plus his other works. If you like High Fantasy, check it out. I’ve used it to kill my commute for the past 3 years lol
All the ideas – podcasts, learn a language, audio books – are great. I had a 1.5 hour commute each way for about a decade, and truthfully, the two “best’ things I did on the way in to work were to ride in silence, or to get out ahead of the day with calls to my staff in ahead of me.
That said (I swear) sidebars and meetings with my peers who were also driving in was the superweapon. I had regular, amazing meetings with folks that I would **never** get to talk with in such a casual way, about things that in the office would be rushed – but could since we were trapped in our cars. (Yes, yes, our org got tons of free work out of us, but our jobs were so much easier because we could be more thoughtful and holistic in our ideation and planning.)
For the drive home – music everyone else you live with hates, or something you have never heard (of) before.
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Edit: clean-up to make sense.
Radio. Sports or NPR is my go to.
Podcast podcast podcast.
To diversify I have on rotation 4 “types”:
Entertainment (Critical Role)
Science (Science vs)
History (revolutions)
Self help/learning (very diverse)
Can you call a friend or family member and just talk? Its a great opportunity to catch up or just have a nice conversation. I’m lucky my mom is still with us so I call her any chance I get. She likes to talk a lot so listening to someone helps the time go by. I drive 4 hours back and forth to see my son regularly and that helps me pass the time. Just an idea if music or podcasts aren’t your thing
Edit to add. I meant call them hands free or over your cars speaker system. Just for safety
Other than the recommendations for audio books and podcasts, something I did on my last road trip home was use the voice-conversation feature of ChatGPT. It’s very human-like. Me and my Dad had it ask us trivia questions about space, random facts, telling us stories….etc.
This could be a controversial opinion but when I had a long commute I’d keep a portion of the ride there reserved for thinking through whatever was bothering/worrying me/needed consideration (at work or otherwise). Even if I didn’t end up doing it, it kept me from worrying at night about random stuff bc I could just say to myself “hey you’ve got a ton of time in the morning to worry about that” lol
On top of all the audiobooks and podcasts mentioned, I’d also recommend calling your spouse or friends to talk since you may find evening time more limited now that a chunk of time is spent driving. Use the time to get the ‘how was your day?’ convo done.
Looking for a remote job
Pay attention to the road. Don’t zone out.
Podcasts and audiobooks
I’d definitely plan to move before next school year
Listen to to the Distractible podcast
Podcasts are your friend.
Or set up ChatGPT to voice chat with you and learn something.
I had the same amount of time on my commute for 10 years. I used that time to eat breakfast and dinner, make my phone calls to family and friends and unwind.
I recommend also trying playing classical music. Just the radio is fine.
People recommend podcasts, which is great. I do that on my 1:10 min commute.
But spend the final 20 minutes listening to classical music.
It helps take the edge of the drive off, and calm you down for when you arrive
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Absolutely phenomenal podcast doing deep-dives into fascinating historical topics. Each episode usually runs about 4 hours long, so it should last you a couple of drives without having to look at your phone.
All of the most recent episodes are available for free, but I do recommend dropping the $1 per episode on the archives. In particular, the six-part series on World War I (Blueprint for Armageddon) is worth it. One of the most exquisite pieces of media ever produced, in my opinion.
He also has a secondary podcast where he does quick looks at smaller stories from history. I think it’s called Hardcore History Addendum.
When I had to do something similar, audiobooks were great. I went through a bunch of leadership self help type books to all 3 hunger games, the dark tower series, dune, and some other random stuff that I don’t remember the names of (both fiction and non-fiction).
Thats what I would do…because the radio sucks ass and unless you mix up your Playlist with something new every day, the music will become awfully repetitive.
There are three years of Smartless podcasts to listen to.
Find a radio show you like and listen every morning. More fun way to get at least some news, maybe learn something new as well
Embrace it. You need to learn to appreciate the fact that there’s nothing else you can be doing, and therefore, nothing you have to do. You don’t have to hurry up. You don’t have to worry about how you should be doing something else. It’s mandatory “sit and relax” time. Enjoy it.
I see all the podcasts and that’s cool. Try stand up comedians on Pandora. I have several channels based on different comics. Kills drive time for me.
Not exactly what you asked for, but huge tip from someone who has been blown away with my experience, if you don’t already have one and can charge at home, buy/lease an EV with enough rated range to make your round trip + 50%. If you can’t charge, get a Prius. You will save so much money on fuel that you will likely come out ahead vs driving the average American’s vehicle. Bonus points for adaptive cruise control/lane keeping. Fairly standard on EVs (all new Teslas have them) and pretty common on most newer cars. Huge quality of life improvement either on the highway or in stop and go traffic. It made much more of a difference than I had imagined.
I spent under $300 total on charging (mostly at home) to drive 7k miles.
Ask Google or your favorite internet assistant to look for other jobs while driving
Unrelated suggestion: be sure to invest in a good dash cam. Long drives increase the chances of an incident and the protection a dash cam provides is immeasurable when you need it.
As for the original question I find audiobooks help keep calmer than music, talk radio, etc. – which is also helpful in keeping you safe.