How to Make Your Commute To and From Work Better

By Kailey Walters on January 9, 2019

Let’s face it: for most of us, commuting to and from work is often a hassle. Depending on where you live, your commute may consist of getting in the car and driving a half hour, or perhaps hopping on the bus or subway and then walking up several city blocks. Either way, there’s a good chance that commuting is not your most favorite part of the day… which is why you should read on for some suggestions on how to make your commute a more pleasurable experience.

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If you take public transportation…

Understandably, taking public transportation can be a little irritating at times — but there are ways you can make the commute work for you.

Listen to music.

Bring along some earbuds with you and take the time to listen to some of your favorite tunes. Early in the morning you may not be fully awake yet, so keep that in mind. Maybe you’re best able to cope in the morning by listening to calming music that wakes you up gradually. Or maybe you prefer to wake up with loud, soul-awakening music that gets you pumped and excited. Choose whatever kind of music that will get you ready for the day!

Read a book.

If you look around a subway or train car, most people are hunched over with their eyes trained on their glowing phone screens — but not many people have their noses buried in books.

If you’re an avid reader (or even if you’re not) your early morning commute is definitely a great time to get started on that book you’ve been meaning to read for a while. Even if your commute is not all that long and you only get in 15 to 20 minutes of reading each morning, that can certainly add up — especially with your commute back home later in the day.

Journal.

If you’re on a mode of transportation that doesn’t shake or rattle around too much, you might have the opportunity to journal. Bring a pen and a notebook along with you and take some time to write. You can write about anything — what you’re looking forward to for the rest of the day, things that you’re worried about, etc. It can be a great way to start your day, as writing down your thoughts will allow you to express yourself freely.

Do the crossword puzzle (or something similar).

Bring along the daily crossword puzzle and spend some time exercising your brain. (While you’re at it, you might as well read the newspaper and catch up on some news.) You can also solve Sudoko puzzles or other kinds of puzzles that you can find either as apps on your phone or on paper, the old-fashioned way.

Sleep.

When all else fails, you can certainly sleep (as long as you make sure you’re keeping your belongings safe). Whether it’s early in the morning or later in the afternoon/evening, you’re bound to be tired — so take advantage of your commute time to get a little nap in!

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If you drive

Find ways to avoid traffic.

If you want your commute to go a little more smoothly, you might want to find ways to avoid rush hour traffic, both to and from work. Doing so will probably involve at least some sacrifice, such as leaving a little earlier than usual in the morning or a bit later than usual in the evening. However, if making a small change in your schedule can make the commute itself that much smoother, you should take advantage of it.

Listen to audiobooks.

If you wish you could be reading a book but won’t be able to while driving, a good alternative might be listening to audiobooks. Sure, maybe it’s not the same thing as actually reading a book, but it can be a great way to catch up on a book you’ve been wanting to read or even “read” some books that will do a great job of entertaining you during your commute.

If you walk…

This is arguably one of the most pleasurable modes of commuting to work (well, as long as you don’t have to slog through extreme weather). When it’s nice out, take the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature around you. Instead of walking around with your head down and eyes trained on your phone, take the time to look up and notice things around you. You may be surprised by what you can observe from the surrounding world — a new growth of flowers on your neighbor’s lawn, an immaculately blue, cloudless sky… the possibilities are endless. Noticing things around you will allow you to appreciate the world and hopefully will give you some sort of inspiration that you’ve been needing!

There are many ways you can go about making your commute to and from work a little more pleasurable and less painful. Take advantage of the different things you can do to make your commute a little better.

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