Over the course of my career, my commutes have run the gamut – from a 30-minute drive to an hour on the train, to 90 minutes each way across three modes of transportation (car, railroad, and subway). I used to spend the trips doom-scrolling on Instagram or AppleNews, which certainly passed the time but didn’t make me feel great! A month or two of the news circuit/social media routine quickly wore me down. I knew I needed to get creative with how I’d spend those three commuting hours each day. Over time, I picked up a thing or two about effectively managing my time when so much of it was occupied by commuting.
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Pack essentials to maximize your time
This will look different for everyone. For those few years when my commute was super long, I found wearing a backpack was more comfortable than carrying a tote bag on my shoulder. I made sure it was stocked with things like headphones (including a backup wired pair in case my Bluetooth died — worst feeling ever!), a book, a phone charger, Advil/Tylenol, and a snack.
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I used to love reading on the train, and it’s also a great time to catch up on podcasts or TV shows. This past year, my mom has been leveraging her lengthy train commute to learn Spanish on DuoLingo! Utilizing a long commute for these pursuits helped free up time at home for things like meal prep, caretaking, exercising, etc. For drivers, loading up on podcasts or audiobooks is a great option to get your content fix during your car commute.
Schedule catch-up time with loved ones
When I was a car commuter, I would make (hands-free) phone “dates” with friends and family and schedule them for long drives. This helped break up the monotony of the drive and kept me sane during traffic. It also felt good to use the time to maintain close relationships and check up on the people I care about.
My boyfriend is a terrible texter (he’ll admit it too!) and has been using his train and bus rides in the morning and evening as a time to respond to messages that have accumulated throughout the day or week from friends and family.
Voice memos are also a special way to let someone know you’re thinking about them, without the pressure or time commitment of a phone call. I always jump to listen to a voice memo when I see my friend has sent me one. If your car is Bluetooth-capable, you could also send and listen to them while driving – as long as it’s safe, of course.
Do some life admin
I’ll never forget the phrase “life admin,” coined by a coworker at my first job. Life admin ranges from scheduling dentist appointments, budgeting, researching a new dermatologist, getting a quote for a couch steamer, paying a parking ticket, etc. It’s basically all the mundane administrative tasks associated with the business of living. Commutes can be a great time to catch up on things like that, despite the ever-present temptation to procrastinate.
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Decompress and make space for silence
While it’s great to be productive during a commute, sometimes, our souls (and eyeballs) need rest. Don’t be afraid to use a long commute as an opportunity to make space for silence and quiet reflection/meditation, especially if your work environment is stressful. I recently invested in noise-canceling headphones and they have made ALL the difference for noisy train rides when I just want to close my eyes and be in silence for a while. For a car commute, play some relaxing music or rain sounds and enjoy the view.