If you are like most of us, your commute to work or school every day is the most useless part of your day and it’s the worst thing ever. You might feel bored or like you are wasting your time. For many of us, this is the least enjoyable part of the day. The main reason behind this is that we don’t feel productive, and we can aggravate and even blame the work for the time wasted. Furthermore, researchers have proved that people with a long commute are more likely to quit their jobs when compared to those who have a shorter commute to work. The feeling of wasting time combined with a job that’s not fulfilling can be a perfect combination for the final decision to quit your job.
How to make your work commute a little less stressful and even turn it in time when you are more productive and happier with the time spent in your car or bus? Here are a few ideas.
The first most obvious and probably the most common idea for train commuters is reading. You can read a book or newspapers. Often times, we complain that we don’t have time to read. If you have a long commute to work, this is the perfect time that can be used for finishing the book. If you can’t concentrate during the train commute, you can read something easy such as newspapers or magazines.
How to Make Your Work Commute Little Happier?
Another thing you can do is talk to a stranger. You might feel like you would never do that in a million years, but a study from 2014 found that even though commuters predicted that talking to a stranger would be highly uncomfortable, they mostly found that they enjoyed the experience. Needless to say, it’s important to choose the right stranger. From one side, not everyone wants to talk and from the other side, you don’t want to talk to everyone as well. So, if you notice negative body language or a person wearing headphones, consider it as a sign that you should probably find someone more friendly and more open to conversation.
If you are not a person who would ever risk getting into a conversation with strangers on a train, you can plan your day and/or your weekend. Planning your day is more specific to morning commutes. Plan what you need to do that day, what issues you should raise on the next conference call or who should you call? Bring your notebook with yourself and write everything down. Planning your day can also relate to after-work activities. Also, you can plan your weekends. Often times, weekends come and go, without any plans set up and we might feel like we didn’t do anything meaningful with our weekend. Time spent during the commute can be spent on planning a great weekend ahead.
Also, commute time can be spent as a time when you can plan your future. What do you want to do in life? Where do you see yourself in ten years? Don’t forget to count your blessings! You don’t want to feel depressed after a morning commute if you realize that you are not anywhere near accomplishing your goals. Don’t forget, time spent on your way to work could be used as a time to plan. Working on your goals is probably the most productive time that you can spend on your everyday commute. The time you spend commuting can be used to get your closer to your goals, listen to inspirational podcasts that will help you learn more about what you want to achieve in life.
In the end, don’t forget to stay safe during your commute, especially if you are driving or riding a bike on your way to work.
