If you don’t have the luxury of working from home and you have to commute to and from the office every day, then you need to think about how you’re going to spend your time. Some people drive to the office or to their workplace, but others don’t have that luxury. Or they park and ride a train station and use the commuter train to go in.
The good news is that commuting doesn’t have to feel like a chore. It doesn’t have to feel like an additional part of your day that you’re expected to be bored. You can really make the most of a good commute, especially if you have a decent amount of time on the train before you get there. Here’s how you can make your commute much more interesting.
- Prepare to be productive. If you’re on the type of train that has tables and chairs readily available, then get yourself settled with your laptop out and start planning your day. If your schedule is busy, planning your day properly so that you can prioritize the most important tasks before you get there is important. Check your emails, complete any simple work tasks and make A to do list. That way, once you arrive at the office, you can hit the ground running.
- Give your brain a workout. If you’re not interested in starting work before you’re working hours, then break out that crossword and start giving your brain a workout. Exercising your brain is going to help you to make you feel great, and it’s going to help to wake you up in the morning. It’s also a good way to unwind on the way home from work. And if you’re breaking out Sudoku or crossword puzzles, you’re going to give your brain a workout that doesn’t involve your actual job.
- Learn something new. Are you studying outside of your work? Sometimes using the commute time before and after work to get an extra hour or so of studying per day can help you to learn something new and enjoy the commute more. Whether you’re practicing a new language or using a phone app to learn foreign languages, you can find a new line of education that can train your brain and make you feel like you’re doing something productive.
- Stare out of the window. Before work, before your brain has truly woken up, all you want to do is nothing. Sitting with your coffee and just looking out the window instead of staring at a screen can make a big difference to your commute. You’ll be able to open your mind a little, get comfortable with your thoughts, and not have to entertain yourself with social media. If you’re about to spend your entire day sitting in front of a screen, the last thing that you want to do is spend the first hour and the last hour of your day doing the same thing.
Write. Do you like to write in a journal? If you do, start writing on your commute. Write things that happened during your day or intentions that you have for your day ahead and give yourself a reason to feel set up.