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Make the Most of Your Commute

Eight months ago I became a proud part of the public transit commuter culture. Five days a week I join my fellow commuters at the crack of dawn at the side of the road and wait for the good old #351. I usually spend two to three hours a day on that bus, and lately I’ve been looking for ways to be more productive. Sure, watching the woman across the aisle put on her makeup every morning is interesting, but I’ve decided there must be a better way to use my time.

Here are five ways I’ve found to maximize my time on public transit. I hope some of them will work for you.

Organize and prioritize your day
Think about what you want to accomplish during the day and how you will do it. Start with personal tasks and then move into professional ones. You’ll find that you can get much more accomplished during the day if you make a game plan. Without it, items of lower priority may creep into your unstructured day and rob you of the precious time you need to accomplish higher priorities.

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If the bus isn’t lurching around too much, I will pull out a pen and paper and make a priority list for the day. I’ll also set approximate times for accomplishing each task. I find that knowing how I will spend my day helps decrease my level of stress. It also puts me one step ahead of my co-workers, who may not make the time to prioritize.

Re-assess your goals
Take this time to really think about your goals, both long and short-term. Try to set goals for all areas of your life. Is there something specific that you want to accomplish in your career? What about personal goals? Do you want to have more energy or find more time to spend with your family? If so, write it down. Then analyze how can accomplish that goal.

For example, if you want to have more energy, you can look at a number of different aspects of your life. Are you getting more than seven hours of sleep each night? Are you eating foods that will serve as good fuel throughout the day, or are you eating junk that doesn’t provide energy? Are you mainly sedentary, or do you lead an active lifestyle?

Once you have noted what can be improved on, create a day-to-day game plan. Begin working towards your goal one day at a time. Then take some time each day to assess your progress.

By simply taking your commuting time to re-assess and plan your goals, you will continually push and challenge yourself. As you begin to reach your goals you’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment and pride and you’ll be amazed at how much you really can achieve!

Listen to self-help audio
Listening to self-help audio is an excellent way to continue learning about new subjects. It also provides an opportunity to work towards the goals you have created. You can take them anywhere and listen to them as you walk, ride the bus or drive. Use self-help audio to get motivated or to learn new things. Tapes, CD’s, and iPod audio material are available on a variety of subjects from health and wellness to language studies. Planning a trip to Mexico–why not learn Spanish on your way to work?

Pray
A couple of hours of relatively uninterrupted quiet time can offer a wonderful opportunity for silent prayer. You can use this time to pray about any burden that God has placed on your heart. If you’re in a work frame of mind, it might be a good time to pray about various aspects of your career, or to pray for a co-worker. If one of your goals is to spend more time with God, your morning commute can provide you with the perfect opportunity!

Relax–read a good book
It’s important to remember to take time for yourself and do something for the pure enjoyment of it. If you have to spend time commuting, why not spend it doing something you really love? One of my favorite activities after a long day at work is to relax by listening to music on my iPod and reading a good book. Right now I’m enjoying the Left Behind series by LaHaye and Jenkins. It gives me a chance to relax and enjoy the ride. I value this daily break before arriving home and worrying about chores or making dinner.

By using your commuting time more effectively, you will enjoy a less-stressed day while working towards meeting your goals. If you can utilize these ideas, or create important commuting tasks of your own, you’ll find that you won’t feel trapped by boredom the next time you’re on the bus, the train, the trolley or the subway. You might even enjoy the ride!

Tags: books, Jamie Legatt, music, prayer, travel, Women

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