Seven Tips to Get You Through a Long Commute

Image sourced from ivorymix.com

Commutes can feel like a waste of time. Here are seven tips to improve your drive.

I currently work approximately fifty minutes away from home. My drives to and from work can often be, to put it dramatically, the worst. The commute takes a huge chunk out of my day, so I often find myself sitting in peak hour traffic thinking about how much time I’m wasting.

There is nothing that can really be done about the trip. I can look for a job somewhere closer to home, but right now I’m happy where I am. Public transport isn’t really an option either because it would take me even longer to get to and from work by another hour.

So, I’ve become a bit of an expert at getting myself through what feels like a hellishly long commute, though I’m sure there are people out there that have it worse. Down below, I’ve shared some of the things that have helped me survive the daily journey.

1. Bring Food

I cannot stress this enough. Tasty snacks are essential if one is to survive a long commute. It’s horrible to be sitting in traffic, far from home, only to realise how hungry you are. Save yourself this terrible experience and bring along something to eat. It’ll be worth it, trust me.

2. Wear Comfortable Clothes

If possible, wear the most comfortable clothes you can. If you’re going to be trapped in a car for a long period of time, the last thing you want is to be spending the entire ride in something that makes you too hot or too cold, or what have you. I’ll often change after work into my comfy clothes to save myself the discomfort.

3. Listen to Music

Listening to music is a great way to get pumped about your day, or relax at the end of it. Music is just great that way. Enough said.

4. Listen to Podcasts

Sometimes you just don’t feel like listening to music. When this happens, I recommend podcasts. They can come in a variety of different topics – news, history, reviews, pop culture… So, it’s easy to come across something you’ll enjoy.

5. Listen to an Audiobook

I’ll admit, I haven’t tried this one yet, but it’s something I’d like to try out some day. I’m always a bit frustrated that I can’t read while in the car, for obvious reasons, so listening to an audiobook seems like the next best thing. After I try it out, I’ll let you all know how it goes.

6. Organise your Day

You can also use this time to mentally organise your day. If your life gets a bit hectic and stressful at times, being forced to sit down and think about what needs to be done can actually be a good way to get organised and keep on top of things.

7. Contemplate Life

Being stuck in peak hour traffic can be a great time for an existential crisis and questioning the important things in life. Questions I’ve contemplated on such journeys include:

• Which “orange” came first – the colour or the fruit?
• Are we all actually dead and existing in the afterlife?
• Were the Ancient Greeks really not able to see the colour blue, like I read somewhere?
• Is this the Matrix?
• Do plants have feelings?
• Have the aliens not invaded because they’re waiting for us all to destroy ourselves?

 

If you have any thoughts on these questions, or want to add to the list, let me know.