Advertisement
Dublin: 11 °C Friday 29 March, 2024
Tumblr
Travellin'

11 ways to make the most of your daily commute

You spend a set amount of time travelling every day – make the most of it.

COMMUTES CAN BE boring and routine bookends to our days – but we don’t have to lie down and accept this as fact.

The stats show that Irish people spend nearly an hour on average every day travelling to and from work. What do we do with this time, though?

If you’re walking, cycling, taking the bus, train, DART or driving every day – here are some things you can try to make it slightly more tolerable:

1. Create a to-do list

tumblr_m6gxtwY1gy1qzogp1o1_1280 Tumblr Tumblr

People forget things. It happens. That thing you need to get done later in the day? Stick it on a list. When you’re commuting, you often have the distraction-free time that is perfect for clearing your head and remembering what needs to get done that day or week.

A list never forgets, and once everything is organised and written down – things will start looking a lot more manageable. You can even dictate one to an iPhone if you are driving.

An app like Evernote is pretty handy for such purposes.

2. Get into podcasts

TAM Ruralandproud Ruralandproud

Podcasts are the perfect way to get an informative insight into whatever area you’re interested in. Here, we even made a list for you broken down by category. Podcasts can be an intelligent, hilarious and relaxing backdrop to your morning and evening travel.

3. Use the time to get back to people

coulson_waits Mtv Mtv

Our commutes give us so much free time – why not use it to get back to people through calls, texts, email or whatever. It’s the kind of thing you might not have time to do during the day, and forget about when you’re home. A quick reply to someone makes the most of your commute time and gets it off your plate.

When you’re walking home, call you Mam or send that message to your mate in Australia. It will make you feel efficient, at the very least.

4. Have dedicated no-screen time

tumblr_n3araznEu51s0t6o2o1_500 Tumblr Tumblr

If your job is one with a near constant level of screen time, try using your commute as a 100 percent no-screen portion of your day. Read a book or a magazine, and set yourself a target of not looking at your phone for the whole trip – it might just make you more relaxed when you get to where you’re going. If you’re in the car, an audio book is perfect.

*Warning: Feet are not allowed on Irish Rail, this picture is misleading.

5. Download an app called Pocket

pocketapp Pocketapp Pocketapp

Pocket allows you to save stories you want to read on the web for later on. The app syncs with your phone or tablet meaning that you don’t need an internet connection to view the saved articles. Also, it’s free.

6. Rest those eyes

kittensleep Wordpress Wordpress

Going hand-in-hand with not using a screen, you can use the free time (on public transport only, of course) to just rest your eyes. Clearing your head and just relaxing yourself is invaluable.

You could exercise your eyes as well, which can help reduce eye fatigue – just follow the 20/20/20 rule: focus on an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes.

7. Pay your bills (and do other ridiculously mundane tasks)

tense Reactiongifs Reactiongifs

Any boring task can be done when you’re just sitting there on a bus or you’re walking along to work. Try to get the most mundane ones out of the way so your actual free time can be used for fun stuff. Use the trip to do stuff like paying your bills online or making that irritating call to your electricity supplier.

Actively taking care of tasks will make you look upon the commute as bonus time in your day, rather than a daily slog.

8. Manage your work emails

giphy Giphy Giphy

It’s not ideal, but clearing out that inbox on your trip can make your day suddenly seem a lot less daunting when you arrive into the office. Perhaps not relaxing, but it gives you a leg up on your day – even before you’ve reached your computer.

9.  Do some brain training exercises

brain-training-apps-v2 Connectedrogers Connectedrogers

If you’re feeling that way inclined, there are plenty of brain training apps for your phone – like Lumosity – that will keep you in tip-top mental condition for the day ahead.

10. Plan your route home differently

taylor-swift-excited-hand-motions Teen Teen

Sometimes – especially if you are walking or cycling – you can change your route home slightly and get something else done on your way back. Take something like buying your friend’s birthday present and merge the task into your walk home, and you’ll feel like it wasn’t just your regular walk home then.

11. And there is always music, of course

giphy Giphy Giphy

Just don’t be that person blaring the tunes down the back of the bus. Use headphones, or get a car and blare to your heart’s content. Music can be the perfectly relaxing travelling companion you need every day. Assemble, Spotify.

More 8 people who probably had a worse commute home than you>

More 6 apps to make your commute a lot easier>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
16
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.