Make the Most of Your Commute

I recently changed jobs, tacking on nearly an hour and a half of commute time to my day. I was amazed how much impact this change was on my personal time, and eventually, on my general mood. Over the course of a week or two, I became resentful of the time lost. It wasn't until my wife commented to me that I seemed much less happy in the evenings after work that I saw the problem clearly, and took steps to remedy the situation. I carefully examined my daily routines, and developed four simple ways to turn my new routine to my advantage. Now, the commute is the most productive and rejuvenating time of my day. If you have a long commute, you can use my guidelines to optimize your commute time, as well, freeing up much-needed time for yourself and your family.

Creative Thinking

Professionally, people do their best work when they've taken the time to think through issues creatively and in an unstructured way before sitting down to work. The morning commute is ideal for this purpose. Because you're driving, obviously you can't do a lot of tangible work like writing or research, but you can free your mind to think creatively. The commute is also ideal for laying out articles, papers, lesson plans, or outlines in general terms. Get a small tape recorder, iriver, or other portable recording device and keep it on the seat next to you. It's important not to use these recorders in a free-form way, rambling as things occur to you for hours on end. Time lost in listening to these recordings and transcribing them will quickly negate the benefit of this approach. Imagine that you're speaking in bullet points, hitting the high points of your outline. Feel free to delve into these points more deeply during your drive, but don't record more than the top-level bullet points. Don't worry about retention - any additional thinking you do will come back to you as you sit down to write, if you use this method.

Keep in Touch

As time passes, and work responsibilities increase, life seems to get busier and busier for almost everyone. With a long commute, time for correspondence diminishes as your personal time at home decreases. Cell phones with hands-free kits allow you to keep in touch during your commute. Customers, family, and friends all want to hear from you, most of them wouldn't mind a call more often. Brief conversations without specific reasons lets folks know that you value their place in your life, and allow you to keep up with what's happening in their lives, and in the case of business contacts, how events in their lives may affect your bottom line. Keep a rotating list of contacts in your car, and make a short phone call every day or two during your evening commute. You'll be surprised how much it improves your relationships. Of course, drive carefully, and use hands-free devices while driving.

Personal/Professional Development

Using your commute to improve your work skills is an extremely effective way to distinguish yourself from peers when review time comes around. With an ipod or CD burner, you can use inexpensive or free resources during your drive to bring you to the head of the pack. Check out the nonfiction, business, and podcast sections of online resources like http://www.audible.com or http://www.itunes.com/. Your local library is also very likely to have a big section of nonfiction books on tape, free for your use. Podcasts are an incredible free resource for the commuter. These free, on-demand internet "radio" shows provide many hours of learning at the click of a button. For folks working in a corporate environment, regardless of your level in the hierarchy, I recommend the Manager Tools podcast at http://www.managertools.com/ or available through itunes. It's been really helpful for me in making the move from non-profits to corporate work-styles. Don't discount using these resources for personal development, either. There's a podcast out there for any hobby imaginable. Being a home brewer, I listen to several hours of beer podcasts every week. Did I mention that they're FREE?

Relax

Work is stressful - too often you may find yourself ending a rough day, and bringing that stress home to your family and friends. Those of us with longer commutes are blessed with built-in time to decompress. Don't miss this opportunity - your family or roommates don't deserve to share in the stresses of your day. Just as non-fiction books on tape or podcasts are available to help you to develop yourself, recreational/humor podcasts are out there to help you chill out. I listen to the Dawn and Drew Show (http://dawnanddrewwp.podshow.com/) and the podcast recordings of a Philadelphia area radio show, WMMR's Preston and Steve Show (http://www.prestonandsteve.com/). They're both freaking hilarious, and a good belly-laugh is all I need to start feeling better after a stressful day. Music is an old standby for relaxation, too. Don't make the mistake of thinking that listening to your favorite CD or radio station during your commute is wasted time. You don't need to be working in order to improve the quality of your life. Pop in your favorite CD and sing along once in a while, and watch the spring return to your step.

Ultimately, we commuters have a built-in pocket of time to ourselves every day. During your drive, no one's breathing down your neck. You don't have to worry about either home or work. Make the most of your commute and your whole day will improve, making you a much more effective employee, friend, and family member. It's important to shake things up a bit to address your immediate needs and keep the commute from becoming a grind. Enjoy your commute, and use it to your advantage. Soon, you'll look forward to jumping in the car.