According to studies, as the commute gets longer, individuals become more stressed, anxious and less happy. Commutes affect our wellbeing because we cannot control how our commute will be. Will there be any delays? Will the subway be crowded? Will the weather be bad? These questions can go on. Especially, commutes longer than 30 minutes with public transportation found to be the most negative one by researchers. Commuting also affects your sleep quality because the longer the commute, the earlier you wake up and therefore, get less sleep. Plus, if there is traffic in your commute, then, you come to work already exhausted and stressed. However, there are several things you can do to make your commute more productive and less stressed. Below you can find some of them.
- Listen to Audiobooks or Podcasts: If you want to improve your personal skill set or just stay up-to-date with current news, podcasts and audiobooks are great options for you. They also help boost your energy for the day in addition to grow your mindset. There are many different options such as business, tech, arts, science, politics, comedy and etc. You can try different genres each month and diversify your portfolio.
- Make Your to Do List: If you are commuting with public transportation, one of the best things to do is to write down your to do list. In this way, you can be prepared when you get to work and know where to start for the day. Don’t worry if you are driving to work, you can still make your to do list with the help of personal assistants in smart phones or using speech to text apps. You can talk out loud in the car and your smart phone can write it down for you. Making a to-do list beforehand makes you more productive and once you accomplish those tasks, you feel happier and more successful.
- Rehearse Your Speeches: Perhaps you have an important meeting or presentation that day, then practice your speech in the car. This can help you get prepared in advance and also, makes you feel more confident when you are in front of others giving your speech. If you are using public transportation for commuting to work, this can be harder to do but at least you can pretend that you are speaking and just move your mouth. Another option might be taking notes about what you want to talk in your speech so you don’t forget important points.
