Every morning, over 143 million Americans commute to work. The 9 am and the 5 pm work rushes are breakfast and dinner to the commuter. Each and every workday, they have the long drive, traffic jams, and weather surprises of nature to look forward to as they make their way to the money tree they call employment.
Over 10.8 million of those travel an hour or more to work. The rest have at least 26 minutes of mindless driving before they can begin their day. It’s no secret. Commuting stinks! Below are three ways you can take advantage of the time driving from home to the office.
Take A Different Route
How many of you are employed by a company that requires you to repeat the same actions all day every day? Factory work, fast food restaurant work, and data entry jobs come to mind. The point is unless you have an affinity for a strict schedule and routine labor, and some do, taking the same route to work every day can be boring to the point of being stressful.
With the advancements in technology, we now have GPS and apps such as MapQuest and Google Maps. Take some time and map out three or four different routes to your place of work. Each contrasting path can offer a variety of scenery.
Take the country scenic roads or make a beeline through the cityscape. Each trip will give you something more to look forward to than just the trunk of the car in front of you.
Entertain Your Brain
Ok. So you have a least 30 minutes to fill and just driving can leave you more tired when you get to work than when you originally smashed the alarm clock. Take this time and pop in your favorite tunes and create a shower singing in your car.
You could also use the space to listen to an audiobook and lose yourself in a fantasy land or learn something new about a subject that you share a great interest in. You might also catch up with a friend over Bluetooth.
The time you spend making your way to your job every morning doesn’t have to be wasted. Entertain that brain of yours. It will not only make the time go by faster but will have your noggin warmed up for the tasks of the day.
Relax!
How much time do you really get to relax on any given day? With work, family life, home matters, church, and even recreation, making time to relax can be next to impossible. With anywhere between 25 minutes and an hour to drive, you can invest in some well-needed relaxation.
Granted, closing your eyes while driving is not a prudent idea and we do not recommend it, but there are some activities that could lead you to your workday feeling great. The morning commute is a great time to pray.
Turn off the radio, roll up the windows, and enjoy a private conversation with the All Mighty. This would also be a great time to practice some soothing breathing exercises or sing acapella for a change. Both are proven to bring down the stress level a notch or two.
Commuting to work can be a drag. Follow these tips to make it fly by.
