Not many of us enjoy commuting, but it has to be done – so why not do it better?
After our study revealed that Brits spend 8,084 hours commuting over their lifetime (that’s just a month shy of an entire year!) we thought it’d be a good idea to share some tips on how to make your daily commute quicker, less stressful and maybe even a little bit more fun.
Carpool
Chances are, at least one other person you work with lives en route to your destination. If you drive in, why not pick them up and drop them off every day?
There are plenty of advantages – as well as helping the environment and reducing congestion by taking another car off the road, you get a bit of company for the journey, and some workplaces even offer benefits for car-sharing schemes. Just make sure your companion doesn’t touch your carefully-crafted Spotify playlist and you’ll be golden.
Get into podcasts or even learn a language
Travelling to and from the same place every day can be pretty tedious, but there’s a huge range of podcasts that can make your journey that bit easier – and most of them are completely free.
From true-life mysteries to film reviews and history shows, there’s a podcast for every interest. If you’re the career-driven type, there could be an opportunity to brush up on what’s going on in your industry so you’re bursting with ideas by the time you arrive.
Meanwhile, apps like DuoLingo are fantastic for turning your downtime into something more productive. If you spend the average time commuting (an hour or more a day, according to our research) that’s five hours a week you could be investing in a new skill that could even help your career.
Change up your routes
Variety is the spice of life, and if there’s a different route in or even a different form of transport you can use, try switching to that once in a while. An hour-long cycle ride every day is a bit much to ask for most people, but what if you started by only doing it once a week? As well as breaking up the tedium, you’ll get fitter and healthier for it.
Get up earlier and stop for breakfast
It may sound counter-intuitive, but purposefully making your commute longer by adding in something you enjoy can make all the difference.
The “rush factor” is a big reason we hate commuting so much – the feeling that there’s no time to lose and we’ve got to get in as soon as possible. Give yourself an extra half hour and stop at your favourite café for a good breakfast, and suddenly commuting feels like less of a chore.
Try some of these tips on your commute next week and let us know how you get on, and let us know if there’s any tips of your own that we’ve missed!