Commuting is (for the most part) unavoidable. But the almost excruciating boredom you feel during your commutes? Well, that is avoidable! Here are five ways to eliminate that feeling altogether, and make your daily battle with public transport much more enjoyable.
1) Read!
The commute can be a lot more entertaining if you’ve got a good book with you. A couple that I’m really liking at the moment are Turtles All The Way Down by John Green and Call Me By Your Name, by André Aciman. Reading is definitely one of the most fun ways to kill time on the commute. If you don’t have a book you’re particularly enjoying at the moment, you could also use your commute to get your daily dose of news or social media, so that you can get it all out of the way and be more productive throughout the day. Either way, public transport is definitely a great place to zone out and enjoy a good book, or catch up on the news if you don’t get motion sick, of course.
2) Write!
If you journal or write in your free time, doing this on the commute is a fuss-free, distraction-free way to get some words down. Plus, I find that being around all these different people always makes for such great inspiration, especially for my writing. I always find myself making up stories about the people that walk by. Where have they come from? Where are they going? I just think it’s fascinating, and it definitely helps to get some of the creative juices flowing.
3) Listen to podcasts or audiobooks!
I’m obsessed with podcasts and audiobooks. Aside from being a really engaging way to pass the time, listening to audiobooks definitely helps me to read for pleasure more often. If you’re doing a reading-heavy course like I am, podcasts and audiobooks are a great way to exercise your ability to choose what you want to read. Whenever I’m reading physical books, it’s for class, but whenever I’m listening to a podcast/audiobook, it’s strictly for my own enjoyment.
4) Listen to Music!
Listening to music is always a good way to zone out if you’re not feeling up to reading or listening to an audiobook. I find that listening to music allows me to diffuse some of the tension I feel. It lets me take a few minutes to myself to reset my brain, and collect my thoughts before moving on to the next thing on my schedule.
5) Learn a language!
Have you ever wanted to learn Spanish? Or French? Or Japanese? Or any other language for that matter? If so, Duolingo is definitely your friend. It’s a free app that gives you the chance to choose a language to learn, and teaches it to you from scratch using little quizzes and lessons. Doing this every day during your commute could be infinitely helpful in allowing you to actually learn the language you’ve always wanted to learn.
So, there you have it! Five ways to use the grueling commute to your advantage. I hope these tips were helpful, and that you can use some of them to make your commute slightly less gruelling.