Since moving off campus and into my Brooklyn apartment in May of 2023, I have spent approximately 500 hours on the subway.
I wouldn’t change anything about that — any length of commute is worth the light that streams through my bedroom window, the brick wall in my living room, and the fact that I don’t spend $4,000 a month to live in a shoebox. I love spending time in Bed-Stuy, where everything moves slightly slower than in Manhattan. While I wish I could walk to class, I’ve developed a few tricks during my months as a commuter that have allowed me to use my time on the subway effectively. If you’re feeling stuck and bored during your travels, these six strategies might help evade some of that discomfort.
- Read Something for Fun
As I’m sure many others have in the face of BookTok, I have recently rekindled my love of reading. And I say rekindled quite literally, as my voracious appetite for books is settled only by my beloved Kindle e-reader!
I find that reading is one of the most effective ways to spend a commute, as stories often allow time to bend and slip away. You might lose some sense of reality when a book is good enough, which lets the minutes you spend waiting fly by.
My favorite train reads from the past few months are Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett, and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. I recommend checking GoodReads and social media for the most popular titles in your preferred genres. The more captivating the read, the faster the train ride!
- Journal
With all the starting and stopping, darkness, and people, It’s easy to feel stuck on the train. It might seem corny, but pulling out a journal (or even just your notes app) and writing about the positive aspects of your life can help reframe those moments from a potential spiral to an opportunity for growth.
What do you have to look forward to this week? Have you had any gratifying conversations with friends recently? Can you list your five favorite things about your life thus far?
Simple, to-the-point prompts for positive introspection can help avoid a slump after a long commute.
- Learn a Needlecraft
Embroidering, crocheting, knitting… Grandma crafts are back, and I’m here for it.
The monotonous task of pulling a needle through fabric or interlacing yarn is highly effective at tricking your brain into thinking that time is moving faster than it is. Repetitive, routine tasks put your mind into a state of flow or extreme focus. According to “Flow States and Associated Changes in Spatial and Temporal Processing,” a flow state can cause a “lack of distractibility, a disordered sense of time, great enjoyment, and increased levels of performance.” In other words, the more you interact with a task you enjoy, the less you perceive time.
Embroidery is one of my favorite activities for reaching this state of flow. It’s simple, tedious, and rewarding. Plus, the materials are small enough to fit in my school bag, making needlecrafts an ideal project while riding the subway.
- Listen to a New Podcast
As much as I love listening to music, my playlists aren’t always effective at entertaining me while standing for upwards of thirty minutes. However, while taking a class about podcasts this semester, I’ve been introduced to all kinds of audio media that I hadn’t realized would captivate my attention. For this reason, I started listening to podcasts on the train.
I find that my favorite songs don’t always encourage active listening. I let the melodies pass through me, ignoring the weight of the lyrics, and feeling sort of…deflated. Podcasts, on the other hand, require all of my attention. I have to actively listen to the speakers’ words because 1) I’ve never heard them before and 2) the hosts are developing an argument. So while music can make me restless, podcasts reinvigorate my mind and distract me from my commute.
Some of my favorites as of late are Immaterial by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Broski Report with Brittany Broski, and NPR’s Code Switch.
- Write Stories
There’s no better time to exercise your creativity than when surrounded by people you don’t know. One of my favorite activities during a commute to school is writing short profiles based on the other passengers on the train.
I have the most fun writing them when I don’t take them seriously, when I base them off a person’s shoes or headphones. What does the fringe on their jacket say about their relationship with their dog? How many times did they try eating beets before accepting that they hate them? Where are they getting off the train, and what’s the first thing they’ll buy at their local bodega?
Silly, flexible prompts are the best for challenging yourself while simultaneously killing some time.
- Play a Brain Game
Playing brain games on my phone helps me immensely when trying to combat the length of my commute. Soduku, solitaire, and word searches are three of my go-to games for times when I feel my brain needs extra stimulation. They activate my critical thinking skills and distract me without draining my brainpower, which can be limited after a day of class.
The New York Times’ Games section is another fantastic option as you can access most of their puzzles without a subscription. Connections and the daily Mini crossword are two of my personal favorites.
I know that the immediate impulse for many people when they board the train is to reach into their pocket, whip out their phone, and aimlessly scroll on social media until they reach their destination. I fall into this trap more often than I’d like to admit, but the strategies I’ve outlined above have been remarkable in helping me fight this urge.
I hope that using these methods brings you to your destination faster (and happier) than you had been arriving before.