From the course: Time Management Tips

Make the most of your commute

From the course: Time Management Tips

Start my 1-month free trial

Make the most of your commute

“

- For many a commute to and from work is a daily occurrence. This can be a significant challenge to your productivity. In my time management courses here on the library I talk about the importance of focusing on your most valuable activities. These are the activities that are worth the most per hour. In most cases a commute is a zero value activity. What this means is that while you're driving to and from work you're making zero money and most often adding zero value. In this video I want to talk about some steps you can take to minimize the impact of, yet still obtain some value from your commute. First, let's talk about what you should never do. What you should never do while driving is switch-tasking, what some people refer to as multitasking. If driving requires your attention, and it almost always does, never engage in any activity that's going to cause you to switch your attention away from driving to something else. The most common culprits for this are when people try to talk on the phone while they're driving or they try to text while they're driving. Both of these are extremely dangerous. In fact, a study out of the University of Utah found that driving while talking on the phone, even with a hands free device, is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. And if you text while you're driving you're six times more likely to cause an accident than if you're driving while intoxicated. Yet 33% of drivers, in the United States at least, between the ages of 18 and 65 have reported that they read or wrote a text message while driving during the previous month. I care about you and I care about the people on the road with you, simply don't do it. But what can we do instead that's positive? I first recommend breaking your commute down into going to work or coming from work, because the purposes of the commute change depending on the direction you're going. If you're going to work you want to get your mind in focus and in a state of readiness to perform at work. This means that while you're driving it would be beneficial to listen to something like the audio from one of these courses, or a podcast, or any kind of audio program that will enrich you and help you gain more knowledge to be more successful at work. Just make sure that when you're setting it up do it when you're not distracted. If you're able to have a more active commute, let's say that you're riding on the train or a bus, you can do things like read a book or use something like the LinkedIn Learning app and watch video courses like this. Incidentally, this implies that using passive forms of transportation may have more benefit, because you can get more out of the commute. What about when you're returning home? I like to recommend that people use this as a transition time. You've been working hard, you've been focusing on work the entire day, now it's time to turn that dial down and get ready to focus on being with family or just simply enjoying your life outside of work. This is why when you're returning home from work I recommend, if you're driving, you listen to something that is not work related and is fun instead. Perhaps it's your favorite sports radio program or your favorite talk show. Personally I like to listen to comedy. If your commute allows you to do something more active, say you're on a train or a bus, you could do something like play a game on your phone. The idea is that we're giving your brain time to calm down. We're sending a message to it that work is done and it's time to enjoy life. Making productive transitions will make it easier for you to be both more focused at work and a more balanced human being.

Contents