Last year at this time, I was struggling. I was in the midst of planning my wedding, commuting three hours daily and exhausted. Making the switch to commuting was a huge adjustment that I struggled with for quite some time. I distinctly remember desperately searching online for tips on how to make commuting easier. I also remember reading this article on how commuting makes you fat and thinking I was doomed.
A year later, I’m feeling much better. My commute has not changed, but I’ve found ways to make my commute work for me.
1. Leave Early: Start your day off on the right foot by leaving early than you need to. I tend to aim for my earliest train so I have a fallback incase something happens. Nothing sucks more than having to sit through a commute knowing you’re going to be late.
2. Accept the Inevitable: Some days are going to be a pain in the butt. Weather happens, traffic happens, issues happen. When you can’t change something, it’s time to accept it and move along with your day.
3. Dress Accordingly: Nothing is worse than spending your commute wet, cold or sweating. Plan accordingly and check the weather BEFORE you leave the house.
4. Get Organized: I spend a lot of my weekend getting ready for the next week. I like coming home to a clean and organized space, so I do the majority of my housework on the weekends. Then I do not have to worry about it during the week. I’ve also learned to spend a few hours in the kitchen during the weekends prepping food for the week. After a long day, those hours are worth it when I have dinner ready in 10 minutes or less.
5. Make it your “me” time: When I started using my commuting time to do things I enjoy, it felt like I was owning my commute, not like my commute was owning me. I use this time to check my personal e-mail, read blogs and relax.
6. Be polite: Say hi to people, say thank you, let people cut ahead of you in line. You’ll have good karma and it’ll make you feel generally better about life.
7. Treat Yourself: Get yourself an electronic device like an iPad, wireless internet service or magazines and bring along coffee or a drink you like. If you’re going to spend a substantial time commuting, it makes sense to invest in things that will help you make it more enjoyable.
8. Give yourself something to look forward to: I use my ride into the office to wake up, drink my coffee and gear up for the day ahead. On the way home, I like to give myself something to look forward to after my day is done. A delicious dinner, your favorite show, time to read and time to relax are some things you may look forward to. This makes me feel like my commute is productive and moving me forward, not just wasted time.
9. Find a way to decompress: At times my commute wears me out. I’ve learned to use my evenings and weekends to decompress.
10. Keep the work/life balance: I used to keep working on the train but I quickly learned that wasn’t healthy. Now, I shut down when I leave work and use the commute as my time to relax. I let the day go and spend the time doing things I want to do.
Now, I want to hear about your commute! Tell me how long you commute, what you take to work and how you make it work for you. This is something that is vastly different depending on the person, so I would love to hear!
#2 is definitely the hardest! I’ve had so many bad commutes where I’ve either missed the train because of bad weather (since I have to take a bus from my office to the station), or the train is stuck in one place for a couple of hours. There’s really nothing you can do in those situations, but I have a hard time not getting really upset about it.
If I take public transit, my commute involves a 1 mile walk to the Metra station, 40 minute train ride, 10 minute wait for a shuttle bus, and a 15 minute bus ride to my office. So, I leave my house at 7:15 to get to my office, which is 25 miles away, by 9. It’s a bit excessive, but I only do it 2 days/week. I read, catch up on blogs, play Words with Friends, call my parents, knit, nap, and watch TV on my phone. and I do work sometimes, because I’d rather do it on the train home than stay at the office even later.
It sounds like you have it down! I’m jealous of your working from home!
I don’t have a long commute (when I was still in school it was longer) but I love using the time I do commute to relax and decompress. In the morning I either read the news or a book and then on the way home I either read or just think over the day. It’s a good way for me to separate work from home and by the time I walk into my apartment, I’m ready to enjoy the evening.
It helps so much!
My commute is shorter (20-30 minutes) and I thought that some of these wouldn’t be applicable – but actually a number of them are things I should remember to do more often!
Glad to help!
These are all great tips! When I was working in Chicago, my commute wore me down A LOT. When we moved offices and my walk from Union Station doubled to 1 mile each way, I suffered. Eventually I accepted it and made the most of the situation just like you! I soon found myself looking forward to my “me time” on the train where I brought along a book to read. It’s certainly a tough adjustment…one that takes a lot of time…but it’s doable! I’m glad you finally found your groove
Thanks! Do you still commute downtown?
Ugh my commute sucks so bad right now. 48 miles each way. I take the tollway – I tried taking the “free” expressways (Dan Ryan/Kennedy) and the traffic was so terrible it took so much longer. If I leave early enough (by 6:30am and 3:30pm), traffic isn’t too terrible and it “only” takes about 70 minutes. I listen to NPR in the morning. I feel like I’m being productive, catching up on what is going on in the world. Going home I listen to whatever. I don’t know if my brain just can’t handle anything serious in the evening or they repeat the same stories from the morning or what, but I can’t take NPR at the end of the day.
I used to have a different long-ish drive (45 minutes), but it was on 355 (the south end) and I dealt with very little traffic, so I would listen to audiobooks. (I find now my commute has too much going on to focus on a story.) It was great! Finally, I had time to “read” even though I was driving.
When I was taking the train, I had the best intentions to read books, but I would often get caught up playing games on my phone or reading blogs. Or just zoning out. But you know what, there is nothing wrong with that – sometimes your brain needs a break. So I would just go with whatever I felt like doing that day.
Oh man. I cannot imagine having to drive my commute!!! What about audio books? I’ve thought about those for my commute. Maybe “reading” books would help your drive? Or calling your BBFs!