Your alarm goes off, you blink a few times, take a looong satisfying stretch and grab your coffee. The birds are chirping, the sun is out (the glowing ball of fire, not the newspaper) and boiii you are ready for a new day. Then you remember that you have to spend a precious chunk of your life in traffic, on the train, in the taxi or on the bus to work or school, and that sunny outlook on the world gets crowded out by images of people who don't know how a four-way stop works and sad-face emojis.
Commutes are the worst, and on average we spend over a (whole, entire) year – 13 000 hours of our precious existence – getting to and from work or school.
Here are 4 great tips to make sure your commute is not a complete waste of time:
1. Get your zen on. Like everything else in the world these days, this process involves an app. Pop in your earbuds or headphones (which you can buy right here on Unlocked.Me) and turn on your guided meditation app. Apps like Calm or Headspace are a dope way to totally zone out, check in with how you are feeling, cater to your practice[AL1] and access your emo levels, all during your daily commute.
2. Immerse yourself in a story. When you're stuck in traffic or elbowing the person next to you in the taxi, nothing makes the experience more bearable than listening to an epic audiobook. Don’t miss this chance to escape for a few hours each day. PS: often the narrator will have a fancy accent, which is by far the best part.
3. Read, baby, read. There are two top reasons why you should be reading on your commute. The first is that there is a possibility that you could be featured on the 'Hot Guys Reading' Instagram page. The second is that you're giving yourself an opportunity to learn, enrich your mind, reach your book goal and even escape from reality before you start the day.
4. TEDTalk it out. No, Ted is not the name of the dude or dudette who started the thing! TED stands for: technology, entertainment and design (duh). TED is a nonprofit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks around 18 minutes long – which makes them perfect to watch on your commute! No matter what industry you're in, you can listen to or even watch entertaining and educational content that is sure to impress your colleagues during small talk.
