One of the most annoying things about working full-time is the morning commute. Unless you work from home or literally work next door you know what I’m talking about. I seriously think that’s half of the reason why people hate working so much and dream of jetting off to some foreign land where they can travel full-time. Obviously that sounds great, if it didn’t you probably wouldn’t be reading travel blogs. However, it’s not reality.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a job where I haven’t had to commute even just a little. The worst was a couple of years ago where I had an hour and a half commute EACH WAY. That was definitely a driving factor for quitting that job let me tell you.
The thing is, time is money. As cliche as that sounds it’s true. There’s rarely a moment in my day where I’m not in some capacity trying to be productive (ask Ben, it drives him nuts). Here are 5 ways I’ve used or currently use to help make my morning commute not suck:
Learn something new
Believe it or not this blog started as a way for me to enjoy my morning commute. I was on a train for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week and hated it. Then one day I thought about starting a blog as a way to pass time (and build skills like web development, social media management and photography). Eventually, my evening and morning commute became something I looked forward to.
Just be careful about draining your data (trust me that monthly bill will suck). I was lucky enough to have a work phone so when I needed wifi I would often use the hotspot feature on the phone to connect my laptop. Other times I would write my posts on Word and transfer them to my blog later.
There are a lot of Colleges and Universities that also allow you to enroll in online courses. Why not go back to school part-time to advance your career? During my commute when I wasn’t blogging I was also working towards completing a Social Media Marketing certificate. This is part of the reason why I’m now making $20,000 more than I was 3 years ago.
Catch up on news
If you are too digitally challenged to teach yourself blogging (it is a lot easier than you think) or that doesn’t interest you, catching up on the latest news in your industry is also a great way to start the day. Using apps or programs like Feedly or Bloglovin are perfect for doing that. Both are RSS feed aggregators so all you have to do is plug in the URL or blog title of who you want to follow. All of the websites and blogs you want to follow will be in one place.
Walk or bike to work
If you can, walking or biking to work is definitely something I would recommend. In my current job I walk 3.5KM every morning. It takes me about 45 minutes. Some days, especially in the freezing cold (I do live in Toronto) I hate my life but I always feel so much better for it once I get to work. I don’t think there’s any other way that will wake you up more on your morning commute than getting 45 minutes of exercise in -20C weather.
Plus, think of all the weight you could loose by finding your own way to work. As long as you’re dressed appropriately for the weather you will be okay.
Listen to a Podcast or Audiobook
This is something while you can do while walking and biking as well. I’ll admit I’m not so much of a great auditory learner but if I find the right podcast or audiobook I can really get into is to help pass the time.
Recently I was listening to the Serial podcast and found it thrilling. It really was a great way to pass the time during my 45 minute walk to work. While I love listening to music, sometimes it’s great to mix it up a little bit and podcasts are the perfect way to do that. I’m on the hunt now for a good book to listen to while walking to work so if you know of any please let me know!
Get shit done
In the theme of not wasting time on your morning commute obviously one of the best things for you to do is get shit done. It can be as simple as carrying around a notebook with you and writing down ideas for your day, or maybe it means jotting down your to do list.
If you are able to do some of your errands or chores online then do it! There’s nothing better than spending those extra couple of minutes on your phone or computer and ordering your groceries instead of sitting down and having to do it later.
Connect with loved ones
You’re busy, we get it. We’re all busy. Sometimes that means the people closest to you are the ones to get put on the back burner a bit. Cut it out. You literally have no excuse not to connect with the people you love on your morning commute, or evening if that’s too early.
If you’re walking or biking and won’t be disturbing anyone else around you, give them a call. Sometimes the best conversations I’ve had with my friends and family have been on my way to or from work (especially if they live in different time zones). If you don’t want to be that person on the train, bus or in a car then text, email, Facebook message, Tweet at, send carrier pigeon or however you want to communicate, do it. You’ll be amazing how far and appreciated a simple hi can be.
How do you cope with your morning commute?
Very inspiring post Madi. I have 4 hours with me while I’m commuting everyday.
Hey Madi, is the photography in the post yours?It’s pretty amazing actually! Really good composition. I used to commute and my fav thing to do was to listen to my loud music, read on my kindle and be in my own bubble haha
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