Things
to Do While Commuting
By
B. Dear
I
make the Washington DC commute to work every day.This is about 60-70
miles each way, and I spend a lot of time sitting in the car.
I've been doing this for about 3 years now and have learned to
make the best of it.
During my daily
travel, I have learned to do a few activities to make the
commute more interesting. I decided to write this article to
help
my fellow commuters out there pass the time and I'm sure they will
appreciate some of the activities in this list. There are a
lot
of you out there who probably do a lot of these things already.
I also just wanted to make a note here that some
of these activities might not be very safe to do while driving, but
are probably okay to do while you wait for your carpooling buddy while
he is buying
his morning coffee.
Things to Do During your Work
Commute:
- Listen to the AM/FM Radio:
The standard factory installed radio isn't one of my favorites since
there are so many advertisements and the programming in my area isn't
all that great. It's a good go-to item when better forms of
entertainment are experiencing technical difficulties or when your
entertainment budget has been depleted by rising gas prices.
- Listen
to Satellite Radio: Satellite Radio is great. There's a ton of
programming and it is fairly inexpensive to get now. You can pick up a
standard receiver and antenna that cost around fifty dollars from
Sirius Satellite Radio, which is the content provider that I prefer. XM
offers a similar service. It installs in about 10 minutes and requires
no specialized know-how. The advantage over standard AM/FM radio is
that the programming stays the same no matter where you drive and it
offers more variety and more specialized programming. The only drawback
is that sometimes you lose the satellite momentarily when driving under
overpasses.
- Record notes into a voice
recorder for later blogging,or for your next great American Novel. Who
knows, you may be the next author of "Commuting in America".
- Listen
to a Book on CD: A number of library websites and audio websites offer
books online or on CD that you can download and save to a CD. You can
listen to them in your car's CD player and learn new things during the
drive. I have "read" a lot of books doing this that I might not have
gotten a chance to pick up because of my busy lifestyle.
- See How Quickly you Can
Drive to Work: See how fast you can travel the commute
distance without
driving at excessive speeds. The key here is efficiency, not speed.
find the quickest route with the least traffic and traffic lights.
- Educate Your Children and
Yourself: If you are the parent that drops off the
kids at school in the morning this might be a good time to review last
nights homework or practice times tables during the drive. This also
provides a little quality time with the kids.
- Conversation: Drive with a
buddy and get to know each other really well. If conversation gets
boring pick a fight by talking about religion or politics.
- Drink
Coffee/Tea or Another Eye-opening Beverage: This helps kick-start the
day
and gives you a chance to interact with the local folk while buying a
cup for the drive in. I find it to be an enjoyable stop on the long
drive in and have made it a part of my daily ritual.
- Eat
Breakfast: Eating breakfast on the drive saves time and gives
you
something to do while driving. I always grab something to eat while
buying my morning coffee.
- Sing: Singing along with your
favorite songs may annoy passengers but can be really fun when you are
alone.
- Use your Lint Brush: A little
self grooming will make you look much better upon arrival.
- Work
on your Vocal Skills: Practice your briefing and work on your verbal
communication skills. do voice drills to work on that deep, sexy radio
announcer voice you always wanted.
- Think:
Ponder life's meaning and solve the world's problems. I spend a lot of
time each day thinking about things I probably can't solve immediately.
This gets my brain going and often results in other smaller ideas that
I can work on that day.
- Plan
Your Day: Mentally scheduling everything that needs to be done that day
and doing a little backwards planning to make sure you are allotting
adequate time for everything can save you time when you land at
work.
- Jot
Down Notes: I keep a notebook in my car that I jot notes in when I
become inspired. That way I won't forget my ideas during the drive. I
can then work on them in detail when I arrive at work or at home.
- Make Mental Notes About
Important Locations: Your drive to work allows you to go to
places that you ordinarily wouldn't. Make mental notes of where stores
and other business are located in case you need their services later.
- Plan
Alternate Routes: Sometimes I drive a different way to work just for a
change of pace. This leads to finding new places and meeting
new
people.
- Become
Familiar with the Area You Travel in by Reading your Maps: I often read
the maps in my car while I am pumping gas or waiting for others to get
in the car at a stop. It never hurts to know your environment in case
you get lost.
- Advertise:
You pass a lot of people while you are driving around. Why not use the
exterior of your vehicle to advertise. Buy large magnets with your
businesses name on them and place them on the doors and rear of you
vehicle. Now all those people are potential customers.
- Hold
Meetings with Coworkers/Family Members: Although it may not be the
safest thing to do, I use my cellphone to discuss business with
coworkers while I drive in. I also set up appointments this way. It
saves a lot of time.
- Play
the "Save on Gas" game: I like watching gas prices and stopping at the
ones that are cheapest. I also like to see how much I can coast between
lights without hitting the gas pedal.
- Clean out your Car: Cleaning
your car at stops prevents having to do it at home.
- Check
that your Registration, Insurance Card and Drivers License are Up to
Date: These are things that I often forget to check otherwise. I've
been pulled over and realized I didn't know where these items were
located in the car. By checking them regularly, you will always be
prepared.
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