This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising.
By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies described in our Cookies Policy.
You may change your settings at any time but this may impact on the functionality of the site.
To learn more see our Cookies Policy.
People forget things. It happens. That thing you need to get done later in the day? Stick it on a list. When you’re commuting, you often have the distraction-free time that is perfect for clearing your head and remembering what needs to get done that day or week.
A list never forgets, and once everything is organised and written down – things will start looking a lot more manageable. You can even dictate one to an iPhone if you are driving.
An app like Evernote is pretty handy for such purposes.
Podcasts are the perfect way to get an informative insight into whatever area you’re interested in. Here, we even made a list for you broken down by category. Podcasts can be an intelligent, hilarious and relaxing backdrop to your morning and evening travel.
Our commutes give us so much free time – why not use it to get back to people through calls, texts, email or whatever. It’s the kind of thing you might not have time to do during the day, and forget about when you’re home. A quick reply to someone makes the most of your commute time and gets it off your plate.
When you’re walking home, call you Mam or send that message to your mate in Australia. It will make you feel efficient, at the very least.
If your job is one with a near constant level of screen time, try using your commute as a 100 percent no-screen portion of your day. Read a book or a magazine, and set yourself a target of not looking at your phone for the whole trip – it might just make you more relaxed when you get to where you’re going. If you’re in the car, an audio book is perfect.
*Warning: Feet are not allowed on Irish Rail, this picture is misleading.
Pocket allows you to save stories you want to read on the web for later on. The app syncs with your phone or tablet meaning that you don’t need an internet connection to view the saved articles. Also, it’s free.
Going hand-in-hand with not using a screen, you can use the free time (on public transport only, of course) to just rest your eyes. Clearing your head and just relaxing yourself is invaluable.
You could exercise your eyes as well, which can help reduce eye fatigue – just follow the 20/20/20 rule: focus on an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes.
7. Pay your bills (and do other ridiculously mundane tasks)
Any boring task can be done when you’re just sitting there on a bus or you’re walking along to work. Try to get the most mundane ones out of the way so your actual free time can be used for fun stuff. Use the trip to do stuff like paying your bills online or making that irritating call to your electricity supplier.
Actively taking care of tasks will make you look upon the commute as bonus time in your day, rather than a daily slog.
It’s not ideal, but clearing out that inbox on your trip can make your day suddenly seem a lot less daunting when you arrive into the office. Perhaps not relaxing, but it gives you a leg up on your day – even before you’ve reached your computer.
If you’re feeling that way inclined, there are plenty of brain training apps for your phone – like Lumosity – that will keep you in tip-top mental condition for the day ahead.
Sometimes – especially if you are walking or cycling – you can change your route home slightly and get something else done on your way back. Take something like buying your friend’s birthday present and merge the task into your walk home, and you’ll feel like it wasn’t just your regular walk home then.
Just don’t be that person blaring the tunes down the back of the bus. Use headphones, or get a car and blare to your heart’s content. Music can be the perfectly relaxing travelling companion you need every day. Assemble, Spotify.
Wednesday 27 November, 2024
Wednesday 27 November, 2024
Download our app
11 ways to make the most of your daily commute
COMMUTES CAN BE boring and routine bookends to our days – but we don’t have to lie down and accept this as fact.
The stats show that Irish people spend nearly an hour on average every day travelling to and from work. What do we do with this time, though?
If you’re walking, cycling, taking the bus, train, DART or driving every day – here are some things you can try to make it slightly more tolerable:
1. Create a to-do list
People forget things. It happens. That thing you need to get done later in the day? Stick it on a list. When you’re commuting, you often have the distraction-free time that is perfect for clearing your head and remembering what needs to get done that day or week.
A list never forgets, and once everything is organised and written down – things will start looking a lot more manageable. You can even dictate one to an iPhone if you are driving.
An app like Evernote is pretty handy for such purposes.
2. Get into podcasts
Podcasts are the perfect way to get an informative insight into whatever area you’re interested in. Here, we even made a list for you broken down by category. Podcasts can be an intelligent, hilarious and relaxing backdrop to your morning and evening travel.
3. Use the time to get back to people
Our commutes give us so much free time – why not use it to get back to people through calls, texts, email or whatever. It’s the kind of thing you might not have time to do during the day, and forget about when you’re home. A quick reply to someone makes the most of your commute time and gets it off your plate.
When you’re walking home, call you Mam or send that message to your mate in Australia. It will make you feel efficient, at the very least.
4. Have dedicated no-screen time
If your job is one with a near constant level of screen time, try using your commute as a 100 percent no-screen portion of your day. Read a book or a magazine, and set yourself a target of not looking at your phone for the whole trip – it might just make you more relaxed when you get to where you’re going. If you’re in the car, an audio book is perfect.
*Warning: Feet are not allowed on Irish Rail, this picture is misleading.
5. Download an app called Pocket
Pocket allows you to save stories you want to read on the web for later on. The app syncs with your phone or tablet meaning that you don’t need an internet connection to view the saved articles. Also, it’s free.
6. Rest those eyes
Going hand-in-hand with not using a screen, you can use the free time (on public transport only, of course) to just rest your eyes. Clearing your head and just relaxing yourself is invaluable.
You could exercise your eyes as well, which can help reduce eye fatigue – just follow the 20/20/20 rule: focus on an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes.
7. Pay your bills (and do other ridiculously mundane tasks)
Any boring task can be done when you’re just sitting there on a bus or you’re walking along to work. Try to get the most mundane ones out of the way so your actual free time can be used for fun stuff. Use the trip to do stuff like paying your bills online or making that irritating call to your electricity supplier.
Actively taking care of tasks will make you look upon the commute as bonus time in your day, rather than a daily slog.
8. Manage your work emails
It’s not ideal, but clearing out that inbox on your trip can make your day suddenly seem a lot less daunting when you arrive into the office. Perhaps not relaxing, but it gives you a leg up on your day – even before you’ve reached your computer.
9. Do some brain training exercises
If you’re feeling that way inclined, there are plenty of brain training apps for your phone – like Lumosity – that will keep you in tip-top mental condition for the day ahead.
10. Plan your route home differently
Sometimes – especially if you are walking or cycling – you can change your route home slightly and get something else done on your way back. Take something like buying your friend’s birthday present and merge the task into your walk home, and you’ll feel like it wasn’t just your regular walk home then.
11. And there is always music, of course
Just don’t be that person blaring the tunes down the back of the bus. Use headphones, or get a car and blare to your heart’s content. Music can be the perfectly relaxing travelling companion you need every day. Assemble, Spotify.
More 8 people who probably had a worse commute home than you>
More 6 apps to make your commute a lot easier>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Commuting Daily Commute Improve your commute Travellin'