Category: Daily Life | Read time: 7 min
You spend an hour getting to work and an hour getting home. That's ten hours a week, forty hours a month, and roughly five hundred hours a year sitting in traffic or crammed onto a train, slowly losing the will to live. You can't eliminate the commute, but you can stop it from ruining your day. Here's how to reclaim that time.
Reframe the Time
The biggest shift you can make is mental. Right now, your commute feels like dead time — wasted hours between the things that matter. But what if it wasn't? What if your commute was the only guaranteed time in your day that belongs entirely to you?
Nobody needs you during your commute. No boss, no kids, no partner. It's yours. The question is what you do with it.
Build a Listening Habit
Podcasts and audiobooks turn commute time into learning time, entertainment time, or personal development time. A 30-minute commute each way means you can finish an audiobook every week or two. That's 25 to 50 books a year you wouldn't have read otherwise.
Find podcasts that genuinely interest you — not ones you think you should listen to. True crime, comedy, history, business, storytelling, whatever makes you look forward to getting in the car or onto the train.
Use It for Planning
Your morning commute is a natural time to plan your day. What are your top three priorities? What meetings do you have? What do you need to prepare for? Spend ten minutes thinking through your day so you arrive at work focused instead of frazzled.
Your evening commute is a natural time to decompress and transition. Think about what went well today. Let go of what didn't. By the time you walk through your front door, you've mentally left work behind.
Make the Journey More Comfortable
Small upgrades make a big difference. Good headphones that block out train noise. A comfortable bag that doesn't wreck your shoulder. A travel mug with decent coffee instead of the terrible stuff from the station. A seat cushion for the car. A playlist that puts you in a good mood.
You're spending hundreds of hours doing this. Invest in making it bearable.
Try a Different Route
If you drive, experiment with alternative routes. A slightly longer route with less traffic and nicer scenery might actually feel shorter than the direct route through gridlock. Some people find that back roads, even if they add ten minutes, reduce stress dramatically because you're moving instead of sitting.
If you take public transport, try a different carriage, a different stop, or a different connection. Small changes break the monotony.
Walk or Cycle Part of It
If it's feasible, replacing part of your commute with walking or cycling transforms it from passive suffering into active exercise. Get off the bus one stop early. Park further from the office. Cycle to the station instead of driving.
You arrive at work more alert, you've already exercised, and you've broken up the monotony. Even fifteen minutes of walking makes a noticeable difference to your mood and energy.
Set Boundaries Around the Commute
Don't start working during your commute unless you genuinely want to. Checking emails on the train doesn't make you productive — it makes your workday longer without anyone acknowledging it. If you're going to work during the commute, make sure it's counted as work time, not free labor.
Similarly, don't spend the entire commute doom-scrolling social media. You'll arrive at your destination more stressed than when you left.
Commute With Someone
If you know someone who travels a similar route, commute together occasionally. Carpooling saves money and gives you company. Even chatting with a regular on the train platform adds a human element to an otherwise isolating experience.
Consider the Bigger Picture
If your commute is genuinely destroying your quality of life — two hours each way, constant delays, arriving home exhausted every night — it might be time for a bigger change. Can you negotiate remote work days? Is there a closer office? Is the job worth the commute?
Sometimes the answer is to fix the commute. Sometimes the answer is to eliminate it.
The Honest Bit
A bad commute can quietly erode your happiness, your health, and your relationships. It's easy to accept it as "just part of life," but it doesn't have to be miserable. You can't always change the distance, but you can change the experience. Make it yours. Fill it with things you enjoy. And if it's truly unbearable, give yourself permission to explore alternatives. Life's too short to spend it hating the journey.
Want to make better use of your commute time? Ask Neady.
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