As y’all know, I work from home most of the time, which is absolutely wonderful. I love being able to maximize the productive hours in the day by cutting out the time to and from and office on a daily basis. However, I do commute out to a client site an hour and fifteen minutes away at least once a week for meetings. And that’s a LONG time to sit on a metro train, so I’ve come up with a few ways to make that epic commute just a bit more bearable. Whether it’s taking a few minutes to play a game that recharges my focus or putting my head down and working on my side hustle, I’m making the most of my time on the train.
GET A HEAD START ON SIDE HUSTLE WORK
I’ve mentioned this before, but I love to use my time on the metro to get ahead on blog work. Without access to the internet on my laptop for over an hour, it’s the perfect time to focus on writing or editing photos with absolutely no distractions. I make sure my laptop is totally charged, open up WordPress and a new post so that I can format it as I go, and, typically, by the time I’ve gotten to my meeting, I’ve knocked out a least one entire blog post. It’s amazing how productive you can be when you aren’t stopping to check emails!
ASSESS YOUR TO-DO LIST
When I’m feeling a bit stressed, I like to use my commute to really do a deep dive in assessing my to-do list. I sort out what’s immediately necessary to do, what’s a long term priority, and what can wait until there’s a rainy day. I make sure that I’m covering everything I need to do, but also consider whether my list is actually a feasible. A to-do list is only worth having if you can actually accomplish what’s on it.
MEDITATE
If my to-do list is looking fairly complete, I’m feeling a bit tired, or I just need a mental break, meditation is the way to go. Often I’m commuting during off hours, so the train isn’t insanely crowded, and I can just pop in my headphones, and concentrate on turning inward for a few minutes. it’s amazing what even a short meditation can do for your focus when you return to the daily tasks at hand.
PLAY A GAME
While productivity is usually the name of the game, sometimes I just need a bit of a break during my commute – but I also want to keep my brain on and active because I know at the end of my metro ride, there’s work to be done waiting for me. On those days, I open up Words with Friends 2. Yup, Words with Friends is still the best way to take a mental break while recharging your focus. In the new Words with Friends 2 app, you can create custom photo overlays, showcase your words in colorful and fun ways to really get those creative juices flowing, and connect with friends and family even when you may not have time to catch up with them in person every single day.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR COMMUTE?
So, how do you deal with your commute? If you drive, is it podcasts and audio-books that get you through traffic? Or maybe listening to your favorite songs on Spotify? Do you read on the train? Are you a Words with Friends 2 fan? Let me know in the comments!
This post is sponsored by Zynga and Words with Friends, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. Thank you to all the brands that make www.heatherbien.com possible!
