Having a lengthy work commute has its benefits


Some of us dread having to spend hours on the way to work. After all, it’s eating into our precious free time, right? While it can seem that way, having a lengthy work commute has its benefits that might not be so obvious.

Time to yourself

Of course, one of the many benefits of having a lengthy work commute is the fact that you get some time to yourself. Ok, you might be surrounded by everyone else on the bus or subway, but you don’t have to talk to people if you don’t want to. This can be a time to think about the day ahead or the one that you have just enjoyed. Plus, you can enjoy some quiet time on the way to work and relax before settling into your evening on the way home.

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Plan your life

Do you find that you never seem to have time to plan your life? It turns out that we could have been wasting some precious time all our lives. Those lengthy commutes can be perfect for some things, including a chance to organize our lives. This could be anything from writing down what we would like to achieve from the day to our next vacation and everything in between. Having no other distractions could be all we need to think about our future, no matter how short or long-term we make our goals.

Catch up on reading

One sure-fire way to help pass the time is to delve into a good book. It might not be long before we find ourselves lost in the words and taken off to a faraway place, and before we know it, it’s our stop. If you don’t like to read on public transport or you drive to work, then why not think about an audiobook or podcast instead? Audiobooks are often read by some of our favorite celebrities who help us to imagine the tale along the way, while there are so many podcasts out there in the world that it might not be long before we find something we like.

Improve your mind

While podcasts can help to pass the time, they can also be a way to improve our minds along the way. Why? Educational podcasts can help us to learn about the world around us or a new topic that we have always had an interest in and never got around to learning. A long commute can also be a great time to read self-help and improvement books that we can apply to our lives. Still not enough? Even reading the news and catching up with the world can improve your mind, while puzzle games add another brain-teasing challenge.

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Meet new friends

We admit that not everyone wants to talk. However, if you take the same route every day, then the chances are you will start to see familiar faces along the way. A small smile or a nod in their direction could be all you need to break the ice and meet some new people. Just be sure that there are plenty of other people around at the time, and never let them walk you to your house or give them your address until you know they can be trusted.

It turns out that having a lengthy work commute had its benefits, and some of them have been staring us in the face this entire time. Sometimes, all it takes is learning how to balance our time so that we can make the most of our day.

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