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Living in southern California, traffic is as common and everyday as the sunrise. Assuming normal “work” hours (9-5, so to speak), just about any freeway in the land will be packed to the gills with cars during rush hour (which is a funny name, if you think about it - nobody is actually rushing anywhere). Yes, and I am one of those people who spends almost 2 hours per day in the car driving to and from work. And unless I manage to become independently wealthy or get a job around the corner from my house, this is how it’s going to be for the foreseeable future.
But spending all of this time in the car has given me some time to think about it. What is it about a long drive to/from work that makes people so crazy? Really, what’s the only restriction placed upon you while driving a car? You must pay attention to the operation of the vehicle - that’s it. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my 13 years of driving a car, I’ve gotten pretty good at doing it + something else. For example, I can have a conversation (either in person or on the phone) while driving my car (and I don’t care what anybody says - it can be done without risking the lives of the whole world). I can also think about just about *anything*.
Consider that for a moment - aren’t we all in the “make life better” club? So why not take the time you spend in the car and turn it into productive (or, dare I even suggest, enjoyable) time?
First, some tips for being productive in the car:
- Call People - Bust out that @Phone list and start digging through it. Especially if you sit in very still traffic for most of the drive, then there’s no reason in the world why you can’t tear through your list of phone calls while staring at some dude’s bumper sticker collection
- Empty Your Head - I don’t know about you, but I don’t get a whole lot of time to just sit and think about things (while keeping my eyes on the road, of course). I’m either doing work stuff or family stuff when I’m not in the car (except for late at night), so the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts is enticing. So you get yourself a little voice recorder (or a cell phone that can record voice notes) and start a little Kerouac-style stream of consciousness. Talk about whatever comes into your head (so you can go over it later - this should sound familiar to you GTD folk). It’ll definitely help to pass the time and maybe you’ll have that next million-dollar idea.
I know what you’re thinking - “Sir! How can you possibly claim to be able to make my drive home *fun*!”. Well, I’m not making any guarantees here. If you want your drive home to suck, then suck it shall. All I’m saying is that there are definitely ways to improve the situation. Here’s a few things you can do to make your commute actually kind of fun…
- Podcasts - Ok, so this one isn’t exactly earth-shattering. But there are some really great (free) podcasts out there that make my hour home *fly* by. This American Life and The Sound of Young America are both favorites of mine, and they actually teach me something sometimes!
- Audiobooks - Along the same lines as a podcast (in that you listen to it and it’s not music, nor is it live), but spreads out over many days (or weeks). Audible.com has an incredible selection of books (click here for a free one) read by some amazing authors. Plop one of these badboys on your trusty Music Playing Device™ and enjoy. By the way, I recommend Freakonomics by by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
- Sing - I’ll let you in on a little secret… When I’m alone in my car (and am no surrounded by other cars), I like to belt some stuff out. It’s really a pretty enjoyable thing, even if you don’t sing very well (just turn the radio up in that case).
All long drives (to and from work) suck to a certain degree, but they don’t have to leave you with so little will that the rest of your activities suffer as a result (and don’t think I’m exaggerating - I’ve seen it happen, friends). Try the above tips to help make your commute a little less painful - or come up with your own!
Anybody else have any cool tricks for beating the drive? Tell me all about them in the comments!
Technorati Tags: driving, commute, lifehacks, gridlock
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8 Responses to “Turn Your Daily Drive From Madness to Manageable”
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Having just escaped SoCal, I can be a bit smug about this.
Honestly, though, what craziness inspired you to live & work 2 hours apart?
We lived in Los Angeles for 18 years, and only for about 2 years did we ever live more than four miles from work. During those two years, we carpooled.
And, no, you are not a safe driver if you’re conducting business on the phone while you drive. Sorry, you’re just NOT. Lucky you may be, so far, but not competent or honest.
Other ideas, podcasts & audio books, great.
Sorry, but I have to agree with the other comment about the driving and phoning thing. It doesn’t make any difference how good a driver anyone is, or thinks they are - using the phone while driving is dangerous. Some people will spend their whole lives driving and phoning with no adverse consequences, just as some people will spend their whole lives smoking and never develop cancer. It doesn’t mean there is no risk.
People get maimed and killed every day by drivers whose attention was distracted while they were on their phone. I know of a case where a child was killed in this way, and the driver couldn’t bear the guilt and committed suicide. Two unnecessary deaths, two families ripped to pieces.
Please think again about this, don’t gamble that you’re going to be the lucky one.
I live in the Portland area which has a decent transit system. During rush hour, taking light rail and the bus isn’t really any slower than plodding along at 10mph in my personal car, so I take transit where I can read, do e-mail on my Blackberry, blog, listen to podcasts, and have zero stress about driving.
Podcasts are definitely the way to go for me. KEXP’s Song of the Day, Wine Library TV, Accident Hash, Geek Brief TV, etc.
Ditch the voice recorder or voice notes on mobile. Sign up for Jott and have your voice notes waiting for you when you get back to your email inbox. It sure beats listening to the sound of your own voice unless you’re a vapid narcissist.
Learn a language on cd or tape (if you can find a player in a car). Check them out from library if you don’t want to pay the extra for you own copy. It does take time so figure on getting back to library every few weeks or so.
If you sing in your car, contact your nearest barbershop chorus
http://www.barbershop.org/web/groups/public/documents/pages/pub_id_057020.hcsp
They have all kinds of harmony 4 part learning tracks on CD and probably for free for members. Sing along with three other guys - karaoke on steroids.
Having spent 5 years of my life commuting an hour each way between St. Joseph and Kansas City, Missouri, I began to notice the same cars going the opposite direction than me in the morning, then seeing them travelling the opposite direction than me in the evening. I started to think, “Wow! Wouldn’t it be crazy if that guy lives in Kansas City and drives to St. Joseph every day — I live in St. Joseph and drive to Kansas City every day — and we both do the SAME THING?”
Then I thought, “Surely, someone is going to come up with a web site to match those people so they can swap jobs.”
Just a thought…
I am constantly overbooked and have to elect which meetings to attend. I have someone record the meetings I have to miss, listen to the cassette tapes in the car while driving, and provide input by e-mail when I return to the office.