Commuting Hacks You Didn’t Think Of

The average Brit spends approximately an hour commuting to work or school every day, with many who work in London travelling up to two hours to start their workday. If you’re unlucky enough to have a long commute to work, you’ll know how those hours start to add up to some very long weekdays. If moving home or moving job just isn’t a viable option for you, the next best thing is to get the most out of your commute, so your own time really does count.

Scoot, Scoot

If your commute is really getting you down, it might be time to consider an alternative mode of transport. For those who have considered cycling to work but thought it too dangerous, a kick scooter might be the answer. Scooters enjoyed a huge heyday in our childhoods, and are now making a comeback in adult sizes now those kids have grown up. You might still get rained on, but a scooter takes half the travel time of walking to work (or the next leg of your journey), is allowed on pedestrian pathways, and can easily fold up inside a rucksack at work or on the train.

Subway Smarter

If you are still relegated to public transport like the bus or the train, there are ways to hack it. Simple things like aiming for the very first or very last carriage of a train can ensure you snag a seat; or find out precisely where the doors will open by looking for wear on the yellow lines on the platform – meaning you can head the queue. For Londoners, there are many apps available to help you find the quickest route on the tube and even see which carriages are busiest.

Start Work

Once your journey has started, you may as well use the time to get a head start on work. Freelancers and creative types can benefit hugely from planning pieces or making to do lists in advance, whether you do so using old fashioned pen and paper, or remote notebook apps like Evernote. Drafting out important emails is also a good way to spend a commute, using your train carriage as a ‘mobile office’, or you can use a dictaphone function on your phone to record memos if you travel on foot or by wheel.

Catch Up On Reading

If you’d rather not start on work until you absolutely have to, there’s still plenty of ways for you to pass the time. There are many language learning apps, exercise books, and audio guides available to build extra language skills. Alternatively, relax by reading a few chapters of a book, or download an audiobook to keep you occupied.