Your return to the office is about to get a bit easier.
With the pandemic winding down, many companies are returning to the office full-time. This also means that plenty of workers are groaning about the return of the dreaded daily commute.
Nevertheless, you don’t have to let it get you down. In fact, there are plenty of ways to make your commute faster and better. With this in mind, here are five ways to improve your commute to work.
Learn While You Drive
Depending on how far you live from the office, you will probably spend a good chunk of your commute sitting in traffic. It might feel like a waste of time, but since we live in the age of the smartphone, we now have the entire internet at our fingertips while gridlocked.
However, you shouldn’t let this make you a distracted driver. One hands-free way to make your commute better is to learn while you drive by keeping up with current events and listening to podcasts or YouTube tutorials relevant to your industry.
Ride a Bike to Work
If your office is close to your home, riding a bike to work can give you a killer workout and save time. Many cities have adopted bike lanes to help traffic flow, so bikers often get to work faster than their automotive coworkers. Parking is much cheaper and easier for bikes than for cars, but if you plan on cycling to work, make sure you follow the right helmet safety tips for cyclists.
Start Work Before You Get There
You can beat the rush later in the day if you finish your work earlier. Therefore, when you’re sitting in morning traffic, you can start making routine phone calls or use the text-to-speech control on your phone to send some emails.
Travel at Different Times
People who live in cities with grueling rush-hour traffic often know the worst times to be on the road. Instead of sitting in traffic, you can try going to work and leaving the office at different times. For instance, you can get to work early and stop by a local café to grab breakfast, or go to happy hour with your coworkers while waiting for rush hour to end.
Re-Connect With Family and Friends
If you are trying to pass the time on the train, sending your loved ones a quick text is a great way to strengthen your relationships. As we get older, it gets harder to catch up with old friends because of the stresses of work and family. Nonetheless, you can use the extra time during your commute to reach out to some of your old buddies.
Overall, working at the office has its benefits, but commuting can be a drag. After learning five ways to make your commute to work better, you can now look forward to something you used to dread.