Passing the Time during Your Driving Commute
As someone who lives in the suburbs of California, there is almost no reliable form of public transportation and everyone drives - myself included. I always read how others spend their morning/evening commutes on public transportation efficiently using their time - catching up on work, reading a good book, or writing blog posts. I am forever envious of all of you. Over the last 10 years I’ve seen traffic in the Bay Area get infinitely times worse. Driving a mere 7 miles can take 45 minutes to an hour - what is this ridiculousness? Driving 2 miles can even take upwards of 20 minted to 30 minutes. As close as you want to live to work, it’s pretty certain that you will spend a ton of time driving and sitting in your car. As someone who’s been part of the workforce and contributes to the daily buildup of traffic, I’ve found myself more often than not - bored. Over the last three years I’ve compiled different ways to pass the time - read on!
1. Create some good music playlists for yourself. The radio will get old - quick. It seems like the same 10 songs rotate on every station and I often switch to 3 stations that are playing the exact same song. C'mon guysss, I will admit that I love listening to radio stations more in the morning as that's usually my time to catch up on celebrity gossip & just listen to funny talk shows. But ever since I was welcomed to the world of blue tooth in my car, I just jump in and let my music playlist continue. I've created a throwback playlist of songs from middle school, high school, and beyond. There was a good period of time over the last 3+ months where I just binge listen to them and sing my heart out haha. They're definitely some fun ones to listen to and reminisce. It's forever growing but feel free to follow along. Maybe one day I'll finally go through and really organize it so it flows well. Have fun taking a ride down Cindy's music memory lane !
2. Find some good podcasts to listen to. Right now I'm listening to Estee's 'The Heart Of It' & Gilmore Boys (thanks to Allison @Mercuteify! PS Allison has an incredible post up on her top podcasts to listen to here.).
3. Listen to audiobooks. I did this a lot more when I commuted about an hour+ each way to work and back, but since I moved I'm about 20 minutes out so I haven't been as drawn to this one.
4. Spend your commute catching up with any friend who is also stuck in traffic. I don't do this very often but I have friends who love to do this! So if you're looking to connect with a friend you haven't seen / talked to in a while, this is a great option.
5. Just enjoy the peace and quiet and get lost in your thoughts. This is mostly for those who have a straightforward commute with little thinking lol. For the most part freeways in Northern California are bumper to bumper and a lot of rolling, so it's usually just driving straight until you hit your exit lol.
I know they're all pretty obvious - but I thought it'd be a bit of a way to stir up some discussion. If you have any tips, please do share :)