5 Ways to Optimize the Time You Spend Commuting to Work

Years from now, historians will look back at our day and observe—among other things—the disproportionate amount of time we spent commuting to work. I’m blessed that my commute is only about 15 minutes each way (depending on traffic), but I know many whose daily traverse eats up hours each day. I’ve recently been convicted that these hours should not be squandered away, but can and should be exploited. Your morning commute can become a very productive part of your daily routine. Here are a few suggestions for improving your commute: 1. Audiobooks If you’re like me, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to read everything you want to. I’ve started taking advantage of several inexpensive (and even free) ways to listen to great books. I once listened to half of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers on the drive into the mountains. Another time, I listened to Dostoevsky’s 800-page classic The Brother’s Karamozov in about three weeks during my daily commute. Most public libraries now have audiobooks on CD you can check out for free. I’ve recently discovered the iPhone app OverDrive. With it, you can download eAudiobooks right to your phone and listen for up to 21 days. I’ve also downloaded several free, monthly audiobooks from Christianaudio.com. There are also inexpensive audiobooks available at PaperBackSwap, a great resource for any book lover. 2. Podcasts, Sermons, Classes and Teachings I also regularly use my iPod to listen to sermons, teachings, courses and podcasts that are specific to areas in which I want to grow. You can use your commute to sharpen yourself vocationally and socially, as well as spiritually. Consider areas of your life you’d like to grow, and look for resources you might be able to listen to. Personally, I’m always looking for wisdom on interpersonal communication, leadership, teaching and writing, and I have discovered several great resources. 3. Scripture Keep an Audio Bible in your car and listen to the Scriptures. I prefer the ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible. This has been a great aide to my study and teaching. I was once teaching a class on James at church and listened to the book upwards of 20 times as part of my preparation. It was a pretty easy way to become very familiar with the book. I recently committed to a focused study of the Prophets. I’m going to start it by listening through a few times. Reading through the Prophets feels daunting. Listening to them feels much less daunting. 4. Prayer The daily commute can be a good time to pray over your day. I spend many mornings praying over my deadlines and projects. It’s amazing how quickly prayer can disarm worries and anxieties. Many blog ideas and solutions to problems I’m dealing with have come to me during a prayerful commute. Coincidence? I think not. (Disclaimer: Boundless strongly recommends driving with your eyes open.) 5. Silence As a general rule, our lives are too noisy. Some avoid the uneasiness of silence altogether, but we are wise to remember silence has long been considered a valuable spiritual discipline. I don’t do silence well or as frequently as I should. But I do recognize that regular times of silence are beneficial. Take a morning once in a while and spend a portion of your commute in silence. There are certainly other productive ways to optimize your commute, but most will find a little intentionality goes a long way. If there are audiobooks, podcasts, sermons, classes or other resources you’ve recently benefited from, please recommend them in the comments. I’m always looking for new resources to add to my own commute queue.