When you got to the bus stop today, or sat down on the train, what did you do? Did you send text messages, or fall asleep, or just think to yourself "I'm so sick of catching public transport"? If you're travelling only 20 minutes each day, twice a day, that's 40 minutes you can use, and we'd like to help you do so!
Whether it's because you don't have a car, or you work in the city, or you're concerned about the environment, public transport provides an excellent means of travel to and from work or uni. Sure, it may not always be on time, and your journey may sometimes seem long and dreary, but the good news is that you can put your time waiting for a train or bus, and the time spent on the journey, to good use. It's a fantastic opportunity to get creative, improve your knowledge, or invest in some self-development. Check out these tips to make friends with the time you spend travelling. You'll see that some of these ideas aren't quite so easy for those drivers you see (and might envy) each day! Figure Out Your Goals What do you want to do with the time you spend travelling? Your plans will depend on your goals and ambitions. Do you want to learn a language, read a book, write poetry or blog posts, draw or design something? Does that sound like too much effort? Is this the only chance you have to block out all the noise around you and will yourself into calmness? You can look at the travel time as a gift that people who drive don't receive. What do you want to do with that time? Set the Optimum Conditions Try and implement these simple tips for setting up the environment to best take advantage of your travel time. They can help you take your journey from painful to peaceful! Pick a quiet spot. If you can avoid noisy groups, do so. Choose a window seat. Aisles may offer more room but window seats are more private, and you can lean books on the wall for support. Use a portable music player to listen to audio books, or music that helps your mood fit what you're trying to achieve. It can also help hide the noise of the engine, or talkative people around you. Consider investing in internet access on your mobile phone. If you make a list of the things you'd like to look up on the internet and use this time to browse (and it may just be pure fun and indulgence), the investment might be worth it. The Sound of Learning Many books are now available as an audio book, where they are read aloud to you. They are terrific for all sorts of travel - bus, train, car or plane. Listening to audio books enables you to learn from books, without needing to transport the actual book with you. Both fiction and non-fiction books are available as audio books. Have you ever wanted to speak another language? You can buy language courses on audio and learn grammar, or listen to dialogues. The more exposure you have to the spoken language, the quicker your ear and mind adjusts to it. Your travel time might be the best chance you have to listen in an isolated, uninterrupted environment. Take Note Listening to audio courses gives you free hands! It's a great time to take notes about your book or language. A terrific way to take notes is on Avery® Label Pads. An Avery Label Pad is a pad of labels, small enough to fit in your pocket or bag. They are available in various sizes and colours, so you can use colour and size to help you organise your notes, or just for variety! You can write notes whenever and wherever you want to. It's a lot easier than trying to use an A4 pad on the bus! To Do, or Not To Do? Was your goal for using your travel time the simple task of preparing your "To Do" list for the day? It's simple, but also effective. You might be amazed at how much calmer you are walking in to work and having a list of what you need to accomplish that day. Whether you prepare this list on the way home of an evening or in the morning, it will give you some clarity and focus for the day. Jot your list onto an Avery Label Pad and stick it to your monitor when you get to work. Capture Your Creativity Do great ideas always come to you in the most unfortunate of moments, just as you are paying for your coffee, or running for the train? Your travel time is perfect for encouraging creativity and developing your ideas. Take the time to capture the impulsive ideas you've had (you could use your Avery Label Pads), and then review them to weed out all those that are less impressive or non-relevant. Then "work up" your preferred ideas: begin to describe them in greater detail, draw out what they might look like. You may find an easier way to do something at work or at home, or even come up with a new idea that can make you millions! An hour a day, multiplied by 5 days a week, multiplied by 48 weeks in the year is a total of 240 hours. There are a lot of things that you can do in 240 hours! Do you see an opportunity to use your time spend on the bus or train more effectively? You've just discovered 240 hours for learning things that you have always wanted to learn, getting more organised, or coming up with some brilliant new ideas. What are you going to do with that time? |
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