Commuting to work is a necessity for anyone not fortunate enough to work from home. Commuting can often be stressful and tiring start and end to the working day and might feel like a waste of valuable time that could be used in better ways. However, there are things you can do to make the most of this part of your day that can have a positive impact on your work.
Get on Your Bike
Cycling is a great way of changing your commute to improve your work. Not only will you save money and improve your health, you will arrive invigorated and alive, shrugging off the sleepiness, with your brain being fed with pumping oxygenated blood. And as your fitness and health improve, so will your confidence and see esteem, which you will carry with you into the workplace. Cycling home will also help remove the stresses of the day, making for a more relaxed evening and a better sleep,leading to another great start to the next day. Cycling will also save on the cost of commuting, taking off a significant pressure on the amount of income required from your work and the stresses related to it.
Use Public Transport
This will give you time to prepare yourself for work, either by running through the day’s schedule, catching up with events of the day on the news and in the markets, or researching events and latest news in your line of work. Alternatively, get into the right frame of mind for work by reading suitable material or listening to music. Also, the chances are, by taking public transport you will be more likely to undertake more walking, to get to the station or stop and from the arrival station to your place of work, which will not only benefit your health but also help wake you up ready for the day.
Create a Calming Environment
Classical music has been shown to have a calming influence, so you could listen to some soothing sounds rather than the noise of traffic and the chatter of crowds and arrive at work calm and relaxed rather than stressed from the journey.
Use the Time Wisely
Use the commuting time to do all those extra little tasks that take up valuable time in your day and free up space in your schedule. Arranging a dental appointment, emails to friends and family, booking the car in for a service, are all things that can often be done before arriving at the workplace, allowing you more time to focus on your job and making your to-do list for the day shorter.
This doesn’t have to be work related it could be learning a new language or studying in a subject that is purely for fun. Very often, the time commuting and the hours at work absorb most of day, leaving precious little time for other interests. This can often create resentment towards your job, as it seemingly dictates a large percentage of your life. Using the commute to pursue other interests will make some of your day become about something else other than your job and help create a sense of a better work/life balance. When your work is put into this new perspective, it can often seem like a better part of your life, rather than a negative part of most of it.
Bio: Jen Smith is a Life Coach, Mentor & Writer. She has tried many career paths herself and now helps people achieve their goals and dreams.
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