Some people have to drive an hour or more to and from school. In a year, it adds up to two full days on the subway, buses, and streetcars. What can I do on the road to occupy myself with other things besides useless Instagram and TikTok?
Listen to Audiobooks
How is the audio version better than the text version? Your eyes need a static environment to read properly. But moving traffic creates vibration and shaking: eye muscles need to strain hard to concentrate on a particular line and focus on an individual word.
Buy headphones and listen to audiobooks – classic literature or educational podcasts (e.g. related to your specialty or field of work).
Read, Listen, or Watch the News
When else, if not on the road? Choose an Internet edition to your liking (social and political or highly specialized – about business, cars, travel, cinema, fashion, etc.) and get the news in a convenient format: video review, podcast, longreads, etc.
For convenience and to save time, subscribe to social media so that your news feed doesn’t just contain memes.
But there’s no need to absorb all the news. Pick something you will be pleased to read about. For example, if you’re into betting at Bet22, read news about your favorite sports. Or if you’re a tech lover, there are many news YouTube channels dedicated to this topic.
Connect With Loved Ones
Show up already in a family chat room or call (if it’s not noisy in transportation) someone close to you.
At the same time, check the calendar. Have you remembered to congratulate someone on their birthday, professional holiday, promotion at work, etc.? You can prepare congratulations in advance and set up automatic sending: the message will come on the right day and at the right time (there’s a feature in Gmail).
Play Games
These should preferably be educational games like puzzles or Sudoku. A couple of stops, and the game is played. Meanwhile, loading “gray matter” with logical problems prevents the degradation of cognitive functions. If you let the process drift away, by the age of 30 your brain will reach maturity and stop developing. And this is a direct road to dementia and senility.
Ironically, mobile games do not dumb down, as the older generation thinks. On the contrary: they keep the brain toned. The main thing isn’t to lead to addiction and remember the negative impact of gadgets on the eyes.
Think About the Day Ahead
The time while you drive to work or school is a great time to visualize. Plan out your day in your head. Imagine how unusual and unique it will be.
Visualize your own desires. Paint a picture in your head of everything going well. Imagine how great the day will be. Tune in with a positive attitude.
It’s the perfect thing to do. Especially if in parallel you will listen to music or some relaxing podcast. We advise you to be extremely attentive to this kind of interaction process.
It’s significant to be in the mood for the day with a positive attitude. In this case, reality will adjust to what you have in mind.
“Clean” Your Phone
You can get rid of:
- The same type of photos and videos in the gallery.
- Apps that you don’t use for more than six months.
- People who have deleted from a social network, but continue to “hang out” in your friend list.
- Mailing lists in messengers and emails.
- Caches in WhatsApp, Viber, etc.
- Old files in the “Downloads” folder, etc.
Your phone will thank you for the freed gigabytes of memory with high speed and will finally stop hanging up at the most inappropriate moments.
Plan Your Upcoming Event
Are you looking for gifts for your beloved family members? Or planning a birthday party next weekend? Now’s the time to make a guest list and send out invitations, think about menus, plan shopping, make a playlist, etc. And so with any event, a presentation at a meeting, a presentation at a conference, a report to your professor, or a trip to another country!
You obviously can’t do without an event planner where you can create checklists. Use the usual notes on your phone or an app.
Learn a Foreign Language
Build up your vocabulary, learn grammar, and take tests. And if you don’t feel embarrassed by your surroundings, practice your pronunciation. You can learn almost any language with the help of apps.
Try to make regular approaches. Just a few minutes of daily study and you’ll soon have mastered a considerable amount of knowledge.
Get Creative
Of course, public transportation is not the most inspiring location. But if you abstract (get comfortable near the window and play some music), you can get zen and get in the mood for creativity. For example, to create a playlist, do sketching (a technique of drawing quick drawings), write a post, knit a beautiful scarf, process photos, etc. The main thing is not to get carried away and don’t miss a stop.
Find New Music
Tired of your current playlists? Maybe your favorite artist has a track or album out and you’re still not aware of it. You can keep track of new music on Apple Music, YouTube Music, and other streaming services, as well as official artist groups on social networks.
Watch a Movie, TV Series, or Video
Watch some video content while you travel to school or work. Series, movies, and different kinds of videos are perfect.
They allow you to be entertained. You’ll be exposed to new content during your commute, and you won’t waste valuable time during the day. Which will save resources.
Mornings are the perfect time to watch videos. Especially if you don’t have a minute to spare during the day. You can do the same in the evening. You’ll be able to interact beautifully with your environment. And you’ll have time for everything. Including having fun while interacting.