Turn Commute Into Productive Time On Your Phone

The average American employee commute at least 25 minutes to work. However, more and more professionals are forced to commute over an hour to get to the office each day – and, of course, one hour back in the evening. If you’re driving, it’s a lot of full. Additionally, you need to stay focused on the road for long periods. 

However, if you’re commuting on the train, the bus or the tram, you may find yourself quietly dozing off each morning on your way to the office. If you’re lucky, you can get a seat, and you wait until you’ve reached your stop. It’s a lot of idle time in the day! While it’s not a bad thing, idle time can make your commute appear more tiresome than it actually is. Indeed, our addiction to digital technology has turned us into impatient users. We’re so used to click to get what we want that waiting for an hour or more without having anything to do can feel dull and draining in comparison. Can you turn your commute into something a little more exciting without moving out to live closer to the office? The answer is yes, and, believe it or not, all you need is your faithful smartphone device! Indeed, transforming the purposeless wait on the tram into productive time can change your perception of the daily commute. Are you ready to spice up your bus or train journey to work? Charge your phone and explore these different options: 

Relax on the go

Work is stressful. Most of us work in a hectic and fast-paced environment. It makes no doubt that the stress accumulated during your workday doesn’t disappear when you leave the office. One of the most effective stress relief remedies is to exercise regularly. Unfortunately, if you work long hours, hitting the gym after a long day at the office may not be a solution. However, you can use your commute time to de-stress. There are many entertainment options available on your phone. Don’t rush to your favorite social media platforms and instead try some video games. If you haven’t played games on your phone since the Snake games on the old Nokia, it’s time to explore what’s available in the App Store or Google Play Store, depending on whether you’re an iPhone or an Android owner. Games offer the perfect distraction from stress, and, because they demand your attention, they help your mind to move away from work-related thoughts. 

Win, big or little, as long as you win

Day after day, the same routine; it makes no doubt that the office life can be draining. For many employees, each day ends up looking just like the others. There’s no other way to put it; the routine makes everything dull. Your days have lost their excitement, and somehow you wish you could call on sick and forget about work. But you can’t, and every morning you’re heading back to the office for another day of dullness. More often than not, changing jobs isn’t going to help. Indeed, when you struggle with mental fatigue, it’s tricky to get enthusiastic about finding another office to sit in. However, you can bring some excitement to your daily commute with hot spins games. Indeed, you could set a reasonable and safe budget to play every week – for instance, you can save your lunch money by preparing your meals, and repurpose it for a few spins. The prospect of potentially winning can inject some much-needed enthusiasm into the routine. 

Keep in touch with your clients 

With a solid network of contacts, you can do almost anything. Platforms such as LinkedIn are hugely useful to make connections and build a list of professional contacts. Unfortunately, you need to invest a lot of time into the platform to gain any benefit from it. Being on LinkedIn isn’t enough to land you the next best job or to grab a client’s attention. You need to be active on LinkedIn to grow your network. So why not use your commute time to create a memorable and productive profile? Start by personalizing your connection requests. You can’t just hit the ‘connect’ button and hope for the best. Instead, visit the person’s profile and use the ‘connect’ button there as it lets you write a small note. Similarly, following up face-to-face meetings on LinkedIn, such as trade show business card exchanges or even your yoga instructor can make a great deal of difference. 

Take a course 

Who doesn’t want to boost their professional skills? However, when you can’t juggle going back to school with work, you need to find smart alternatives. Thankfully, there are plenty of mobile apps that let you learn new skills every day, directly from your smartphone. Udemy is a favorite as you can find almost any topic online. One word of advice, though, not all course materials are cheap. However, the app runs regular sales, letting you buy expensive courses for as little as $10. 

Build your online expert presence

It’s never too late to start a blog and establish your presence online. You can use a blog to promote your expertise within the industry or even to build your own business that could one day replace your office job. Some bloggers have only created a blog because they enjoy sharing their opinions and ideas. Regardless of your reason for blogging, there is a lot to gain, for your reputation, your income and your mental health. A blogging platform such as WordPress lets you create exciting posts directly from the smartphone app. You can edit your photos with an app such as Pixlr Express that enables you to adjust, correct, crop and filter your images for a consistent look. 

Run a profitable side hustle 

Last but not least, why not start a side hustle that brings a little pocket money to your household? An online selling platform such as eBay allows you to earn supplemental income by decluttering your home. You can also buy things wholesale and sell individual items on eBay. Admittedly, you need to know your market first as you might end up wasting your money on products nobody wants! 

Making the commute to and from work more enjoyable and productive can dramatically impact on your mental health. More importantly, you can use the time to boost your income, your skills and your personal image online.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.