Managing Commuting Time
Commuting time is often treated as lost time — a necessary cost of getting to and from work. With intention, it can become some of the most valuable time in your day.
Reframing the commute
Section titled “Reframing the commute”The commute has one significant advantage over most of the rest of your day: it is uninterruptible. No one can walk into your commute and ask you something. This makes it unusually well-suited for certain kinds of activities.
High-value uses of commuting time
Section titled “High-value uses of commuting time”Learning
Section titled “Learning”Podcasts, audiobooks, and language learning apps are well-suited to commuting — especially if you are driving or on transit where reading is difficult. A one-hour daily commute gives you roughly 250 hours per year — enough to deeply explore any topic that interests you.
Suggestions:
- Choose topics directly relevant to your current goals
- Listen at 1.25–1.5x speed to cover more ground
- Use a note-taking system to capture key ideas (voice memos while driving, a notes app on transit)
Planning and reflection
Section titled “Planning and reflection”The transition time between home and work is naturally suited to mental preparation and review:
- Morning commute: Review your top priorities for the day. What must get done? What mindset do you want to bring?
- Evening commute: Reflect on what happened. What went well? What would you do differently? What do you need to remember for tomorrow?
Creative thinking
Section titled “Creative thinking”Unstructured mental time — not filled with inputs — is where creative ideas emerge. Occasionally, resist the urge to fill the commute with content and simply think. Some of the best problem-solving happens when the mind is allowed to wander.
Rest and recovery
Section titled “Rest and recovery”Not every moment needs to be productive. If your work is cognitively demanding, the commute may be most valuable as genuine rest — music, scenery, or simply sitting without a task. Arrive more restored, not more loaded.
Active commuting
Section titled “Active commuting”Where possible, walking or cycling to work combines transportation with physical activity — compressing commuting and exercise into a single block of time. Even a partial active commute (cycling to a train station, walking the last mile) meaningfully adds to daily movement.
Making it a system
Section titled “Making it a system”Decide in advance how you will use your commute. Having a default plan — Monday/Wednesday/Friday: learning; Tuesday/Thursday: planning and reflection — removes the daily decision and ensures the time is used intentionally.