Do you drive to work? And is your drive a drag?
In our
microwave-fast, cyber-driven society, we do everything in a hurry. Zip, zap,
and zoom! We hate to waste time. If anything takes us more than a moment or
two, we quickly grow restless, or even impatient.
And yet we find ourselves
stuck in gridlock traffic each day, as we make our way to and from our places
of employment.
In the past, people
used to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. For example, in Deerfield, Illinois, Half
Day Road is so named because it used to be a six-hour carriage ride from the
city of Chicago.
Today, if you’re lucky, you can make the drive in less than 20 minutes.
Many commuters spend
hours in their automobiles each day, tapping the gas and brake pedals in rhythm
with the cars around them. How can you reduce stress, eliminate boredom, and
use this time constructively? Here are a few ideas, in alphabetical order:
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1. Arrange your activities. As you creep along the expressway, take a
mental inventory of your day. In the morning, you might plan out the projects
you will need to address when you arrive at work. On your trip home, you might
debrief and decompress before you pull in the driveway.
2. Buy or borrow audiobooks. Bookstores and libraries offer hundreds of
these. Some are quite professionally done, with talented actors narrating. Why
not work your way through a chapter or two of that book you have been meaning
to read? Who knows? You might transform potential road rage into War and Peace.
(A friend actually made his way through the entire Bible in one year of workday
commuting.)
3. Carpool with a colleague. Why not pick up a friend or coworker for the
trip to and from work? You can enjoy conversation on the way and save money on
gas.
4. Dial a friend. How about using the commute time to return
phone calls? (Many of us do our most efficient phone work in the car.) Hands-free
phone-sets are available, for added safety. (These are actually required in
many U.S.
states.) Of course, text messaging while driving is a big no-no everywhere.
5. Enjoy the excursion! Spending time behind the wheel need not
always be stressful. Taking your time and using this daily stretch for quiet
moments, meditation, and prayer time, and personal relaxation can be a real
bonus to you and those in your household.
6. Find public transportation. If a bus or train will take you easily to
and from work, then this can be a convenient option. Monthly passes can spell
significant savings over wear-and-tear on your automobile, plus gasoline and
insurance costs. As a passenger, you can accomplish a lot of paperwork,
reading, and electronic correspondence.
7. Get off the main roads. When you have extra time to do so, it can be
quite stimulating to take a new route to or from work. Perhaps you have an
errand to run, or you would like to check out real estate in another community.
Taking new routes can be quite diverting !
8. Have a meal along the way. Meeting a contact for breakfast on the way
to work or for supper on the way home, can break up the trip and make it much
more enjoyable.
Commuting does not
need to be a mindless road race each day. A little creativity can help you to
survive the drive – and thrive.
Image/s:
Is your commute a killer? 8 ways to rev
up the ride
Created by this user – including public
domain artwork
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