Last week I worked out of the Jersey City, NJ office where you look directly across the Hudson River at mighty lower Manhattan. As I met various teammates that I do not normally see in person, I asked them about their daily commute to the office. Without exception, I was greeted with painful stories of riding the trains and subways for up to 90 minutes each way to and from work. Not one of my teammates had a positive spin on this required chore or a thoughtful time management approach on how to make this time work in their favor. Why is it that no one likes their work commute? I for one love my daily commute to and from work!
Commuting to and from the office is a necessary evil for most of us. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average travel time to work in the United States is 25.4 minutes. If you subtract 4 weeks for vacation, sick time and other missed work events, that is about 203 hours per year or the equivalent of 25 workdays! Imagine what you could accomplish with an entire extra month per year of time? Here is the answer to making that time work for you and how to turn your commute into something you love.
- Identify an area of personal growth that is a focus area for you to invest in. Make sure it is something you are passionate about even if it does not directly align with your day job at the moment. You will be amazed at how growing skills around an area of interest will spill over in positive ways into your current work environment. In my case, that would be learning the skills and mindset necessary for living (and teaching) a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
- Identify 3-4 mentors in your field of interest. If you don’t know who that should be, start looking online at leaders in the field and consume some of their content to see if your interests align. From this group, find those who have weekly podcasts and subscribe. If they do not have a podcast, they may have e-books you can download. As you listen to a given mentor, they will lead you to others in the field that you can start to follow and be mentored by.
- Immerse yourself in the chosen topic each day to and from work. It will not be long before you start to see the payoff. Not only will you begin to grow in an area you are passionate about, but you will also start to look forward to your daily commute as a treat, and not a chore.
What was 30 minutes of dead time to and from work each day, is now one of my favorite activities. What are you passionate about? What new skills do you want to learn? With a little creative time management, you too will have an extra 203 hours a year to invest in yourself and a commute that you love. Let’s get started!
Resources
Here are links to related resources you might find useful. If you find your life is out of balance, take action today to change that about yourself. I heard it once said, the time is going to pass whether or not you act. Wouldn’t you rather spend that time becoming the person you aspire to be?
