7 Productive Things You Can Do While Commuting

Commuting doesn’t have to be the hellish experience it has been made out to be. You can learn a lot while commuting. I used to despise jumping on the train or taking the bus, but not anymore. I have everything set-up for my commuting adventures.

I always have a book ready, or my iPod loaded up with material for me to listen to. I like to read and fill my brain with knowledge, so finding material is easy. The biggest problem you’ll face is preparation. You have to prepare yourself for your commutes, otherwise you’ll most likely not bring the best material with you.

You’ll almost feel forced to do something, which is when it’s a perfect time to fill your brain with precious, tasty knowledge.

Here are a few productive things you can do while commuting:

1. Read a Book
   You may not have time to read books, but if you’re commuting and doing nothing, you’re wasting a good opportunity to get friendly with the interesting world of books.

If you aren’t an avid reader, it may feel hard to get started, but as you keep reading, you’ll find it more and more fun, at least I did.

• Write
  If you’re aspiring to become a blogger or writer of any kind, you can grab a laptop, put on some music and start writing while sitting on the train or bus. 

If you don’t have a laptop, there are a lot of ways to find a really cheap one. If you’re only using it for writing and surfing the web, you don’t really need the best of the best.

• Listen
  If you’re commuting by car and can’t really read or write, you can always buy audiobooks and audio courses on many different topics. 

There really are no excuses to squander your commuting time. No matter how you commute, you can always take advantage of the time you have.

• Solve Problems
  Have anything in your life that isn’t clear or that’s bothering you? Grab a pen and a piece of paper and start putting down your thoughts on paper. 

Whenever I write down whatever I’m trying to solve, it helps clear my mind, and I’m sure it’ll help you as well.

• Start a Business
  Online businesses are started every day in every way. Even if you only have one or two hours of free time every day, you can get a lot done by prioritizing your time. 

There are a lot of different online income streams you can build. You can get involved in affiliate marketing, or in creating your own products.

It’s easier said than done, I know, but it is possible, and there are people doing it. The only thing standing in your way is you.

• Visualize
  This is for those times when you’ve somehow forgot all of your stuff at home. Whenever I’m on the bus with nothing in my hands or in my ear, I like to visualize and play around with my imagination. 

That is, of course, if there’s no beautiful scenery to marvel at. Visualization can be anything you want it to be, but I personally like to use it to feel good.

What you do is you visualize something you want. Say you want to travel. Think about as many details as you can and start living your dream, inside your head.

Feel the feelings you would have if you were already traveling right now. You’ll know it works because you will start feeling better and better.

• Learn A Language
  Have you ever thought about learning a language? I think we all have at some point in our lives. I’ve recently started learning Spanish and am having a lot of fun doing it. 

Language learning can be fun. You don’t need to sit in school and study grammar to learn a language. You can immerse yourself in it and absorb it.

If you can devote 30-60 minutes to a language per day, you will make progress. If you can do more, you will learn more.

Commuting may at first seem boring, but when you really think about it, it’s an opportunity for you to do awesome things while the world passes you by.

Written on 9/21/2010 by Henri Junttila. Henri blogs at, Wake Up Cloud, where he shows you how you can earn money online ethically. You can also get the Passion Blogging Guide, which is free, but really shouldn't be.

Photo Credit: j.o.h.n. Walker