Regain Lost Productivity

Whether you are a student commuting to school or a professional battling rush hour every morning, you know the desperation of precious time ticking away. We sit in our cars watching the clock tick off the precious moments of inactivity. This time could be better used to either give you a head start at work or to give you that extra edge before you even get to work.

To be sure, dealing with rush hour and a straight commute to your destination provide different obstacles. A straight shot allows you long periods of uninterrupted travel. On the other hand, rush hour traffic requires more of your attention and is sometimes punctuated by long moments of gridlock. Either way, there are some tasks that you can accomplish while on the road to give you that “leg up” you have been longing for.

So here is a list of 5 techniques you can use to make better use of your commute time:

  1. Listen to News Radio (NPR) - You may wonder what News Radio would have to do with helping you at work or at school, but think about how you feel with people start talking about current events and you are sorely left out because you just don’t pay attention anymore. You can actually build relationships with your coworkers by simply knowing what is going on in the world and having the ability to talk about it. This would be especially helpful to people in sales because in between pitches, small talk might be needed. If you have nothing to say, expect awkward silences and lower sales numbers.
  2. Go Over Your Schedule - Believe it or not, most people enter their day not really know what they are going to do. If you plan our your day before it even begins, you are more likely to successfully accomplish your goals for that day…and even work on tomorrow’s. You can remind yourself of the meetings you have to attend, the deadlines that are coming up that need worked on, people you need to e-mail, or even decide when and where you want to take lunch. Yes, you can even plan to take lunch. Once you have a little planning done, you will be surprised the mountains that will be moved.
  3. Do the Final Preparations for that Big Presentation - No matter what classes you are taking or what kind of job you have, eventually you will have to do presentations. Whether you are approaching your boss about adding to your network infrastructure or getting ready for the first interview, you are preparing for a presentation. Take the time in your car to go over you notes, memorize your introduction, or even brush up on enunciation. Remember, you are the only one there and it would be better to revise how you say it now than in the middle of your pitch.
  4. Use that Blackberry - If you are looking for that head-start on the day, pull out your Blackberry and get cooking. I’m not talking about a piece of fruit, I am talking about that hand held computer/cell phone your company pays for you to carry around. Believe it or not, it is far more useful than just a way for them to keep tabs on you. Blackberries allow you to access your e-mail, the internet, and even IM (Instant Message) people. And because you are less likely to receive a call in the morning, you will get a surprising amount of work done before you even step foot in the office. Don’t have one yet? Most of the time you get a Blackberry from your employer but you can get one from all of the major cellular service providers in the US. This can also apply to any Smart Phone, including a Windows Mobile or even an Apple iPhone. There is a Smart Phone for almost any price point, but don’t expect to get away without putting down a nice little chunk of change.
  5. Start Listening to Audio Books - Audio Books are a great way to spend your commute. The great thing about them is that listening can be completely passive. What I mean is you could be checking your e-mail on your Blackberry, settling your schedule, and reviewing your presentation notes while listening to an Audio Book. I have two favorite places to get my Audio Books, iTunes (it’s easiest) and Audible.com.

The great thing about this list is that you don’t have to do all of them to see some sort of productivity improvement. Just doing one or two will give you more time throughout the day and, like I mentioned, might even allow you to catch that ever elusive lunch break.

Beyond these five tips, the biggest thing to make you more productive is a positive attitude. If you believe you can’t achieve your goals that day, you probably won’t. However, if you set your goals high and strive knowing you can do it, nothing can stop you.

What Do You Think?

What are the biggest obstacles in your morning commute? What tips could you give to your fellow commuters that might give them that morning boost?

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