I spend alot of time in my car. I mean, ALOT! Like my daily commute each way is 40 minutes minimum…lately it’s been closer to an hour with the crazy weather we’ve been having. It’s enough to drive a person (ie. me!) crazy sometimes.
All of this time driving, especially after working, ends up killing my workout motivation more often than not. It’s very frustrating. So I’m going to try to workout in the mornings more often to make sure that it happens.
But back to the commute…here’s what I do to get through it:
Turning up the radio: I listen to the Eric & Kathy morning show on 101.9 in Chicago. I’m sure I get some crazy looks from other drivers as I spend most mornings cracking up at Eric and Kathy, listening to Patrick Mannelly and Patrick Sharp interviews, and trying to win a ticket for Chips, Dip and a Mexico Trip (Cabo!).
In the evenings, I end up flipping around alot to different stations, because I listen to the radio so much that songs get old very quickly. I’ve even tried creeping out of my comfort zone and started listening to some alternative, country, and Christian music. Sometimes I just listen to talk or news radio so that I don’t get bored from the repeat music.
Listening to books on CD: I never thought I had the attention span to follow a book on CD, but whenever I start listening it makes the trip go by so much faster, and always end up staying in my car a few extra minutes before getting out (It’s like a “just one more page” type of thing!) So far I’ve tried a couple romantic comedy type books so it’s been easy to get sucked in and listen. Definitely something to keep up!
“Not” looking at my phone: this is so bad since Illinois just passed the law that no cell phones are allowed while driving…but I just can’t help it! If I’m at a long red light, I am checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and my email just to make time go by faster. Really need to stop!
So that’s what I’ve come up with so far to get through my commute…thanks for listening to my random ramblings! Linking with Amanda’s Thinking Out Loud for today’s post.
Help me out: What do you do to make your commute go by faster?
Biggest pet peeve about your commute and/or other drivers?
JanaBanana, RD 
I only had to commute – about 1 hour – for a year. And it was not an easy drive (all back roads). Now, I live less than 2 miles from work and can’t imagine going back to commuting. I’d rather ride a bus or something – so at least I can use my phone while riding! 🙂
I would love to take public transportation! There’s a bus that runs near my apartment and would drop me off a few blocks away from my office, but occasionally I get called to cover at other offices so I have to have my car with me. Great idea though!
That’s a bummer! Our bus system here is terrible, but I’ve always hoped to soon live in a town with awesome transit so I can knit on the way 🙂
Ugh I remember my commutes when I was going to school… 30 minutes at least, and up to an hour when the snow fell and people forgot how to drive. I wish I had thought to listen to books on CD, but I might actually start doing that when I’m on the treadmill in the gym — hopefully that’ll make the time go by faster. Thanks for the idea 🙂 And I wish I could help you out when it comes to commuting, but I’ve never found a way to make it less painless. It’s a practice in patience for sure!
Oooo I never thought about listening to an audiobook on the treadmill…I’ll have to try that too!
I love that my commute to work is only 10 minutes. Don’t hate me please! 🙂 And I am like you: if I come to a red light I am checking my phone. Just awful! lol
haha, I’m glad I’m not alone in checking my phone…but I really need to stop!
I seriously hate long commutes. Now I live about a 10 minute walk from work, which has DRASTICALLY improved my life (especially when I can just walk to work if it’s too snowy on the roads to drive). But when I used to have a longer commute, I’d listen to a morning show like you. Music gets super old after a while, and I used to like laughing with the morning show and look forward to certain segments. Books on tape are a great idea! They usually put me to sleep, but I only listen to them when I’m doing really long, cross country drives!
yeah, the books on tape have definitely caused me to space out while I drive…when I arrive home, I’m always surprised and feel like I must have been on autopilot the whole time
Luckily my commute is not long at all and I take secondary roads, so it’s actually usually pretty pleasant! Oh and I eat my bfast in the car, which also makes it more enjoyable. 🙂
I like to drink my coffee on the drive to work to help pass the time, but I also like to drink it at work…guess that just means more coffee, haha!
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