Ask HN: How Do You Make the Most of Your Commute?

Before I sleep, I download a set of podcasts for the commute the following day on Pocketcasts. Mine are usually about ML, Freakonomics, Startup School, and AI. But you go try whatever you want. I find that it's best to spend idle time listening to intellectual background sounds (if you're at least not listening to them).

I try to avoid any social media at this point. Anytime I find myself on Facebook or Twitter for more than 3 minutes, I kill the tab and get back to focus on work.

By not doing the commute. I know, it's not always an option. Podcasts that keep your attention ("Mixergy" and "Startups for the Rest of Us" are the ones that do it for me) or some learning on the side (say Coursera courses) will keep you occupied.

Do all your HN on the train. Read so much that you get sick of this place for 8 hours and aren't distracted. :)

But seriously, if you find some popular threads and read them on the way in, then you can still jump in the comment threads while "your code is compiling". And you won't have wasted your working time reading a long article from HN.

Sleep, at least on the ride into work. Rest is a force multiplier with respect to intelligence. If I'm too awake to sleep on the way in, I will keep my eyes closed anyway, and meditate for the full hour. I get off the train relaxed, energized and fully prepared for the workday.

On the way home, I chat with the other regulars. I try not to spend too much time staring at a screen, considering what I do for a day job. Often I will read, draw, listen to music, or just take time to reflect on the day.

I suppose my own personal conclusion is that, while I do enjoy distractions, not every hour needs to be packed with activities. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to rest, reflect and relax.

I cycle to and from work, anywhere between 20 minutes and 65 minutes since I work in various different locations.

It helps keep me reasonably fit, and I'm convinced it's good for my mind too. Exercise is one of the rare times I'm not looking at a screen or reading complex information. I'm focused on traffic but not thinking hard, certainly not consciously thinking about work or personal problems. It's almost meditative. I think times like that are excellent for creativity and general good mental health.

I usually open up my Audible app and listen to books that are totally outside my field of work. Great way to make your brain think outside your domain.

By listening to music that I enjoy. My commute is mostly highway driving, so it doesn't require too much conscious concentration, which allows me to focus more on the music. Of course, I have to tend towards louder stuff that doesn't lose too much to road/engine/wind noise. That time has allowed me to keep up to date with lots of music that I otherwise wouldn't have time for.

skip talk radio, news, social media, etc. Focus on your goals. If your on public transportation, you have many options. If your driving, you are a bit more limited with options. You can record your thoughts on a voice recorder, or you can listen to books or podcasts about something you want to learn.

Hit the local library for audiobook CDs. I agree its old-fashioned, but my 2012 Honda Civic has a CD player and the Menlo Park library had some great collection of tech/business audiobook CDs. I began experimenting with playing them on the drive to work and am pretty happy with the results.

Another vote here for audio-books. Sure I'm mostly listening to fiction for fun. But if I wanted it could easily be non-fiction or language courses. Too bad learning to code is hard with audio only. Or at least I think it would be.

day dreams keep me busy:

- what would this drive be like if everyone could drive better

- how many cars could i squish if i was in a monster truck

- emp spiking that asshats car after he cut me off

- what is that driver thinking when i blocked his improper merge from happening

- what fun it would be to have some turtle shells to launch

Too short of a commute. I just bike and then I'm there. Honestly that is probably the most productive thing. My phone is in my bag and I'm looking at traffic, etc, so my mind is sorta relaxed but still focused.

I have been doing my side project in my commute (1h 15min in a train)

I've downloaded all the documentation that I could google for as plan HTML and it's doing good :P

I hired a driver to take me to and from work. This gives me about 1 hour 45 minutes more work time per day, and keeps my neighbor from working a night shift 2nd job to make ends meet for his family.

Just my two cents, look into working remotely as this could reduce your commute time. Another thing you could do is listen to podcasts.

I don't do much other than focus on driving in a calm manner. Close calls on the road lead to high stress throughout the day.

I watch videos about programming or whatever else I am interested at the time.

hotspot on the cell phone + laptop means it's just an extension of my work day (good or bad)