Today I’m sharing some ways to pass the time during your commute. Let’s start this post by saying these activities can help pass the time in many other situations as well, but for the purpose of this post, I’m focussing on commuting. We’ve all been there – stuck on a bus, train or even aeroplane, heading to work and bored. So with that in mind, I’m going to share some of the best things to do when commuting that I’ve found.

What is Commuting?

I figured we’d start at the very beginning and clarify the meaning of commuting first, to avoid any confusion. According to the Cambridge dictionary, the meaning of commuting is: “the activity of travelling regularly between work and home”.
(Example): The new job will involve much less commuting.

So now we know that commuting is the act of travelling regularly between work and home, we can start to consider some of the things to do when commuting…

Ways to Pass the Time on Your Commute

Whether your commute takes 15 minutes or three hours, there’s plenty of things you can be doing. Some of the below ideas are productive and can help you get ahead at work, while others allow you to grab a little “me time”, when it’s hard to find at other times of your day. So keep reading for some great ideas on things to do when commuting.

Deal With Your Email Inbox

This was always top of my to-do list when I was sat on a bus, heading into work. I found it productive to clear my inbox ahead of arriving at work, so I could prioritise emails I needed to deal with, before I headed into meetings. I used flags, so I could flag important emails that I needed to deal with once at the office, and I would forward relevant emails to other people, to delegate the resolution of the email to them.

Play a Game

Playing a game on my phone was one of my favourite ways to pass the time when commuting home from work. This really helped me to switch off if I’d had a stressful day and I needed to unwind before getting home. Sometimes I’d play a casino game on my phone, if there were any good UK offers available, but I’m also a big fan of Homescapes and The Sims Freeplay, so I’d happily unwind while playing any of those as well.

Listen to a Podcast

Something else I liked to do when looking for ways to pass the time when commuting was listening to podcasts. Sometimes I’d listen to a motivational type series, to help encourage me to strive for more at work, but I tended to zone out and enjoy an entertaining podcast on my way home, to help me switch off after a busy day.

Read a Book

I know, I know – this one is obvious! However, if – like me, you’re always forgetting to pick up your physical book when you leave the house, the Kindle app on your phone may just be the game changer you need on your commute. I love to open the Kindle app and read a few chapters when I’m commuting home from work. I do sometimes struggle with motion sickness though, so I tend to avoid reading when the mode of transport is on the warm side.

Listen to Music or an Audiobook

I’m a Spotify subscriber, and definitely get my money’s worth from my premium plan. I’ve got a playlist for all occasions, including a “wake up” one, which is perfect for the morning commute. I love that the Spotify premium plan includes 16 hours per month of Audiobook time too, as this allows me to listen to an audiobook without an additional subscription.

Meal Plan and Grocery Shop

I have to be honest, meal planning is definitely not in my wheelhouse, but one of my good friends does her weekly meal plan on her commute to work, and then places her grocery order when she’s sat on the train home! As if that’s not organised enough, she also selects the order for click and collect, so she can leave the park-and-ride car park, and pick up her groceries on her way home from work the next day.

Final Thoughts on Things to do When Commuting

So there you have it – Six great ways to pass the time when commuting! There are loads more, I know. I didn’t want to get into doom scrolling or watching videos, as I find that leaves me zoned out when I get to work or home, so I don’t feel it’s always a particularly positive thing to do on your commute.

Let me know in the comments if you can think of any other ideas though – I’d love to hear what ways to pass the time you use.