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For numerous individuals, the idea of a "ideal" daily travel might seem laughable. Whether traveling to an office, it frequently involves either dealing with rush-hour buses and trains or nerve-wracking traffic. It's easy to expect that any of those scenarios presents much room for happiness, but there exist things we can employ to make them more pleasant, efficient and better for our health. It pays to putting some thought into this, because the daily journey can elevate tension, reduce ability for exercise and lead us to the consumption of additional snacks.

Performing a Travel Assessment

One-time legal professional who became a time management expert suggests starting with a travel assessment to assess its real effect. "Begin by scheduling it on a schedule. Making a visual representation of how much traveling eats into your day provides an accurate view. It’s not just about how much personal time you have remaining, it’s about seeing how travel impacts other parts in your life."

If you’re stuck on a bus, as opposed to scrolling, you could utilize the period to generate ideas for a particular idea.

The goal is not to descend into a spiral of doom but to get resourceful about how to maximise your unused time. One strategy is to build habit stacking into your journey to get other things done. Because going to work is something that you perform every day, piggybacking another task to the regular pattern makes it more likely that it will happen. That might mean building exercise into trips by cycling, or walking some of the way, or running home. But it might also mean learning a foreign language, focusing inward, doing administrative tasks or connecting with friends. The mean travel time is around just under thirty minutes, increasing to nearly forty minutes in major cities. That amounts to about a substantial chunk a week that daily travelers have to themselves.

Leveraging Structured Time

Experts note that the daily commute has the clear upside of offering a regular, consistent block of time to concentrate on an concept. This references the concept of deep work, which proposes using chunks of time to concentrate intensely on one topic. "So if you’re seated on a bus, as an alternative to scrolling, you could employ that period to ideate a defined idea, either for work or a side hustle," says one expert. "One reason ideas often come to us in the bath is because we’re so infrequently quiet and calm so ideas don’t have the chances to emerge."

This indeed appears attractive. What if, in place of feeling frustrated as I enter a stressful journey, I could reframe it as two daily productive brainstorming sessions? Indeed, I know this is achievable. I have a friend who authored a manuscript on his regular train ride and another who employs the time to progress her new startup concept.

Maintaining Positivity When Facing Delays

But how do we maintain positivity when confronted by traffic jams, or not getting a seat and wedged pinned in a crowded space? The remedy, says a happiness consultant, lies in the principle of radical acceptance. "A lot of life’s emotional friction arises when what we would like life to be is not matched by reality. If we can bridge that gap, we are going to reduce a lot of unnecessary distress. Consider: ‘What is within my control? Have I tried to alter that? What is out of my control? What narratives am I creating?’" Eliminating dramatic statements is one of his strategies. Is the journey actually a nightmare or is it just a bit frustrating? "Think information, not hysteria," he says. "This train is running 15 minutes late. Is there anything I can do about that? No. OK. In which case, settle down and make use of the bonus free time. You were planning on listening to a podcast? Well, now it’s going to be a podcast and a half."

Creating Habits for the Evening Commute

For the trip back, it can be useful to create habits that signal to your brain that you are shifting gears. "I really enjoy listening to lighthearted recorded books," suggests a consultant. "Whatever that will transition us out of professional mindset – a funny program, listening to a playlist – will do the trick. Or you could employ those minutes to send an important email so you don’t need to do it later. A lot of people find it hard with the separation between work and home."

The Question of the Faux Commute

Which introduces the challenge facing many people who are remote workers or do hybrid working. Should we establish a artificial commute to ease the shift? For some, when remote, the day is bookended with dog walks. It is advised that even if you don’t have a dog, it’s a good idea to get into the fresh air or at least get active. "If you don’t, that stagnant stiffness is going to stay with you as you go into your working day. Movement is a great way to alleviate stress and tension. Even something as simple as flexing for a few minutes can balance the nervous system."

So simply rolling out of bed a short time before the first online meeting is not ideal? "If you don’t establish a separation between starting the day and work, what is your experience going to be like? If you made the time, the influence that work has on you would be diminished by the end of the day, since in terms of time less of your waking hours would be taken up by it," a coach explains.

This doesn't mean everyone who is remote needs a simulated commute. Some people truly have excellent separations between home and work. "It's easier if you have a dedicated room so you can shut the door to signify the beginning and end of work. But I know someone who has a designated pair of office shoes to get into and out of work mode. For them, that’s an adequate of a boundary."