Work happens.
Pretty much 5 days out of 7, we have to wake up early, leave our snug little nest and head to work. Often, we start our work day with a mind numbing commute.
If you are “lucky” enough to drive yourself to work, then you only have to worry about grid lock. Cyclists have to have to worry about not getting run over. If you take public transportation, sure it’s a little bit safer, but it’s not always safer for your stuff. Here are 5 tips to making your morning a stress free commute that you can look forward to.
- Unplug. Whether you drive, ride, or cycle, use the time to relax. Try not to focus on the mobile notifications. Sure, you may feel that you are getting ahead by thinking of ways to tackle the work before you get there, but what you are really doing is just stressing yourself out. Make your commute stress free by using the “Do Not Disturb” function on your phone. Instead, listen to calm music, a meditation soundtrack, or read a book that appeals to you personally. (Unless you are driving, then just listen!) Make your commute about you, and you’ll arrive at work refreshed and unruffled.
- If you drive or cycle, refresh your mind by traveling a new route. Of course, this only works if you aren’t already late! However, traveling a new route actually excites your brain and fires up that neural net. Not only does your brain appreciate it, but it also relieves a little stress. One of the trade-offs that we make when we drive or cycle is not being beholden to someone else’s schedule. There is peace in being self-reliant. However traffic or gridlock can take away that peace. So try a different way, or a few back streets. The distance might be longer, but doesn’t it feel better to be traveling at a constant 40kph, than in stop and go traffic for an hour?
- Leave earlier. Sure, you are already on a bus for an hour, or even a bus and a train, or car. However, leaving early can open a lot of opportunities! You can grab a coffee at the cute cafe near the station that you’ve had your eye on. Instead of trying to choke down your hot drink and run, now you’ll be able to take a few moments, sit at a table, and peruse the best pictures from our AirBolt Instagram. Or, you can get to work a whole half hour early, but inside of going in, get a quick breakfast toasty from that place that everyone is raving about. There is also an inherent freedom to arriving early – it’s like colouring outside of of the lines. You’ve made the decision to show up at that time, not your boss. So be a little rebellious, and leave a little earlier.
- Get a Bullet Journal. Haven’t heard about this craze? Well get ready to fall down the rabbit hole that is Pinterest! Bullet journaling is an exercise in mindfulness and creativity. It’s about detailing your present and future moments, just like in a normal diary, but you aren’t quite bound on paper by such stodgy things like dates and lines. Take your hour in the morning to melt into a blissful stress free commute and focus on you! Get creative with your day, your dreams, and goals… and have the awesome excuse for buying all new stationery.
- Stay safe! This is especially the case when you are packed like a sardine on public transportation. Your purse is now kinda wedged under your arm, or your messenger bag is pointed away from you like an easy target. Or worse, its down by your feet, accessible to anyone while you Facebook into oblivion. So what you need is an AirBolt. This handy little smart lock will keep all of your valuables safe while you are in public. The AirBolt uses Bluetooth, and it pairs to your smart phone. So this means your bag is secure, as your phone locks or unlocks it. The AirBolt also uses crowd sourced GPS, so if you look down and it’s not there, you can see if your bag is still on the train with you, or if its in the last location where you left it. A safe commute is indeed a stress free commute!
