6 Tips To Making Your Trip To Work More Fun And Productive!

The average one-way commute in Malaysia is roughly more than 30 minutes, especially when there is a jam. Over five days that adds up to 5 hours on the road. And if you live far away, sometimes it is over 1 hour per trip, so in a week you might even be on the road (or LRT/MRT) for up to 15 hours! It’s super mafan but... the upside: That’s valuable time to use to your advantage, whether it’s to catch up on work, grow professionally, or allow yourself some me time. Try one of these creative tips for a productive, happy commute.

1. Learn Something New

Need to keep your eyes on the road? Seek out audiobooks or podcasts relevant to your profession. 

When you are on the road, listening to audiobooks and podcasts may help you develop different soft skills when you listen to topics like leadership and “out-of-the-box methodology”.

Ask co-workers or mentors for recommendations, and embrace absorbing knowledge on varied platforms.

Audio is a great way to diversify how you consume information, try it and see the huge benefits!

2. Get a Jump Start on Your Day

When you commute in the LRT, MRT or bus, take your laptop out and work during the travel.

With that time when you are not bothered by anything, you might be able to finish up a lot of the daily task you have before your day even starts, and thus you’ll finish your work very early that day.

3. Flex Your Travel Hours

Instead of attempting to go through the KL jam in the morning, try to either go earlier or later when the jam hasn’t started or just ended. 

Even if you go late, you will arrive at a normal time. If you go early, you have ample time to finish up your work for the day and get a head start.

At the end of the day, you can do the same, if you finish your work early, just leave before the jam especially if you came early. Likewise, you can also finish up work for tomorrow and leave a bit later to beat the jam.

4. Connect With Friends and Family

Commuting is a great time to touch base with the people who matter to you most, with a real, live hands-free conversation.

You can make a phone call or WhatsApp your friends and family on the ride and keep in contact with them, especially when you are the kind that are super busy 90% of the day.

Maintaining those connections pays off in a big way: Studies suggest that having strong relationships can translate to better health, less stress, and better performance at work.

5. Mix It Up

Sometimes drive, sometimes take the LRT, sometimes take a Grab. The change of scenery keeps your daily commute more interesting.

Alternatively, you can find different routes with your navigation app and discover new sceneries and roads, maybe you will discover something interesting along the way as well!

6. Change Your Mindset

Instead of thinking negatively about the jam, find a positive way to think about your commute, for example…

This is the only time of day you can zone out and listen to music while reflecting on yourself and your day.

This is the time where it is so calm and serene it is almost like meditation and relaxation.

With a change in mindset, you can make a boring and anger inducing trip into a very chill vibey trip.