Ways to Make Use of the Time You Spend Commuting to Campus
While commuting to campus for your degree does afford an extra amount of well-deserved freedom, it can also be a stifling stretch of time between when your day begins and when your day actually begins.
Luckily, there are numerous ways to stave off the mental drain that occurs on the road between home and school. While you shouldn’t take your eyes off the road, do take a look at these ideas to make your commute a little livelier and prepare you for your classes.
Up Your Podcast Game
Your commute is an opportune time to brush up on class material, though the method may change depending on whether you’re driving, taking the bus, or the train. For any of these modes of transportation, it’s simple to find a podcast covering the of your classes for the day.
This isn’t meant to be a substitute for actual studying but hearing some of the keywords used in your science or history courses can refresh your memory and keep you ready to engage with the material being taught that day. Literature courses also have a plethora of related podcasts, as many novels and short stories are the subject for debate and discussion and can even add insights to the class material you hadn’t considered. Use these to prepare comments in your class’s discussion and you’ll sound extra well-versed in the subject.
Reflect on Material from Previous Class Sessions
If you have a lecture-heavy course, note-taking can be pretty difficult to keep up with, particularly when the instructor has a lot of ground to cover in a short period. Some professors may allow you to record their lectures, or post them online, providing another opportunity to go over the material. Re-reading or listening to the lecture on your way to or from college can help anchor it in your mind, and you can make mental notes to ask questions about concepts or terms you don’t fully understand.
Crack Open that Textbook
For those not driving themselves, your commute is also free time you could dedicate to reading your textbook, or at least skimming it. eBooks are especially helpful here, as you can use them to harmlessly highlight important excerpts for review while on the bus or riding passenger. Being easily able to jump to particular sections without having to physically lug around and turn the pages of a massive textbook will also shave a bit of time off what you’d usually spend combing through an enormous glossary.
Meditate on the Day Ahead
Looking to unplug during your commute, but still need to prepare for the school day? Use the time to self-evaluate. Make a mental list of all your coming assignments and your opinions of your understanding on them. While it might be best to jot them down at the end of your commute, go over which concepts you’ll need better explained and where you might get resources for that.
Or Unwind from a Day Well Spent
Perform some breathing exercises to relax on your way home. Keep your eyes on the road but breathe in through your nose and hold it for four seconds, then release through your mouth. Performing this in thirty cycles can help relieve stress and tension, letting you wind down for the day after some mentally taxing hours of work. Getting into a habit of doing this daily can make falling asleep come more naturally and is one of easiest and most natural forms of stress relief.
If all else fails, you can use your surroundings to provide stimulation. Take a look at the commuter cars around you and attempt to memorize license plates over the course of the week. You’ll start to be able to recognize your fellow commuters’ vehicles. You might even be able to put together patterns and notice which cars are easiest for older folks to drive, or you’ll spy similar vehicles that families choose. This repetition can easily translate to other tasks, but for here it’s just to help wake you up and keep your alert on your way down the road.
Just because your commute is a regular and lengthy bit of downtime doesn’t mean you have to wallow in boredom. This can be counterproductive to your class time, too, as it takes longer for you to wake up and become receptive to information. Get the most out of the school day by being fully alert, prepared, and attentive. Hopefully with these ideas, your commute will become less of a chore and more of an enjoyable, productive element of your day.
