Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom 7 Ways to Maximize Commuting Time

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom 7 Ways to Maximize Commuting Time The average American professional spends over an hour a day commuting. For most, that time involves listening to music, reading the paper, staring out the window, or sleeping. However, whether you drive or take public transportation to the office, your goal should be to leverage your commuting time so that you can spend fewer hours working. Here are some recommendations to that effect. 1. Listen to industry podcasts or webinars. There’s no end to the professional development options available online for instant download, and many are low-cost or free. Instead of taking time out of the office to attend a course or workshop, fire up an audio recording on your smartphone, iPod, or tablet and learn about a new skill or trend while you travel. 2. Replace your entertainment or daily newspaper with a relevant trade. Reading about celebrities is fun, and it’s certainly useful to keep up with the news in your area. But how about taking along one of those industry-related publications that has been sitting on your desk for weeks? If it’s the only piece of reading material in your bag, you’ll be more likely to at least peruse it, and a hard copy won’t hurt your eyes, like squinting at the type on your phone or tablet can. However, we do think The Fast Track looks pretty nice on a mobile device. 3. Hold on-the-go conference calls. If you are in a situation where talking aloud won’t disturb fellow passengers, schedule calls during your commute so that you don’t have to do them at the office. Just be careful that you aren’t too distracted by the conversation to drive responsibly. Like what youve read so far? Check out the full post on Intuits Fast Track blog.