Who doesn’t wish their morning commute was easier? Even those who have a blissful 15 minute or less commute can likely find a thing or two they’d like to change about it.
We see your morning commute as being a window of opportunity — even if you love your commute, you may find something here to help make your mornings even smoother. Here are 5 commuting tips to make your mornings easier.
- Start Your Morning the Night Before. Both men and women take the same amount of time to get ready in the mornings — about 52% clock in between 10 and 30 minutes; with another 20-25% saying it takes more than 30. Think of all the things you could be doing otherwise — morning yoga, a run, reading your favorite web comics, or sleeping (our favorite option). While there are certainly some things you can’t do the night before like shave, put on makeup, or shower (we know — some of you refuse to do it the night before), there are things you can do — like pack your lunch, lay out clothes, and get your briefcase or purse ready to go.
- Treat Yourself to a Tasty Beverage. Part of what makes our morning commutes crummy is that they’re boring. We get in the car, we drive the same route, we park, we go to work. Done. Spice up your mornings with some delicious beverages that can make your drive a little tastier! You can prep healthy and filling smoothies the night before by freezing ingredients in a blender; make a mini coffee bar with your favorite syrups or add-ons, or try scrounging for some new tea flavors to try on your commute.
- Guarantee Your Parking with ParqEx. If you’re lucky enough to have your name in big corporate letters on a metal sign, please skip to point 4. All others, read on! We know what a headache it can be to have to haggle for parking once you arrive at your destination — even worse are the mornings when you’re running late and can’t seem to find a single place to park. Cut down on all the hassle by finding and reserving the best spot using ParqEx, and never give your boss that lame parking excuse again.
- Level Up Your Entertainment. The news tends to be depressing, talk radio is typically mind-numbing, and there’s a good chance you’ll be hearing those Top 40 songs for the rest of the day in either the breakroom or from your cube mates. Why not get yourself some better audio entertainment for your ride? Podcasts, books on tape, and even webinars are all fantastic ways to inject a little education into your morning — here are some that are far from boring, and are genuinely fun to listen to.
- Get a Sidekick. It may seem like a 90s sitcom trope, but carpooling can actually be pretty great. You can typically save a lot on both car maintenance and gas — and you may even land yourself some new friends. Carpooling can be a great way to practice your professional social interaction too, letting you get a leg-up in the way you talk with your coworkers — and when was the last time you saw “Communication skills not needed” on a job listing?
We’d love to hear from you! Contact us if you’d like to learn more about how you can earn money through your parking spot, and how the sharing economy is making waves for people like you.
