No matter what you do, you’re likely to experience some stress as part of your working life. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to reduce it. In particular, it’s worth taking a look at the commute. A stressful commute gets you into the workplace in a bad mood, affecting your motivation and productivity. Even worse, it makes you more stressed when you get home, too, affecting how you enjoy your free time. Here are a few tips to help with that.
Leave early
One of the best tips for both the start and end of the workday is to leave as early as you can to avoid rush hour. This means having a morning routine that involves waking up really early, which is only really possible if everyone in the home can accommodate it (such as with a partner waking up later to take care of the kids.) if you can get your employer to agree to let you start early and finish early, then you have more time at home in the evenings, allowing you to have a better work-life balance, too.
Get started on the way
Whether you’re on the train or driving to work, one of the best ways to get kicked into work mode for a more productive start and make the slog of the commute more tolerable is to start working before you hit your desk. Of course, you can’t start working at any keyboards but with a hands-free call setup, you can make some early calls and have conversations that might otherwise be saved for the office. It’s a great way of multitasking and allows you to clear some calls off your schedule so you can better use your time in the office.
Know where you’re parking
If your employer only offers limited parking spaces or no parking at all, then driving to work comes with the added challenge of finding somewhere nearby to park. This can take a lot of time in the morning and you can get increasingly stressed as the spaces you want to try are filled up. However, if you find a parking space for rent ahead of time, you can reserve a spot and know that it will be free for you. That’s one less challenge before your workday gets started.
Get your mind engaged
If you’re not able to make a call on the way to work, then there are other ways to take your mind off of the stress of the commute. You can, for instance, listen to a podcast. Whether it’s something to motivate you for work, help you get more organized with your own tasks and processes, or simply to offer some entertainment, having something to listen to on the way can make your commute much less stressful. Just make sure you’re not getting too distracted by what you’re listening to.
Your commute might never be a thing of bliss. However, you can definitely make it much less of a hassle with the help of the tips above.