Most people hate public transportation.

Yes.

They hate it.

Taking public transportation usually means waiting for the bus at the bus station, then waiting to get in the bus and then hopefully finding a good seat. And after all of that one still has to deal with the annoyance of stopping every 5 to 10 minutes to let people off and let more people on.

It can also take twice as long to get to your destination than if you had your own car. So there’s already a lot of annoyance when it comes to taking public transportation.

But despite all of this, I want to make a case for why you’re better off or why you can be better off using public transportation to commute to work than taking your own car. I am not saying you’re in general better off without a car. There are obviously times when having a car is necessary.

I personally don’t like taking the bus to buy groceries. I’ve done it many times but I am convinced by now that doing so can be an annoying waste of time and energy. Also how are you supposed to use public transportation if the things you need aren’t all in the same place? Taking public transportation in this case can be a nightmare.

You would also need your own car to visit friends and spend the evening with them, to pick up friends and family from the airport, and to do a lot of other day to day activities. So I am definitely not for public transportation when it comes to doing such things.

I am also against public transportation when it comes to going out with someone you’re interested in. I mean yeah if you can’t afford a car, then you just have to take public transportation. But I personally don’t like taking public transportation in these occasions. It can give the impression that you have a dependent personality and can’t do what you have to do to buy a car and get moving in your life.

So I am not for public transportation in those cases. But if you have a car, I want to share with you some tips that can make you think twice about commuting to work especially if your commute is more than 30 minutes.

1. Time You Can Use Productively

Driving to and from work is time lost from your day.

If it takes you 30 minutes to get to work, then you’re looking at a 1 hour round trip of a complete waste of time. That’s 5 hours every week; 20 hours a month, 240 hours a year. That’s quite a lot of time to be wasting just trying to get to work and to get back home afterwards.

Moreover, you probably spend that time not doing anything aside from transporting yourself from point A to point B. That’s not to mention the stress of being stuck in traffic or waiting on a driver to decide if he or she wants to go right or left. It’s definitely not a good time.

And that’s what happened to me. I was losing about an hour day commuting to and from work and I had enough of it. So I started using public transportation. And that was such a great decision.

All of a sudden, I had an extra 30 minutes to prepare for meetings, to mentally rehearse a speech, to read up on the latest news, and to enjoy my coffee on the way to work. I could also bring out my laptop and work on a few things; sometimes writing a quick email, checking my to-do list, and many others things. And when I got to work, I didn’t have to stress about spending an extra 20 minutes in the garage just to find a spot to park.

It took a whole lot of stress out of my life.

2. Watch TV

Everyone knows that I am not a big fan of TV programs.

I don’t own a TV and I haven’t watched a show in a long time. I am not against TV. I think certain shows are fun and if you aspire to be an actor or improve your comedic repertoire or just to de-stress every now and then, then watching shows is something you want to allocate time for.

But instead of spending the time you have at home to watch TV, consider watching it on the bus. You can watch it on your phone, iPad or your laptop and you can use the commuting time to catch up on these shows without feeling guilty about watching TV.

This is something you can’t do when you’re driving.

3. Relax/Meditate

Another thing you can’t do when you’re driving is meditation.

Next time you’re on the bus or the train, put on your headphones and listen to relaxing music. That’s a great way to start the day. Try using the progressive muscle relaxation technique that I talked about in this article.

You can even meditate when you’re on public transportation. It’s a really good place to practice calming your mind. And no you don’t have to be in a Buddhist temple to practice mediation. You can practice meditation virtually anywhere even where there’s a lot of movement and distraction around you.

In fact, that’s exactly where you want to practice meditation. We almost never have the right space to meditate. So use the space and the moments you have to practice meditation and experience the benefits of this practice.

Also, you don’t have to close your eyes. You can meditate with your eyes open . Don’t worry I am not trying to make you look like a weirdo. Focus on the frond cover of your book or look outside the window and try to watch your breathing as you relax your mind.

4. Read

In addition to working productively, watching your favorite TV shows, and relaxing/meditating on public transportation, you can also read your favorite novel.

If you’re a dreamer, then you’re probably working all the time and if you like novels then you wish you can have an extra hour or so just to read a little bit.

Public transportation gives you that option.

The joy of having an hour a day to read through your favorite novel can enrich your life in amazing ways. I love mystery novels and I honestly like my commute mostly because I get to read my favorite novels on the way back home.

I really don’t have any other time in my day to read for fun.

P.S I wrote this article on my commute.