4 Ways to Improve Your Drive to Work

Your daily drive to work can be a beat down. It can be a time of panicking through traffic and worrying about your incessant list of tasks to get done that day.

The average person spends 26 minutes commuting one way to work each day. That’s 130 minutes a week just getting to work. This is a significant portion of our day, and it is often overlooked as a necessary, grueling task.

More than 80% of us spend that time traveling in our own personal vehicle. So how can we improve this inevitable drive and make it more satisfying?

Who is to say we can’t harness this time as part of our self care ritual? Let’s discuss some ways that help you look forward to that drive.

4 Ways to Improve Your Drive to Work

 

⇒ 1. Check the traffic report before you leave home.

Especially if you have the option to travel more than one route to work, it is important to check the traffic report before leaving the house. I check the traffic as well as the weather while I quickly eat breakfast in the morning.

This can save a lot of headache (and I always regret when I forget to do this). Being stuck in gridlock when you could have taken another way to work is a horrible way to start your day.

Not only are you losing minutes you could have been prepping for your day at work, you may actually end up being late with a consequence as well.

Often I will just type in my work address in my Maps app on my phone, ask for directions and see if there’s anywhere red on the map. If it is really bad, the map will often show me the best alternate route.

 

⇒ 2. Change up your your jams.

I am a faithful listener of my local morning radio show on my drive to work. However, there are times when my soul needs something a little more enriching than hearing about how many people Selena Gomez unfollowed on Instagram yesterday.

These are the moments that I pull out my Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter (seriously, the BEST investment I’ve made lately). I can broadcast anything from my phone into my radio speakers wirelessly.

I love using this particular wireless transmitter because it is the most clear sound I’ve found in this type of product, and it has a USB plug built in, so I can still charge my phone while using it. Win-Win.

Some mornings, this means a podcast or a TED talk that I find motivating and uplifting.

Sometimes, this means an Amazon Music playlist. Some of my favorite morning jams:

• • “My Church” by Maren Morris
  • “Roar” by Katy Perry
  • “Rise Up” by Andra Day
  • “Stand By You” by Rachel Platten
  • “Play On” by Carrie Underwood
  • “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles… or pretty much any of her songs
    (These are obviously my, “I need a female anthem” kind of morning.)

⇒ 3. A tidy car makes for a happy commute.

We get in the rush and race of getting everyone in our family where they need to be, and our car becomes simply a way to get from place A to place B. We forget that it is like any other environment we place ourselves and our family within.

The more disorganized or untidy, the more frantic and chaotic it may subconsciously make our commuting.

You can choose to have your car cleaned and organized by someone else. Some places will even put you on a monthly schedule to have your car cleaned. My DFW people, there’s no one better to take care of your car than University Car Wash. They do seriously good work, and you can get a free coffee while you wait.

I’ve even heard of companies that will come to your house and clean your car for you. I mean, that’s serious service… and also takes away a lot of our excuses.

Or you can put in the few extra minutes and work to do it yourself. With a few tools like a Car Vacuum, it can make the task go quickly and easily.

Most important is to just get it done. One way or another, make it a habit to maintain your car like the extension of your living space that it often is.

 

⇒ 4. Diffuse happiness into the air.

Essential oils have the capacity to lift our mood, brighten our disposition and outlook, and support focus and attention. Those are all definitely qualities we could use while improving our drive to work.

You can get those precious little compounds into the air by using a Car Essential Oil Diffuser.

 This is how easy they are to use:

*Add a small amount of water to the chamber. I keep an extra water bottle in my car.
*Add 2 drops of your essential oil of choice.
*Plug in. Push the on button.
*Breathe in those uplifting scents.

How are these different from a regular air freshener for your car?

These diffusers, when used with CPTG essential oils, add natural chemical compounds into the air. These compounds are taken directly from plants without any toxic filler like many other air freshener. Not only can they improve the scent of your car, they can improve your health and wellness too.

To find out more about CPTG essential oils and how to get them in your home and car, check here!

 

This little list is just the begining! Let’s commit to using those average 130 minutes per week to work in a more healthy and a more uplifting way.

What makes your commute to work a little bit brighter? Share in the comments!

As always, Go Be Brave Friends!

 

Resources: https://www.rita.dot.gov

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