Four Ways to not Waste your Commute

Do you commute?

Even a few minutes a day in the car invested wisely can yield great personal growth results. I spend time in the car daily driving kids to and from various activities, and commuting for work purposes. It might sound crazy, but I love this time in the car because it is a prime opportunity for personal growth. Rather than spending commute listening to talk radio, or music, I have learned that by capturing this time in the car I can learn, grow, and be spiritually challenged.

Here are four ways to not waste your commute:

Don't waste your commute

1. Listen to Audiobooks

Over this past year, I have listened to over a dozen books in the car. These are books that I likely would not have found the time to read otherwise. I get all of my books from Audible.com, which is owned by Amazon. You might save a couple of bucks by buying audiobooks elsewhere, but the ease of use is what sold me on audible.com. It seamlessly integrates with your Amazon account, and there is an iPhone App that makes all of my books instantly accessible. Getting an oil change? Press play on your phone app, and you are listening to a book. The way that this works is that I have a membership to audible.com. For $14.99 monthly, I get one credit. One credit equals one book download. Promotions abound on the Internet where you can get your first three months for $7.49. A simple web search will turn these up.

2. Listen to the Bible on Audio

ESV Audio Bible

At the beginning of this year, I spent one of my Audible.com credits on the ESV audio Bible. It is amazing how much opportunity I have to listen to the Bible commuting.  I recently listened to all Genesis and Exodus in 2 weeks! (I do sometimes find myself daydreaming and miss a few verses but honestly I don’t worry about it.) Throughout the day, I find myself continuously thinking about the section of Scripture that I just listened to.  By spending commute time listening to the Bible, you could easily listen to the whole thing in a year. I have tried different audio bibles. This is the one that I recommend:

ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible: The Bible for Life Narrated by: David Heath

3. Listen to Podcasts

Another great growth opportunity exists in the world of Podcasts. You can head to iTunes and look around at this vast world. You can listen to sermons, Business Podcasts, Hobby Podcasts, and almost any other kind of Podcast. Some of my favorites are Tim Keller’s Podcast, HBR Idea Cast, TED Talks, and NPR TED Radio hour. There are so many to choose from, and you will never run out of personal growth opportunities.  If you use an iPhone, there is a Podcasting app that makes it easy to listen in the car.

4. Pray

Please don’t close your eyes in traffic, but consider devoting time on your commute to prayer. You could cultivate your whole prayer life during your daily drive.

Also Read: 3 ways to free up 8 hours in your Week

How do you use your commute? Post a Comment and continue the conversation.

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Posted by Brian Howard

My focus is to help YOU move forward one step at a time. I write about church excellence, personal productivity, and family leadership. I coach leaders, start churches, and help organizations break growth barriers. My goal is to draw on this experience to help YOU move forward in life, leadership, and productivity.