How to use your public transport time
A lot of students have to travel a long time to get to school, and that time adds up. I spend 3 hours every day on trains, and I’ve learned some things over the last few weeks!
Here’s some tips:
Do your homework.
Trains or busses don’t give you a lot of space, so choose what to take out. Since writing can be difficult without a proper surface, I prefer working on reading assignments or using my laptop.
Keep what you need close together and easily accessible, so you can get everything quickly. It helps to prepare beforehand (e.g. while waiting for the train).
Do further reading.
You’ve probably got a ton of extra reading recommended by your teachers, and let’s be real, nobody has time to work through everything. But if you’re stuck there anyway, you might as well take out your laptop or a book and read for a bit.
You don’t have to focus as much because you’re not doing an assignment, so I recommend it for the way home after lectures.
Organise.
Take out your planner or journal and plan your day, update schedules, or check what you already got done.
If you’ve got WiFi, check your emails! Can’t do that often enough anyway :)
Take a break.
This my sound like the opposite of what I’ve been saying, but hear me out.
Things are stressful. And while working while on your daily commute seems useful, sometimes you need a break between school and studying.
So take that time and consciously make an effort to breathe, close your eyes for a minute, listen to your favourite music, and don’t think about what you have to do.
It’s okay to not use every minute to work, because taking some time for yourself can be much more important.
Things to keep in mind (and your bag):
As mentioned before: prepare what you need to get out.
Have some pens ready in an outer part of your bag, including one or two highlighters, a regular pen and a pencil.
Headphones. Seems like a given, but I’ve left the house without them and deeply regretted it. Not necessarily for music, but just filtering out noise can help.
If you’re going for the break option, some food to replace a small meal can save cooking time at home. Since I’m at uni well into the evening, I take a small container with me to eat as dinner on my way home.
A lot of time gets lost while switching and waiting. It’s difficult to really work while standing around on a platform, so I recommend to read in a book or revise with flashcards instead of loose papers.
Perks:
As someone with anxiety, I find getting started on tasks often very difficult. The train is a low-stakes environment, because if I can’t deal with something right then, I just shove it back into my bag and listen to some tunes.
It helps me to think “I’ll just do a little right now” instead of “I have to get this done right now”.
You can use the time. It’s way less frustrating to think of 3 hours of possible working than 3 wasted hours.
I hope y’all found some of this helpful :)
A long commute can be annoying, but it can relieve your workload at home. May all your trains and busses be on time and your focus excellent ☀️
