Spending hours and hours on public transport? Here’s how to be more productive on train journeys

Whether you’re making hour-long commute every day to work or travel a lot for your job, we can easily waste our most productive hours sat in a train with nothing to do. However, more and more people are seeing the benefits of having uninterrupted time on the train and are turning them into productive opportunities.

‘Easier said than done’, some might say. It might seem like there are lots of distractions but being productive doesn’t always mean writing a 2,000 word essay. Here are some easy ways to stay get things done whilst you’re choochooing your way around the country.

Plan

Planning is something we tend to put off in favour of more pressing jobs. If you’re commuting to work on the train, start planning your week and set up goals and tasks for each day and note down any social or other commitments after work. This can be as easy as jotting down some bullet points on a pad of paper or typing them in your phone.

Then, when you arrive to work, you will feel organised and ready for the week ahead.

Read or listen to a podcast

Again, we rarely make time for reading or listening to podcasts in our busy schedules. Put Instagram and Facebook away and favour something more mindful and relaxing. Reading is a great way to keep your mind fresh and versatile whilst listening to podcasts is wonderfully informative and relaxing. Their intellectual benefits make these activities perfect for early morning or late evening train journeys.

Do some brain gym

Don’t succumb to staring off into the distance or numbing your brain with social media. Use this time to exercise your brain with a book of puzzles. Whether you favour Sudoku, crosswords or brainteaser apps, you will leave your journey feeling more energetic and focussed.

Get through the monotonous tasks

They don’t require a whole lot of intellectual input and can be done relatively quickly, making everyday chores perfect for train journeys. Stay ahead by sorting and replying to your emails, organising your calendar or doing some market research in your industry.

Brainstorm new ideas

If you’re in a creative industry, train journeys offer perfect, uninterrupted time to brainstorm new concepts. Take advantage of having no work distractions and think about new campaigns and projects that would benefit your team. Then, by the time you get to work, you’ll be buzzing with inspiration.