Maximize Your Drive Time

Maximize Your Drive Time

Tips & Tricks to Ease Your Commute

As the population continues to grow, more and more people will be clogging the highways during your commute. Rather than becoming increasingly frustrated and discouraged, why not use this time to do something productive? There are many ways you can achieve this, and here are some technologies to help you do it.

Have you ever been traveling along and suddenly had a great idea? Since it's generally not safe to jot down notes while driving, why not explore another option. Personal Digital Assistants and even some cell phones now offer voice memo functions. If you don't have an electronic memo capability, another solution is to put your office voice mail on auto dial and leave messages for yourself. Some drivers carry a micro cassette recorder in the car. It can be used for dictating letters to an assistant or simply creating audio memos. Don't forget to remove the tape and add it to your in box once you arrive, so you'll remember to act on it when your schedule permits.

If you have a cell phone and make calls while driving, are you using a headset? In some states it is now illegal not to do so. You should use a headset not only for safety's sake but to minimize your distractions while on a business call. If you obtain a cell phone and an earpiece that are Bluetooth enabled, you wont even need a wired connection with your handset. Many cell phones now offer voice recognition. This is a handy timesaver when you're driving that has safety benefits as well, even if you only program your phone for your most commonly called numbers.

Another productive way to use your drive time is to catch up on the day's news. Most cities have an affiliate of National Public Radio at the public end of the FM dial. NPR offers national, commercial-free broadcasts that report the news in far greater detail than you'll find on most commercial stations. NPR is also offering Podcasts, where you can download mp3 broadcasts of news and music programs produced by NPR affiliates across the country.

Podcasting has really taken off in popularity. iTunes alone offers over 20,000 podcasts which you may download for free. With twenty categories to browse through on their site alone, you're sure to find topics of interest to you. Once you've downloaded them into your iPod, you can use a car adaptor to play the audio files through your car's radio.

A final suggestion is to use your drive time to listen to audio books or enhance your professional development with informational audio CDs. There's a wide range of options available for download or purchase.