How do you make a long commute feel less wasted?

A long commute can feel like a tax on the day: an hour or more in each direction that belongs to nobody. You can't do much about the distance, at least not quickly. But what happens inside those hours is surprisingly open to change, and a commute with a purpose feels very different from one spent waiting for it to end.

Choose one use

The commonest mistake is trying to do everything: a bit of email, a bit of reading, a podcast, some scrolling, a call. The time fragments and nothing gets done properly. Instead, pick one main use for the commute and give it the journey.

Some good options:

• Reading. A long commute is one of the best reading slots in modern life. A novel a fortnight is very possible. Our page on reading more when you're busy has more ideas.
• Audiobooks and podcasts. Ideal if you drive, cycle or walk part of the way. And yes, audiobooks count as reading; see do audiobooks count.
• Learning. A language course, a subject you've always meant to understand. Little and often suits the commute well.
• Planning. Ten minutes with a notebook sorting the day, the week or the weekend.
• Writing. Letters, a journal, notes for a project. Trains are good for thinking.
• Rest. Eyes closed, music on, nothing expected.

Stick with one choice for a few weeks before changing. Commuting habits take a little time to settle.

Use it as a bridge

A commute has a hidden advantage: it separates work from home. People who work from home can miss exactly this, a stretch of time that marks the change from one role to the other. Use it on purpose.

• On the way in: look at the day ahead, think through the first task, read anything you need to be ready for. Arrive with a plan.
• On the way home: close the work day. Write down anything left over, then put it away. Switch to something that belongs to the rest of your life: a novel, music, a call to a friend.

The journey home is the best time to finish work mentally, so that you arrive home actually home. Our page on switching off after work builds on this.

Make the space nicer

Small comforts make a long journey better:

• Good headphones, so your own sound replaces the carriage's.
• A proper drink in a flask you like, rather than whatever's on the platform.
• A regular seat in the quieter carriage, if you can manage it.
• A small kit: book, notebook, pen, snack, charger. Everything you need, always in the bag.

Move part of it, if you can

If any part of the journey can be walked or cycled, try it once or twice a week. Getting off a stop early or cycling to the station turns dead time into fresh air and a bit of movement. Our pages on cycling to work and running to work are there if you want to go further.

Allow days of doing nothing

Not every commute needs to be productive. Some days you're tired, the train is crowded, and the best thing you can do is look out of the window and think about nothing in particular. That's not wasted time; it's one of the few unplanned pauses many people get. Let some journeys be just journeys.