With the average American spending nearly an hour commuting to work every day, the logical question is how to spend that time. As a graduate student at the Institute for Advanced Analytics at NC State, I spend over an hour commuting to campus every day. Although there is not one right way to spend the time during your commute, I hope to outline some approaches and examples I have found to be useful in order to get the most out of time that would otherwise be wasted in traffic.
Set the Tone
We begin in the morning. Your morning commute sets the tone for the day— whether you are tired because you didn’t get enough sleep, you’re stressed because a deadline is rapidly approaching, or you’re excited because you are starting a new project. I recommend beginning the journey with a song that is reflective of your goals for the day. If you are presenting, you might want to start with a high-energy song or your favorite song that will raise your energy levels. This is one of the most enjoyable portions of my morning routine and usually takes about 5 minutes. Once you have sufficient energy levels, you can begin to assess the day ahead.
One of the first strenuous assignments students at the Institute complete is the summer practicum presentation in which we deliver presentations to our peers and faculty. The stressful nature of my first presentation resulted in a lack of sleep the night before and high anxiety the morning of the presentation. To adjust for my lackluster state, I hopped in the car and immediately blasted one of my favorite hype-up songs: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. As I (badly) sang along to the iconic lyrics of Freddie Mercury, I found my nerves relaxing and my energy levels rising. After the conclusion of the masterpiece, I was awake and ready to mentally tackle the day.
Map it Out
The infamous intensity of the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) program can cause mental fatigue as students are balancing multiple projects simultaneously. I find that when I’m feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or unguided, it is beneficial to mentally map out my goals and tasks for the day in order of priority. Ordering your goals for the day helps organize your thoughts and alleviate stress. This can be done while listening to music or in silence, just as long as you are focused on your mental map rather than the music. If you struggle to mentally map, use technology— Siri, voice memos, etc.— to your advantage. This part of the commute creates clarity and typically only takes a minute or two.
Let’s Learn
Once you’ve established your energy levels and have a mental map of the day ahead, you are now ready to spend the rest of the commute committed to growth. This can be professional or personal growth, as long as the material is mentally stimulating. Mentally stimulating topics will help wake up the brain so that you arrive to school or work ready to go. Although there are many methods to accomplish this goal, the most common and easiest ways to do so are either listening to a podcast or audiobook. It really does not matter what the content of the podcast or audiobook is, as long as it is thought-provoking. Consistently dedicating 20-30 minutes every day to growth will not only prepare the brain for the day but will also pay large dividends over time through building knowledge.
As much as I enjoy dedicating most of my brain power to furthering my understanding of data science, I typically use commuting time listening to podcasts related to my other interests. As someone who values personal health and fitness, I am currently listening through the catalogue of Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcasts The Huberman Lab, where he explains biological processes, such as attention pathways or gut health, and optimization practices. I find that dedicating this time to mentally stimulating interests outside of data science fuels my motivation to learn while also reducing burnout.
Here are my top six podcast recommendations for your commute:
- Breaking Points: Political talk show that provides common sense analysis and solutions to American politics from conservative and liberal hosts.
- Lex Fridman Podcast: An AI researcher at MIT hosts the world’s brightest minds to discuss their areas of expertise.
- The Andrew Huberman Lab: A Stanford Medical School professor’s attempt to educate the masses about biological systems and methods to optimize them.
- Stuff You Should Know Podcast: Breakdown of interesting events, theories, technology, phenomena, etc.
- The Dream Job System: Atypical methods and techniques to land your dream job.
- The Happiness Lab: Explanations, methods, and techniques to understand and improve happiness.
Arrive
Sometimes, just as I’ve parked my car and arrived at the Institute, the audiobook or podcast starts getting really good, but it’s time to pause it and shift focus to my responsibilities for the day. Don’t worry, I’ll get to finish the story or topic as soon as I’m done with school for the day. It is imperative that you choose a podcast or audiobook that interests you so that you can trick yourself into looking forward to the commute, rather than dreading the transportation time.
I hope you find that these techniques make the unavoidable travel time a little more bearable.
Columnist: Ryan Shafiei