I have a looooooog commute to my current placement, clocking up at about 2 hours each way! I love to moan about it and my lack of sleep due to the commute, but part of me is loving the time I'm stealing by getting the train to work! Here are my top 10 things to do on the train in to work to steal back some time:
1. Have some breakfast
I always look for ways to have more sleep, and eating breakfast on the train is a great way to have a lie in. You can take a porridge pot in a thermos, or you can make this amazing oaty breakfast invented by Ruth at The Crazy Runner Girl. You make it the night before in a Tupperware container and have delicious breakfast ready to go in the morning.
2. Learn a language
I love learning languages, my current favourite is British Sign Language. However I'm going away to Italy this year and am thinking about listening to some audio language lessons on the train! Ciao!
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3. Get creative
I love knitting and spend most of my time knitting on the train. This is my current favourite pattern book but you could do lots of other crafts such as cross-stitch, drawing, scrap booking?
4. Read a book
I know it's not original but the train is a great time to catch up on your reading, whether for work or personal reading. I'm currently reading "Why Love Matters" by Sue Gerhardt which is about how affection shapes a baby's neural development. It's kind of a work and personal book and really interesting for people who are interested in attachment parenting.
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5. Catch up on your favourite TV Series
I love Brooklyn 99 and Arrested Development, so use your time to catch up
6. Check out some new recipes
I got a subscription to Good Food magazine for Christmas so I love to go through it on the train, turning over the pages of the yummy things I'm going to try. There are also hundreds of amazing food blogs out there, I would love to know your recommendations.
7. Do your hair
Obviously this depends on if you're sitting alone or with someone, but if you have the elbow space, the train can be a great opportunity to steal some sleep time back whilst doing your hair. Why not check out my videos for a couple of styles?
8. Discover new music
My boyfriend has a system on Spotify to discover new music. If he hears a song on an advert or in passing, he will find the artist on Spotify and put all their music into a "listen" playlist. He will then slowly go through listening to each song, either moving it onto a permanent playlist or deleting it. He will then go on a "Spotify Safari" and listen to related artists, discovering new things. A great use of time and you're guaranteed to discover new music.
9. Communicate with people
I am guilty of not texting people very often, however my best friend Sarah is a fantastic friend and is always up to date with gossip and sending people well wishes. Her advice is set out a chunk of time and text 5 - 10 important people, just saying hello how are you? and seeing how conversation goes. It gets conversation going and brings people closer together. Another idea is to buy some cute note cards and write cards to family and friends who live further afield. I love this Hummingbird Bakery set I gor for Christmas a few years ago
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10. Look at the beautiful countryside!
Cheesy, but some of us are blessed with lovely sites to spy. I also enjoy playing a game where you watch other people and guess what their lives are like!