I recently changed jobs and my daily commute went from 30 minutes (one way) to an hour and 15 minutes (one way). I'm moving in two months and will be living 5 minutes from work once I move, however, my current commute is giving me an appreciation of the insanity some people go through on a daily basis.
I don't know how anyone could deal with anything more than an 40 minute commute (one way) each day. As it stands right now I'm spending 2 and a half hours in my car alone on top of a 9 hour work day.
Anyone else out there face a grinding commute, and what do you do to deal with it? I've started downloading alot more podcasts, and always ensure my cig supply is full before I head out on the highway.
Any other suggestions?
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The BBC World News Service is a great one, usually clocking it at a half-hour. NPR has a couple of great talk shows as well, and KEXP does a good Song of the Day podcast.
Edit: Hah, didn't see that there in your OP. My bad. Have you tried getting used to a long drive to think about things? Sometimes a post-work car ride can be great for clearing your head before you get home.
I take the bus, so I usually read normally, but whenever my eyes are tired I love putting on an audiobook. Also, if you're in a field where you get discounts on this kind of stuff, The Teaching Company puts out some really great lectures, I listen a lot to their philosophy sets. Pretty expensive to buy normally though.
A DS can be an invaluable travelling tool.
And I love to read while on the go. For flights/flight changes that should be several hours or more combined, I'll often bring a couple of novels. Rarely anything too heavy; World War Z, various Battletech, Robotech and Star Wars (especially the Thrawn Trilogy) novels are frequent travelling companions.
Really though I couldn't imagine having to do this commute for any longer than the two months when my house closes. I hear about some people that commute 2 hours each way, have been doing so for years and I can only shake my head in disblief.