Most of us spend quite a bit of time in our car going places like work, running errands, going to various activities and the list goes on. But what do you do with all that time you spend in the car?
The time we spend in our car can be utilized to catch up on things we don’t have time to do or would like to do more of. Drive time can become our own little sanctuary, if we are just a bit more intentional about it.
What if you don’t spend extensive time in the car? Doesn’t matter. It all adds up. My commute to the office is 8 minutes. That becomes 16 minutes each day. During a regular work week, that’s 80 minutes. And that is just my commute time. An hour and twenty minutes each week!
What do I do with that time? I do things I wouldn’t have time to do otherwise.
1. Listen to podcasts. It’s a great way to expand your knowledge. There are thousands of different podcasts covering every subject you can think of that you can download for free. If you have an iPhone there is a free Podcast App you can download. From there you can subscribe for free to any podcast. For Android users PocketCast seems to be the most popular.
Here are the current podcasts that I listen to on a weekly basis that may be worth for you to check out:
48 Days by Dan Miller This Is Your Life by Michael Hyatt The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss Live Your List by Ryan Eller & Jerod Murr The Portfolio Life by Jeff Goins Life and Business by Chris LoCurto Entrepreneur on Fire by John Lee Dumas Beyond the to List by Erik Fisher Smart Passive Income by Pat Flynn Online Marketing Made Easy by Amy Porterfield Right Where You Are by Tammy Helfrich Ray Edwards Podcast by Ray Edwards EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey Learn French by Podcast Travel by Rick StevensI actually manage to listen to all of these podcasts in a week thanks to the little podcast app on my phone. Podcasts are a great way to expand your knowledge and also get inspired in areas of your interest.
2. Listen to audio books. I can’t tell you how often I hear people say: “I miss reading books but I don’t have time to read!” Well, there’s an app for that. It’s called Audible. I recently listened to my first audio book from them and really liked it. Audiobooks are a great way to “read” more books.
Audible is a free app but you have to pay for the audio books. However, did you know that most libraries allow you to not only borrow e-books for free but also audiobooks? Yes. Check with your local library. I haven’t tested this service yet but OverDrive allows you to borrow audio books from your local library without ever leaving your home. Free is always nice.
3. Learn a new language. Why not learn a new language (or dust one off that you learned in school) while you are driving? I’m trying to dust off my rusty French by listening to a podcast but there are several audio classes to choose from on Amazon that you can purchase with a study guide.
4. Write a book, a letter, a blog post, a journal. But wait, how can I write while I drive? Today’s audio recorders are incredible and many allow you to speak hands free while driving. Then connect the recorder to your computer and voila it convert the audio to text. Prices vary but the Philips DVT1500/00 2 GB Digital Voice Tracer 
5. Call a friend. In today’s technology driven world of texting, tweeting and facebooking it’s nice to hear a real voice once in a while. When was the last time you actually talked to a friend or family member over the phone?
I hope I have given you a few ideas for how you can grow as a person and learn new things while spending time in your car. Just remember, safety first. No fumbling around with the phone switching podcasts while driving.
How could you spend your time in the car more productively? Share in the comments.
My productivity solutions for driving
1. Wear a seatbelt
2. Turn off your phone
3. Focus on the task at hand. Driving.
I am strong believer that driving is already a multi-tasking event. There is no need for added distractions.
But in all fairness, I loved all of the information about the podcasts and voice recorder. 🙂
Thanks! I like your suggestion of quiet time in the car too. Sometimes it’s nice to just have pure silence. Especially good if you’re driving in a busy city with plenty of distractions.
Sometimes it is. But I couldn’t do that for a 7 hour trip 🙂
Matt McWilliams recently posted…How to Tune out Negative Voices
Yeah, a 7 hour trip with no podcast, audio book, music or other would be one long drive. 🙂
These are great suggestions. I often use the time to pray. My husband is really good about catching up with people on his drive home. I still haven’t gotten into the podcast thing. I’d like to though.
Shelly Tiffin recently posted…Why Are You Holding My Hand So Tight?: How I Should Have Answered My Husband.
Thank you. The podcast app changed my life. I used to listen to podcasts years ago on my computer but it was hard to keep up so eventually I stopped. Now I listen to them on my phone five minutes here, ten minutes here and it all adds up. It’s addicting though. You start with one, quickly add another and then you want to absorb more knowledge so you start listening to a lot of them. Try it out.
Thank you for the podcast list! I listen to podcasts and audiobooks on my 35 mile commute to and from work. I listen to several of the podcasts you mentioned but I also found several that I’m going to try this week. And your learn to speak french one inspired me to tackle an item on my bucket list – learn to speak Swahili. Who knew there was a free Swahili podcast? BOOM! My morning just got more productive.
Tammy Fuller recently posted…Quick Fix for Weight Loss?
Awesome! So glad I could provide you with a few new podcasts plus get one thing off your bucket list! Swahili – love that! Let me know how it goes 🙂