3 Ways to Save Time During your Workday

If you commute to work then you probably spend a lot of time in traffic. Unfortunately most commuters lose 30 to 90 minutes driving to and from work because they are on the road at the same time as many other people. Here are a few ways you can use the time in your day more efficiently.

Use Mass Transportation

Mass transportation can be anything from taking the bus to riding a commuter train to car pooling with co-workers and friends. Most people know about this option but a large percentage of commuters still prefer to drive their own vehicles in to work. Give some serious consideration to sharing the ride with others because your commute will be less tiresome and usually saves 20-40 minutes from your trip.

If you work with a laptop then not having to drive means you can get some work done as you commute — or you can browse the Internet, read a relaxing story, catch up on daily news, or check email while someone else is driving. Smart phone and tablet users are now accustomed to accessing their messages almost everywhere, so why not as you commute to and from work?

Leave Early or Late

Most people don’t know this but if you leave home 30 minutes earlier or later than the regular commuting time you can reduce your commute by up to 1 hour (depending on traffic and distance). Getting on the highways before or after the worst crush in traffic can save you a lot of time when you drive to work.

If you cannot leave for work too early then ask your employer if you can come in a few minutes late. It may even be better for you to arrive 30 minutes later and leave work 1 hour later than others. The best way to reduce your commuting time is to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

Drive Directly to Appointments

Even if you spend most of your days in the workplace, you can schedule personal and business appointments either near the beginning of your work day or the end, so that you don’t have to drive to work, drive to an appointment, drive back to work, and then drive home. By scheduling appointments so that you only arrive at work once per day and only leave work once per day you’ll reduce your driving time and have more time to get things accomplished.

Another great choice is to schedule an appointment around lunch time so that you can eat lunch near the appointment and make only one trip away from work instead of two.