6 Ways to Hack Your Morning Commute

The average American commute time is about 30 minuets, so it's time to learn how you can hack your morning commute for a smoother morning. Obviously it also involves coffee!

For any readers who are commuting to work or school on a weekly or daily basis, hats off to you! Spending excessive time in the car can feel so draining, and can make you anxious, angry, and in need of a nap. There could be some ways, however, to make your early morning and afternoon drives to and from home a little more bearable, and maybe even enjoyable. 

Make your drive entertaining

There is really no surprise that driving for extended periods of time is super boring. The radio is usually filled with political banter or weather reports, and there is nothing to do other than sit and wait for the drive to be over. Likely, you and everyone else on the roads at that time are also going to work to so there isn’t much room to be a speed devil and pass everybody.

You and the hundreds of people driving are all in the same boat… boringly chugging away. OK, some people might like driving, but driving the same routes every day and night does get boring. So, what is to be done? Something needs to be switched up in your driving routine.

Obviously, you cant drive to a new place, because that defeats the entire purpose of commuting to work or school in the first place. You CAN however change the music or audio that you drive with. Try listening to a comedy podcast on Mondays to get the week started in a positive way, and then try new music Tuesdays to broaden your musical horizons! If you have new and exciting things to listen to, the drive will become much more enjoyable and you might even find yourself looking forward to it!

Here are some good resources for you to make your drive less boring:

• The beginner guid to podcasts
• 21 best comedy podcasts for 2019
• Top playlists on Spotify
• Our podcast recommendations: Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and How I Built This from NPR.

Avoid traffic

Traffic… the horrifying terrible plague of an event that happens in every busy city during prime driving hours. Traffic is usually more of an issue on the commute ride home during rush hour. There isn’t a sane person alive who enjoys sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, and it is pretty undeniably unavoidable, BUT there just might be some ways to make it a little less terrible.

If you like discovering new roads and not afraid for going through new places, use a GPS navigation app even if you know the road. The app can tell you about unexpected traffic delays, constructions and unfortunately about accidents on your roads. You will need to buy a phone mount and a charging cord to make sure you can safely use it along the way. We also recommend using an unlimited data plan to save on cost.

Here are some good resources for you to cut some of your traffic time:

• 10 best traffic alerts apps
• Best phone air vent holder on Amazon
• Best USB car charger adapter on Amazon

Take care of your body

Sitting in your car for long commute times can have pretty unpleasant side effects. According to this Time Magazine article, it can cause your cholesterol and blood sugar to rise, cause depression, anxiety, back aches, and overall decrease your happiness and life satisfaction -- we want none of that!

To minimize some of the negative side-effects of our unfortunately needed commute, consider working out in the morning, do yoga, or meditate for a few minutes every morning! A 2008 research found that people who "exercise on work days are happier, suffer less stress and are more productive."

Same as working out, meditation can also recuse stress, but also can help with controlling your anxiety, promote emotional health, decrease blood pressure and more. Meditating for a few minutes before your morning commute can make it much more pleasant as well as the rest of your day.

Here are some good resources for you to make your drive less painful:

• 8 tips to manage back pain while driving
• 10 simple morning exercises
• Start meditating with free guided meditation from the Headspace app

Think of your gas 

Driving all the time can seriously make a dent on your bank account, so it is so important to find gas stations either along your route or by your home with the cheapest gas. Also, if you are a jack rabbit of a driver, you are probably going to use more gas than the old lady next to you who takes 1 whole minute to accelerate after a stop sign.

This is because quick acceleration and jerky driving burns more gas more quickly. If you are on a tight gas budget, try your best to resist the urge to put the pedal to the metal, and just cruise instead (generally, it is safer to drive more carefully!). Also, if this is even a possibility, try and drive a car that is a hybrid, electric, or has low gas mileage. If you are commuting every day of the week, this will seriously pay itself off. 

Here are some good resources for you to to save money on your gas:

• 5 easy ways to save on gas
• Use the GasBuddy app for the cheapest gas prices and earn rewards
• The most fuel efficient cars list

Stay awake

Waking up for school or work is hard enough when they are a short distance away but building up the energy to make the drive can also be daunting. This is why your morning coffee is absolutely necessary.

Falling asleep behind the wheel puts your life and the lives of others at serious risk, so do not skip out on your caffeine, even if you are in a rush. If you are seriously so rushed that you cannot stop by a coffee shop or don’t have time to make some coffee at home, have no fear! Waka Coffee’s premium instant coffee is the perfect thing to make before your drive.

When you come to a red light, dump a packet of the instant coffee into a water bottle (for cold coffee) or tumbler (for hot coffee), stir it, and voilà, you have yourself the fastest brewed coffee and you didn’t even need to spend a moment out of your schedule to make it! Not only is it quick and convenient, but it also tastes just as good if not better than a cup brewed from a coffeemaker or from a coffee shop.

Here are some good resources for you to make a fast cup of joe:

• How to make coffee without a coffeemaker
• How to make a prefect cup of instant coffee
• Buy Waka Instant Coffee

Be productive

Sometimes, the worst part of commuting is the feeling that you could be doing something else… anything else than driving. Maybe you have some work you forgot to do, or you have a test that you need to keep studying for, or maybe you just wanted to go for a walk in the morning. Whatever It is you could be doing, you would probably much rather be doing than driving to work or school.

If you love reading books or need to read a book for school, consider downloading it on Audible and listen to it on your commute. If you are not familiar with Audible, it is an Amazon company where you can purchase and download individual books to listen to with your Prime membership or subscribe on a monthly plan and read more of your favorite genres. If you haven't tried before, click here for a FREE 30-day trial. With Audible, you can connect your app to your car and listen to your downloaded books while driving.

Another option is to carpool with your co-workers or use public transportation if it is available. That way you can still work on your tasks while spending time commuting to work.

Here are some good resources for you to make your commute more productive:

• Download Audible and find an interesting book you can learn from
• Use these 36 commuting apps to make your trip to work more productive
• Consider using Waze Carpool to find other commuters to ride with

Make your coffee faster before your morning commute. Make it with Waka Coffee.