Old Ways Won't Open New Doors For You

           

  A study note that the average  commutation  period in cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru is just over an hour but some people were travelling for more than four hours a day.Most of the commuters interviewed for the study were travelling more than an hour each way,even if they lived within 15 Kms.of their workplace.Some people do not mind this ,especially if it is a comfortable journey,others resent because of work and home life pressures.

                    My humble suggestion for such people is --"Don't see travel as dead time,bring it to life."If you are able to get work done while commuting, it means you need to spend less time in your office.Many of us spend our commuting time for unproductive purposes.We may do things to fill in the time ,like listening to the music while driving or reading newspapers on the train or on the bus,but these are not the things we most likely to be doing at these hours under normal circumstances.We would prefer to be at home ,or at office .Commuting is a necessary hassle. It is a dull but unavoidable double daily journey.It's time to change your thinking and ways.One way you can increase your productivity is to start thinking of your workday and beginning the moment you leave home,and continuing right up until you returned .Start thinking about ways you can maximize your productivity not only while you are at work,but also during the time you are travelling to and from work office.You will have to change your thinking and ways since "OLD WAYS WO'NT OPEN NEW DOORS FOR YOU ".

                               If you drive to work you can't really reply to emails on the way,but if you get a headset or loudspeaker that allows you legally use your phone ,you can make telephone calls.Assume two scenarios.One-you have a half hour or 45 minutes phone conversation starting at 5 p.m.,then you can not leave your office before 5:30 p.m./5:45 p.m. and get home at 6 p.m. or 6:15 p.m.Two-you leave your office at 5 p.m.,take call on your legally set up phone in the car and reach home at 5:30 p.m.\5:45 p.m.,just when you finish your calls.In scenario two  you will reach home earlier even though you had done the same amount of work.You can make appointments by emails to have phone conversations at times you know you will be driving.Save phone calls you need to make for the car journey. It's an efficient use of time.

                                          If you use public transport to work,you also have a great opportunity to get in to some undistracted thinking about a work problem or opportunity. As people drawn in more electronic distraction at work.they have less clear time to let their brain breath and think creatively. You don't need to be at your office to think, so do your thinking while you commute .Take an issue ,a problem or an opportunity that needs  some thought,and let them sit in your brain and see what happens. Instead of diverting your mind with an iPod, book or newspaper, see if it can come up with some solutions or ideas.Carry a notepad and pen and jot down anything good .

                                                         In most cases people are hired because employer is impressed by the quality of their brain ,and yet some days we are so busy answering emails and attending review meetings that we never use our brains at anything like full creative capacity.Thinking is one of the most valuable things any worker needs to do .Yet many of us hardly ever give ourselves clear,undistracted thinking time  in which to allow our amazing brains  to come up with creative new ideas.The closest we get a chance is when we do it in a reactive way,rushing to meet a deadline or responding to a direct request under pressure. Use that 20-30 minutes on the train or bus to do some creative thinking without any stress. It might be about a pitch or a talk you have to give,or a way to improve a system.You can use the time to prepare for a difficult conversation you know you need to have with a NPA borrower, or work out how you are going to pacify a dissatisfied customer.You can work out the best way of putting things before a prospective client so as to maximize the chances that you will get what you want from him.And all this thinking can save you time once you go to your office .You don't need to spend extra time for preparation of a meeting because you have already done it while commuting. You don't have to spend extra time trying to brainstorm ideas for a new approach to a problem at work place because you did it on the train or bus.

                                    The bus or train is also a great place to read work related materials like circulars,Demi Official correspondence etc.Work out how you can best use your commutation period .For example, on the way to work place in the morning when you are fresh may be a better time to do the thinking,and on the way back to home in the evening you can do the reading .

                                          Here is the pay-off,if you are able to use your commuting time productively, it counts as work time.The work you have been doing has been done just as effectively as if you have done it at your work place,infact perhaps more effectively because there were no interruptions. If you can use all that time you spend on commutation each day,it could add up to hours less that you need to spend in the office each week and resultantly your home hours will become more.

                            But don't take my words with face values,try these ways just for a week and then review this new beginning of your life.