How to invest your commute time and feel calmer, clearer and more intentional
Written by Amy Orsini, Reiki Master Teacher, Sound Practitioner & Life Coach at Three Little Birds, Purley, London.
Have you ever looked back and wondered how much of your life has been spent travelling from one place to another?
I did the maths recently, which was both fascinating and slightly horrifying.
For about 20 years, I commuted into London for work. I live in Zone 6, worked mostly around Zone 1, and spent roughly an hour a day travelling there and back. Sometimes a little less. Sometimes more, depending on buses, tubes, walking, delays and all the usual London travel fun.
When I added it all up, it came to around 4,800 hours.
That’s about 200 days.
Two hundred days on trains.
My word.
And it got me thinking about how easy it is to dismiss travel time as wasted time. It can feel like dead space. Time you can’t really use properly. Time where you’re not at home, not at work, not quite anywhere useful.
But here’s the thing.
Travel time is still your time.
And you get to choose what you do with it.
Worry is not a good use of your time
For a long while, I used my commute to worry.
Productive, I know.
I’d worry about whether I’d get to work on time. Whether I was wearing the right shoes. Whether the rain would ruin my outfit. Whether something would happen at home. Whether I’d forgotten something important.
Most of the things I worried about never happened.
That’s the tricky thing about worry. It feels like you’re doing something useful, but most of the time you’re not solving anything. You’re just imagining a future you don’t want and feeling the horrible feelings now.
You can be sitting on your sofa, perfectly safe, cup of tea nearby, and suddenly Bitchy Barbara (no offense to any Barbaras out there!) in your head starts up with, “Yes, but what if everything goes terribly wrong?”
And off you go.
Heart racing. Shoulders tight. Jaw clenched.
Still on the sofa.
Nothing has happened.
Worry is a habit. Like any habit, it can be softened, interrupted and replaced with something kinder.
Your commute can become a pocket of peace
By the end of my time commuting into the city, I actually loved my commute.
I know. Who even says that?
But I did.
It became one of the only parts of my day that was fully mine. When my children were small, home was beautiful and busy and loud. I loved it, obviously, but if you’ve ever had two small children shouting “mama” 87 times before 8am, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
The commute gave me quiet.
Nobody needed anything from me in that exact moment. I could mute notifications. I could put headphones in. I could breathe.
And that quiet became precious.
Not every spare moment has to be filled with doing, achieving or improving. Sometimes the best thing you can do is sit still, listen to calming music and let your nervous system have a little rest.
That counts.
Rest is an investment too.
Start with your energy
The way you begin your day matters.
Not in a rigid, perfect-morning-routine kind of way. I’m not suggesting you need to get up at 5am, drink green juice, meditate for an hour and write a novel before breakfast.
However, your energy in the morning can affect how you show up for the rest of the day.
If your commute begins with stress, frustration, worry and scrolling through things that annoy you, that energy can follow you into your work, your conversations and your decisions.
What if you use just ten minutes to come back to yourself? Your whole day could feel completely different.
You might arrive calmer. You might feel clearer. You'll probably feel more grounded. And I have no doubt, that you'll feel more like you.
Try a short meditation
If you travel by train, bus or as a passenger, meditation can be a lovely way to use your journey.
Noise-cancelling headphones help, especially if you’re surrounded by people playing music out loud, having very enthusiastic phone conversations or snoring gently into their coat collar.
You don’t need anything fancy. You could listen to soft music, a guided meditation or a simple breathing practice.
(I regularly share meditations over in The Safe Space - as well as more content like this - if you're interested, why not take a look?)
Of course, not while driving. Eyes open, please! We like you alive and well.
Bring a notebook
You know I love a notebook.
If you can write safely while travelling, your commute can become the perfect time for journaling, gratitude or intention-setting.
You could write:
Five things you’re grateful for
Your goals for the day
A few things you’re looking forward to
How you want the day to feel
What you’re ready to let go of
What you want to call in
One of my favourite things is scripting the day as though it has already happened.
For example:
“What a wonderful day I had today. I’m so happy and grateful that I felt calm, focused and supported. My meeting went well, I had a lovely conversation, I got outside at lunchtime and I came home feeling proud of myself.”
Then, on the way home, you can read it back and notice what unfolded.
It’s a simple practice, but it can shift your focus beautifully.
Use your travel time to learn
Studying is one of the best ways to invest in yourself.
It compounds over time.
Ten minutes a day might not sound like much, but ten minutes a day over months and years can change your skills, your confidence, your opportunities and the way you see yourself.
You could use your commute to:
Learn a language
Listen to a podcast (I have just the thing...😉)
Watch or listen to a tutorial
Read a personal development book
Listen to an audiobook
Take notes for a side project
Draft ideas for a book, business or creative project
And if your job, home life or family commitments mean you don’t get much quiet time elsewhere, this little pocket of learning can become something you look forward to.
Not because you have to improve yourself.
Because you are worth investing in.
Use it for connection
Not every good use of time has to be about goals.
Sometimes the most beautiful thing you can do is send someone a message.
A birthday message. A photo memory. A “this made me think of you”. A “good luck today”. A “remember this ridiculous day?” message.
It takes a few moments, but it can brighten someone’s day and help you feel more connected too.
That is not wasted time.
That is love in action.
What if you drive?
If you drive, you can still use your commute intentionally. You just need to keep your attention where it belongs.
You could listen to:
A podcast
An audiobook
A playlist that lifts your energy
A calming track
A YouTube lesson that doesn’t need watching
You could also speak affirmations out loud.
Honestly, the car is perfect for this. Nobody can hear you. Probably.
You might say:
“I am calm.”
“I am capable.”
“I have perfect timing.”
“Everything is always working out for me.”
“My name is [insert your name here], and only good things happen to me.”
There is something powerful about hearing your own voice saying supportive things to you.
Much better than letting Bitchy Barbara run the show.
You don’t have to optimise every second
This is important.
The message here is not that you must turn every spare moment into a productivity project.
Please don’t hear that.
You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to look out the window. You are allowed to listen to music and do absolutely nothing. You are allowed to just be.
The point is choice.
Are you using your time in a way that supports you?
Or are you giving it away to worry, resentment, comparison, scrolling or mental noise?
Sometimes the most intentional choice is to do less.
Sometimes it is to learn.
Sometimes it is to breathe.
Sometimes it is to laugh at a podcast on a silent train and hope nobody noticed.
A simple practice for this week
Choose one part of your day that currently feels a bit wasted or stressful.
It might be your commute. The school run. The walk to the station. The ten minutes before everyone wakes up. The time between finishing work and starting dinner.
Then choose one small supportive thing to do with that time.
Try it for a week.
Not perfectly. Not dramatically. Just gently.
Maybe you listen to something that lifts you.
Maybe you write three things you’re grateful for.
Maybe you say affirmations in the car.
Maybe you sit quietly and let your shoulders drop.
Your time, energy and attention are precious, my friend.
Spend them on things that help you feel more like yourself.
Conclusion
Your commute might not be your favourite part of the day. It might be crowded, noisy, delayed or a bit boring.
But it is still your time.
And even the smallest shift in how you use it can change how you feel.
You don’t need to overhaul your life. You don’t need a perfect routine. You just need one tiny choice that says, “I matter too.”
So next time you’re travelling, ask yourself:
“How could this time support me?”
Then start there.
Listen to the full episode of The Three Little Birds Podcast for more ideas on turning your commute or travel time into a pocket of calm, clarity and self-connection.
Have a wonderful day, my friend,
Amy
💜🤟
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