Work productivity, time management, organization, tools and tips

So you find yourself stuck in traffic once more.  Instead of just sitting there in your seat seething and berating yourself for not taking that critical turn earlier or for waking up when the alarm clock started ringing, why not do something that can actually do you good?  Here are top 10 of the most productive things to do when you're stuck in traffic:

1.  Eat breakfast.
So maybe you skipped breakfast to avoid the traffic jam and still got stuck anyway.  Big deal.  If you packed your lunchbox, why not take a peek in there and find some grub to fuel your day?  Breakfast, after all, is the most important meal of the day.  

2.  Check your voice mail and e-mail.
Now's the time to find out whose calls you missed and which e-mail messages got sent your way.  Got a phone call you absolutely have to make?  Do it now.  Is there a short e-mail message you need to compose?  Grab the opportunity.  That should save you some time later when you're day's as busy as you'd expected from getting stuck in that traffic.

3.  Strengthen your gray matter.
Probably the most productive thing you could every do when you're stuck in traffic and got nothing else to do.  Instead of letting your brain fry in the heat, practice it.  Solve some mind puzzles, do sudoku, learn a new language… you get the point.

4.  Check your to-do list.
Don't miss projects or meetings just because you got stuck in traffic.  Get productive and find out the long list of stuff you have to do.

5.  Play games.
If that traffic is as bad as last night's nightmare, you're going to be stuck a while.  Whip out that PDA or mobile phone or portable GameBoy and play games.  Just pick the stuff that challenges your mind (Sudoku, Crossword puzzles) and keep away from numbing things.

6.  Stretch.
Getting stuck in traffic can sometimes lead to leg cramps once you get out of the car.  Time to do a few yoga tricks in there.  Move your legs, bend and stretch your knees and trace a circle with your toes to loosen up your ankles.

7.  Pop an audio book and listen.
Got a motivational audio book you want to get started on or maybe the newest audio novel?  Getting stuck in traffic is the perfect time to play it.

8.  Practice on whatever.
Do you have to do a speech later or maybe you have a business presentation to make?  Practice what you're going to say in the car.  You might even come up with a witty idea or two.

9.  Go over the day in your mind.
Do you have an important meeting later or maybe an interview or a talk with a client?  Or is there something about that new design or ad copy that doesn’t quite seem right to you?  Review things that ought to get done and make small decisions about non-critical matters.  You'd be surprised (and happy) about the time you could save later.

10.  Enjoy everything.
Believe it or not, being stuck in traffic may be the Universe's way to let you know that if you've been looking for that precious extra time, there it is.  That extra half-hour, one hour or two-hour stretch that you spend sitting in your car with other cars around you unmoving might just be all the time you'll need to relax, take a few deep breaths and think about things in your life that need to be done.  And yes, just as that traffic starts moving, give thanks for everything that has come to you in the form of a blessing.

Those are some simple tips on how you can make traffic less-annoying and more productive than ever. What are your stuck-in-the-traffic productivity tips? 

 

image credits to fredcan