Avoid Train Ride Boredom

Sep 19, 2011
Yevheniya Shuportyaka

Daily city commute - Jenya

If you're lucky enough to commute into the city by train, you've probably been getting your daily dose of boredom. It's easy enough to cure, though.

For college students heading back to school or the average train traveler, that half-hour ride can be pure torture on a daily basis. Here’s what you can do during your daily commute to waste time brilliantly…

Read:

Classic suggestion, yes, but there’s so much more to it. This is your chance to study Shakespeare, read all of those classic, timeless novels you never had time for, or thumb through a Thesaurus. Why? It’ll intimidate the person sitting next to you and you’ll gain valuable knowledge thirty minutes at a time.

Study a Language:

It’s silly until you realize exactly how many words you can pick up in half an hour time frame. It’s even more fun when you can try them out on the person who’s lucky enough to be sharing your train ride.

Clean up Your iTunes:

Admit it, you have playlists without names, missing artwork, or simply things you don’t listen to, but you’ve never made time to sit still and look through it all. That window of opportunity presents itself now.

Blog or Journal:

Your thoughts are valuable, and this isn’t just a suggestion coming from a blogger. If you’re not familiar with internet blogs (and it’s a wonder you’ve made it here), consider finally using that fancy notebook you’ve been saving for the novel in you. Start writing. If you wait for an idea to strike, it’ll never happen. You become inspired in the process of writing.

Make Friends with a Small Child:

It’ll make your day. Kids always have the most interesting things to say if you’ll only listen. They’re probably just as bored as you.

Talk:

Unless you’re in the quiet ride, it won’t kill you to say a few words to the person sitting beside you. Stick to general topics about weather, any new stories in the commuter newspaper, or questions about where they’re heading to. Be careful not to start telling long stories because you may not be able to finish before they get off. Then they’ll just be left in suspense forever.

In all honesty, the last thing you probably want to be doing is staring at the advertisements in front of you every day or awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact. The best suggestion is to find something you enjoy doing that’s both small and productive. Remember that a half hour can go a long way if you let it. Best wishes in wasting your time brilliantly!