Comments on: Wait Time? Work Time! How to Make Travel Time Pay

By: Greg Strosaker

Greg Strosaker — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:28:28 +0000

I’d propose another idea, maybe it’s a 1A: do a brainstorm to capture all outstanding that are on your mind, or maybe loosely strewn on post-it notes in your bag. This is a GTD tool but you don’t have to use the full GTD approach to gain from this process. If you have the time, you can then input the list into whatever mechanism you use for task management, you (usually) don’t need web access to do this.

I find it hard to dedicate the time to doing this well at the office as too many new distractions arrive.

By: Priyanka D

Priyanka D — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:35:43 +0000

I think this wait time is a good way to catch up with friends. I walk to my office.. and this the time that I call my friends. Rest of the time in office it would be too distracting.

By: Conrad Buck

Conrad Buck — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:24:25 +0000

I totally agree with this and I also restrict my time to Twitter and Facebook on my blackberry when I am waiting, traveling rather than in the office. I can scan through Tweets and if something is really appealing I email the tweet to myself to look at later. Twitter is essential but can be draining and a distraction. Only checking Twitter and FB on the move at least gives you that block of time when you know you can catch up with goings on.

By: Georgina Laidlaw

Georgina Laidlaw — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:51:49 +0000

I hear ya, Louis ;) Boy, do I hear you.

But a 70-minute wait in the middle of my day right now usually means I’ll need to work back later at night. It’s one of “those times” for me, so I really need to use all the hours I can get during the day, if I don’t want work to encroach on my personal time.

By: Louis

Louis — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:08:25 +0000

I enjoyed the article, and these are good ideas, but IMHO, I think you are wound up way too tight. You should really try to relax a bit more. I know because I’m the same way. I have to always be about my job. I had to learn to ease down. You should too. Just a suggestion.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:41:48 +0000

I’m listening to podcasts while walking into the office. Actually have cut them into slices lasting exactly from leaving home until arriving in the office.

For longer travels, listening to podcasts also has the positive side effect of shutting out all that public noise around you.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:14:12 +0000

I actually work opposite: as in, I don’t work extensively on the commute so I can work better when I’m actually in my office. For example, I’ve self-limited my Facebook and Twitter usage to only on public transportation on my phone. I don’t check it anywhere else. Ever. Meaning, I have 40 minutes or whatever it is a day to check social sites, and so when I’m in the office I don’t have that as a distraction.

By: Pay4Bugs

Pay4Bugs — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:00:17 +0000

We’re actually working on a mobile front end, possibly an app, for our customers to comb through their bug queue in the morning. Therefore developers can setup their project, approve or reject their software testing bugs on their commute, and get to work on those bugs as soon as they get into the office. http://www.pay4bugs.com

So I would say, if more productivity applications have a “planning” mobility page/app, commute time can be better utilized.