Do you commute to and from work? While it may seem unproductive, you can use this downtime to your advantage.  Plan ahead and benefit from these morning and evening stretches to get some things accomplished.

Here are some examples:

If you’re driving…

Organize your day using your hands-free assistant. iPhone user?  Let Siri take notes, set reminders, create events etc.  If you use Evernote (a great notetaking tool), use its voice recording function.

Learn something new from a podcast. There are tons of options like TED Talks that are highly engaging.

Listen to an audiobook. Fall asleep at night before you can read that Dan Brown novel?  Get the audio version for your drive home.

Hold a meeting on the phone. Use the time to check in with your co-workers (who are also likely commuting) and cover off some work items.

Connect with friends and family. Check in with individuals you want to talk to (but not those who are frantically getting themselves prepared for work or their kids ready for school).

Note: Your primary focus is still driving, so be alert and be safe on the roads!

If you’re on public transit…

Good for you!  And of course, there are a lot more options when you have your hands free.

Organize your day (or your life in general) using your phone or laptop. Set your goals, make your to-do list and be all ready for the office (or your upcoming vacation plans).

Clear your email. This is the perfect time to tackle the inbox, delete those emails you no longer need and file the ones you require for reference.

Learn a new language. Checked out Duolingo yet?  For just a few minutes a day, you can learn a new language or brush up on one you learned in high school.  And it’s fun!

Read work-related articles. You know those articles you’ve bookmarked to read “when you have a minute”? Well, now’s the time.

Read a real book, magazine or newspaper. Or if not a “real” one, read them on your mobile device.

Catch up on social media. You need to check-in anyway, so do it now.  And then you don’t need to during office hours, right?

If you commute, consider these periods to be valuable.  You can prepare for work and decompress after work- so your time is more productive!

Learn how to organize your time and maximize productivity with hands-on professional organizing and time management coaching from Out of Chaos. Find out more here.