My Top 6 Commuting Tips

Happy Hump Day!

Today's post is all about my top commuting tips. When I started commuting last year, there were tons of posts on how to make friends or get plugged into campus life but nothing on the general act of commuting. I was already a senior, so I didn't need help on the social side of things, but the logistical side of commuting was a big learning curve. I learned a lot of things the hard way, so I thought I'd make those lessons useful and share them with you! 

1. Take Care of Your Car

Obviously taking care of things like oil changes and tires is important (carry jumper cables!!) , but keeping your car clean is just as important as a commuter. I spend a lot of time in my car and keeping it clean is good for my sanity. My car is my life right now, and it can sometimes resemble my bedroom floor from Junior High. If I'm not careful, clothes, shoes, bags, books, and all manner of things can end up littering my back seat. I had wrapping paper from a friend's bridal shower in my car for a solid three months. This semester I've instituted a new rule that I have to take everything out at the end of the day. This way I'm not shoveling off the passenger seat for a friend and I'm not searching everywhere for something that should be put away but is instead shoved under my back seats.

I also try to wash my car every two weeks. I'll usually hit the drive through car wash and then come home and hit my dash with a disinfecting wipe. It's really not that hard and it makes a better space of commute in.

 2. Get Gas at Night

There will be times you get to the end of your commute and all you will want to do is go home instead of getting gas. I've been here. You'll go through a big huge justification about how tired you are and how you can just get it in the morning. Except I promise that you won't remember why that alarm was set early and ignore it only to get in your car and realize you need gas and you will now be late. Just skip the stress and do it before you go home.

3. Set Up the Night Before

I try to look ahead at my schedule and set out everything I'll need for the next day. Everything for classes, a change of clothes if I have something after school, the receipt and item I need for a return...You name it, I try to get it all in one place for the next day. My commute is at least an hour long, so going home for something I forgot is not an option.

4. Have “Plan B” Options

The above point withstanding, there will be a day you forget something. I forgot my wallet on my birthday, left plenty of papers in the printer tray, and walked into class with the entirely wrong notebook. I try to have 'just in case' measures for the days when I forget something. I keep at least $7 on my starbucks app, so I can eat if I forget my wallet. I also keep a $20 in my glove box for emergency gas.  I always keep money on my student card so I can print in the library and try to use programs like one drive, google docs, or dropbox for my assignments so I can always access them.

5. Schedule Your Classes with Commuting in Mind

I started commuting mid semester with a schedule set up for living five minutes from campus, not an hour. I had to be on campus at 9am and often left at 5pm, which meant rush hour traffic both ways. I had huge gaps in my schedule that kept me on campus for hours. And probably the most frustrating of all, I had class all five days. I spent at least two hours in my car for every day on campus, so I lost 10 hours a week to driving. It was miserable.

This semester, I have Fridays off and tailored my schedule to fit around rush hour traffic. I only hit rush hour once a week! This way I'm spending less time in the car and more time getting stuff done. Intentionally scheduling your classes for commuting makes your life so much easier.

*for some classes, it's very beneficial to let your professor know that you commute a long way. My professors have been really understanding about giving me alternatives to mandatory events that happen outside of normal class hours/long after I'm home for the day*

6. Make the Most of Your Time

Gaps between classes? The perfect time to get stuff done or have a meeting with a professor.  I also try to call my sister in Seattle on my drives. For some of classes, I can listen to my assigned reading on my way home. Basically, make the very most of your time on campus and in the car.

In addition, I try to tailor social plans around my class schedule. A lot of my friends live near/at school, so my social life is centered nearly an hour away. I have an evening class on Wednesdays, so if I want to grab dinner with a friend, I usually try to schedule it after class on that day. If we do something on a day when I get out of class in the early afternoon, I'll either hit a local coffee shop to get homework done, or try and run a bunch of errands.

There's a lot of planning ahead involved in successful commuting, but once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature. And you may become the most organized, productive, #bosslady in your friend group!