Make your Commutes More Productive by hacking the brutal Nairobi traffic.
ARE YOU STILL SPENDING your commute snooping on Facebook or listening to Mwalimu King’ang’i? If so, Why?
The average Nairobi traffic in your morning commute wastes about 2 hours of your day one way. That’s four hours of time your life not occupied by office or family, giving you a golden opportunity to set a productive tone each day. This is how you can turn your wasted commute time in a productive routine.
MAKE LISTS
Make a rotating to-do list going: short term, medium term, long term. Being both efficient and strategic with your time is essential.
Scheduled your list right into your calendar and treat it like a non-movable meeting.
TAKE INVENTORY
Take mental account and set goals for things you want to get done that day. During your drive to work, think about the day ahead. You can keep a notepad next to you so that you can write down ideas when the vehicle stops at traffic.
ENERGIZE AND UNPLUG
Being productive is being a well-oiled engine. This starts even before you commute. One of the most productive things you can do is get in a solid workout. A good sweat keeps you sharp for the day ahead.
Also sitting down with your family in the morning, enjoying breakfast, and talking to each other with no phones! Removing emails, appointments, texts, and any sort of notification in the morning will put you in the right mindset for when you are ready to kill it at the office.
READ UP ON YOUR INDUSTRY
I’m a big fan of pdf magazines on my tab or phone. Reading about other great leaders and innovators gets my juices flowing and inspires me to think bigger. Download pdf magazines on your phone or tab, scan through to stay up-to-date on the latest news in your industry.
Keeping up with industry trends and news is important and great to do over morning coffee.
STOP DRIVING
Nairobi rush hour traffic can be brutal, so I take an Uber when you can and arrange your schedule around it. Nairobi traffic hour can be tiresome, not forgetting the hustle of looking for parking and the costs parking in Nairobi. You can use the commute time more productively.
Catch up on email with your customers and your offices in the earlier morning time zones.