Combat Stress and Burnout by Mentally Planning Your Work on the Road
Long commutes to work may seem like the perfect time to relax and do something enjoyable, like reading a book, listening to music or podcasts, or even taking a nap, but it’s actually better to think about work. Recent research shows that if you do this, you can shorten travel times and reduce stress levels.
In a study by John M. Yachimovich of Columbia Business School , participants who received texts instructing them to reflect on work subjects while commuting reported higher job satisfaction and less burnout than a control group that did what usually done on the way to work. It turned out that using travel time to prepare for work in the morning and plan the next day in the evening helped participants establish clearer boundaries between work and home. In fact, participants were less likely to “take work home with them,” which resulted in much less stress in their lives in general. Plus, thinking about work continued to make commuting to work more enjoyable. Perhaps because the participants realized that using travel time productively makes their overall life easier.
As Jachimovich and other researchers explain, travel time is beyond your control. Aside from moving somewhere closer to work, there isn’t much you can do about it. But what you do during this time is completely up to you. And for most people, that’s a huge chunk of the time every week. If you use it to mentally prepare, get organized, and make ends meet at work, this commute will feel less of a chore than a gift to help you keep your job at work.
Update: You can find out more about the research at the Psychological Science Association or check out the research yourself by following the link below.
Traveling with a Plan: How Goal-Oriented Intelligence Can Compensate for the Stress of Traveling to Work | Harvard Business School via Science of Us