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I wrote a column a week or so ago talking about how God awful my commute into work is every single day. After making the same trip to and from work for the past year, I have learned that you always need a few tools to survive. A few things that help make your personal battle a bit easier. Since I take the 6:50 train into Boston every morning, alcohol would be a sicko move, so there are some other things I use to get by.
1. Headphones
I cannot stress enough the importance of headphones when commuting to work in the morning. Whether you are listening to music or not, get yourself a pair to wear at all times. I can’t tell you how many times I have just tossed the headphones in, with no music, so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone at 7 in the morning. Sometimes I don’t even hook up the headphones to my phone. I just have it hanging in my pocket. Plus, if you want to take a quick snooze because you decided it was a great idea to blackout on a Tuesday, you can throw on some smooth jazz and sleep until the conductor wakes you up after he caught you drooling all over yourself and you missed your stop.
2. Solid Playlist
If you want to use those headphones, make sure you have a solid playlist to listen to. Whether you want some low-key hangout jams or straight fire beats, it’s an absolute necessity. Music choice definitely depends on the mood of the morning, so that’s completely up to you. Don’t just toss it on shuffle because you never know what might come up on there. Especially if you’re sitting next to an attractive coed. Shuffling songs can air out your guilty pleasures real quick. At this point, every girl on the train knows “Unwritten” is one of my top 5 jams ever. I also strongly suggest making an actual iTunes playlist. Spotify or Pandora are to be avoided. Your boy has been sending green texts for months now because of how bad the service is on the train, and you think you can use the Wi-Fi? HA! You make me laugh. The Wi-Fi on the train is comparable to AOL dial-up internet.
3. Backpack/Bag
This may be obvious, but I see a startling number of people carrying around books, food, and numerous things without a bag. Why do they do that? I never understood not using a bag. It makes things so much easier. Put your lunch, books, computer, and anything else in there. I’ll help you pick up your stuff off the ground after you drop it, but I can’t say I’ll help you grab your tuna sandwich off the ground of the train car. Lord only knows what’s crawling on that thing then. One side note for the bag: If you’re a girl and your carrying one of those over-sized Vera Bradley bags, 100 percent stop that. I don’t want to take another one of those off the dome as you walk by me down the aisle to your seat. A backpack or regular sized purse will do. Thank you.
4. Reading Material
This one may only pertain to some people out there. I’m a pretty big reader, so this one definitely pertains to me. It can be a book, a magazine, the daily sports page, or whatever your little heart desires. Reading makes the trip go by that much faster and makes your time on the train seem a little less awful. Reading materials give you something to look at other than the woman breast feeding her daughter across the aisle. (I actually witnessed this a few weeks ago. Had to catch a quick peak. Not a bad rack, if I’m being honest.) A book or a magazine can keep you entertained for a number of days when you ride the train back and forth, and we all know we need something to distract us from the impending doom that is work.
5. Hand Sanitizer
I shouldn’t really have to explain this one. If you want a disease that no doctor will be able to cure, go without the hand sanitizer. I dare you.
6. Mobile Cellular Device/iPad
Nothing like sending funny Snapchats of the homeless guy sleeping in the back, and hey, you’ll never have more free time to spend trying to beat that impossible level on Candy Crush than you will on your commute. .
Image via Shutterstock
Respond
@RPShee
Do people still play Candy Crush?
According to my Facebook game invites, people definitely do, and I hate them.
As a “full-time” commuter, this is all you could come up with? Must not be a very bad commute. A backpack, phone, headphones and sanitizer ARE essentials, yes, but they are also a given. I’m a full time commuter in DC (3.5hrs+ commute on a train, subway, plus a 20 minute walk) I was hoping for some sweet commuting gadgets! Let me rewrite this.
Almost four hours of commuting? When the fuck do you have time to do anything else?
Has plenty of time for asshole comments.
3.5 total or 3.5 each way? If it is each way do you commute to DC from New Jersey? And if it is total, do you commute to DC from Richmond?
Either way live somewhere closer
Move.
You spend about 35 days each year commuting. That’s idiotic.
*reads #2* Staring at the blank page before you open up the dirty window…
No umbrella? Risky business my friend.
Spotify premium is probably worth the $10 investment for train commuters.
** a seat in the quiet car