If you commute to and from the city on week day mornings it would be easy to assume you'd actually gotten yourself lost in a procession of funeral attendees. Long faces looking like they'd belong better on someone who had lost their last friend rather than that of a commuter on their way to the office, pushy fellow commuters who are far to eager to give you a good hard shove in the back to ensure their place in the carriage, suits whose self loathing is matched only by their selfishness - cutting in front of you at ticket barriers and ticket machines...

And so, the joys of city commuting, with a mixture of equal measures immaturity and depression - it is hardly the most positive start to the day - so how does one avoid feeling like they've done a days hard yakka before they've even set foot in the office? Here are a few pointers... be sure to share your tips in the comments:

Listen to a bit of Michael Jackson on your mp3 player. Then some Bob Sinclair. Then the Time Warp. Smiling yet?

Switch over to Tiny Dancer - secretly imagine how great it would be if everyone started singing along, Almost Famous style.

Pay attention to the scenery that you pass, take black & white photos as you speed past.

Download some podcasts and use your time productively.

Dream up your next blog post.

Smile at the crankiest looking person within eye shot.

Profile your fellow passengers, imagine what they do, who they do (!), why they're secretly smiling to themselves/looking so cranky. Dream up their story.

Take a pen and paper, get the creative juices flowing, write for a few pages - anything you think of, it need not be a masterpiece (or even make any sense), just write. Scribbles, blog posts, a play, poetry, letters, conversation observations...

Eavesdrop - sometimes people have the most fascinatingly odd conversations (See: Overheard in New York). Don't feel bad for listening in, think of public transport conversations like a blog, if they didn't want their story out there, they'd shut up.

Draw up a set of post it notes with kind words "SMILE!", "Have an AWESOME day!!" ... & stick them in different spots throughout the day for others to find.

Got your laptop? Create a slideshow full of all the embarrassingly funny moments from Friday night drinks to send around to the department at work. Make Monday fun for everyone (bar those who over indulged on aforementioned Friday night).


Alright, over to you - The best way to pass time on the [insert method of public transport here] is _________?

Labels: career, life in general, travel