I don’t know about you. But I am constantly ON THE GO. Often, I’m out of the house from 7 in the morning, to 7 at night. I’ll arrive home to revamp for the evening, and then, I’m out again. I call myself “the bag lady”. I have one bag for all my office essentials, one bag for the gym, and if I’m extra prepared that day, a sack lunch.

Commuting to work comes with its challenges. When I decided to google what synonyms existed for the title “commuter”, no lie, pilgrim was one of the descriptive words. I don’t think I’m exactly discovering America while commuting, but, I am discovering different parts of my city I never thought I would discover.

When I first started commuting, I felt like I was losing part of my life. Efficiency is really important to me. So much so that when I’m with my friends, they tell me to stop over planning the day. I just like to be purposeful with my time.

So, even if I’m stuck in the car, I choose to maximize my time.

The three main ways that I maximize my commute is by:

1. Listening to Podcasts

2. Utilizing the Downtime

3. Calling Family/Friends

1. Listening to Podcasts

My favorite podcasts right now are Second Life and The Daily. I have stacked up so many other shows in my library, but have just been focusing on these two for now. Second Life is the most inspiring podcast because it chronicles women who make major career changes at any age. And The Daily is a great source for politics and current events.

2. Utilize the Downtime

When I say this, I mean utilizing that space – where it’s just you and road to: brainstorm; set goals for personal growth; practice breathing or self-care by downloading or recognizing my feelings on something that happened that day. Sometimes, I simply enjoy the silence.

3. Call Family/Friends

With the Bluetooth technology we have nowadays, there really isn’t any excuse to not connect with friends or loved ones.

Since it’s such a rush to go here and there in the morning, there have been days where I have forgotten things at home. So, I created these three handy “at-a-glance” lists that I hope will be as helpful to you as they are to me. Instead of reinventing the wheel every day, I just glance at my lists to ensure I have all the proper items in each bag. Something as simple as having these helps me be as productive as possible, because I know I am prepared and haven’t forgotten a crucial element to my day.

Power Suit Vibes: Blazer - H&M (Cyber Monday find), similar here and here. Block Heels (comfortable enough to run in!) - ZARA. Handbag - Giorgio Armani.