According to a public survey held among car users across the UK, being stuck in traffic is number one when it comes to the most annoying daily routine.
Waiting in your car for hours just to get to work and making sure to get there on time as well, creates a lot of useless stress and annoyance that we really don’t need at that time in the morning before you start your day. Not only do you need to calculate these traffic horrors in your travel time to your destination by setting your alarm a few hours sooner than you have to, but the time wasted just sitting in your car seems a total waste of time on its own.
Or isn’t it?
So you’re sitting there in your metal box on wheels that aren’t spinning, just staring at the rear bumper in front of you, just waiting until it inches forward so that you can do the same.
Pointless, right?
Well…not necessarily. There are a few things that you can do to occupy your mind and even learn a few things while just sitting in your car.
Here are a few distractions and activities that you can do while being stuck in traffic.
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Play a game on your phone
Wait! Before you start reaching for your phone behind the wheel. Be aware that we strongly don’t recommend that you play with your phone as a driver. Even if you are standing still for a while. Unless your car is safely parked and the engine is shut off, you are legally not allowed to use your phone behind the wheel.
But, if you are a passenger, on the other hand, it’s fine. There are so many games that you can play on your phone. The sky is the limit. You can find any game you like on your Android or IOS device. Did you know that you can even visit an online casino and really win some cash playing casino games? You can find these quite easily via your search engine and creating an account even grant you an online casino bonus so that you can start playing right away.
Imagine showing up for work and having won a nice profit before you actually start your day!
Learn a language
There are many reasons to learn a few phrases in another language than your own. Maybe you are planning to go on a holiday in Spain and you want to make sure that you can order a proper drink at the bar. Maybe you find it useful to speak to your business partners in their own language or maybe you just want to impress your friends in fluent Mandarin.
Whatever your reasons, it’s a very useful way to kill time while being stuck in your car.
There are many ways to pick up a new language, like using the mobile apps Duolingo, HelloTalk, Mindsnacks, Memrise, and many other apps that you can find online.
You can easily put your mobile phone on a hands-free speaker in your car and start rehearsing your pronunciation skills while keeping both hands on the steering wheel.
Listen to a podcast or audiobook
Everybody loves podcasts, right? Well, there is no better time to listen to your favorite talk shows, storytellers, and sports reports than now, while sitting in your car. The podcast can be found anywhere online and their range of choice is limitless.
All you have to do is sit back, what you are probably are doing anyway, and let your ears soak in whatever you want to listen to.
Personally, I love listening to a good storyteller reading from one of my favorite science fiction books.
It makes time go by so much faster.
Call a friend or relative
We all make excuses sometimes that we don’t have time to have a conversation with a friend or family member over the phone. And most of the time it’s true.
Calling a long-distance friend or someone you know and haven’t spoken too in a while takes time.
Well…time is all you have while being stuck in a long traffic jam.
So put your phone on speaker and start dialing because you will never regret having a long-postponed conversation with your loved ones. I am sure that you won’t regret it and it sure makes the endless traffic jam a lot more tolerant.
Meditate and reflect
Hold on, I am surely not suggesting closing your eyes and zoning out for a few minutes behind the wheel. But there are ways to meditate while you are completely awake and alert to your surroundings.
Meditation is very personal and varies from person to person so there is not really a “true way” to reach a state of meditation.
Meditating doesn’t always require you to close your eyes, cross your legs in a Buddha position, or laying on your back. The purest form of meditating is clearing your mind from thoughts of the past and future and just being in the moment.
By being in the moment, your present troubles, worries or concerns become less transparent and solutions are easier to find in this state of mind.
Sometimes you become aware that these troubled thoughts aren’t worth feeling down about at all and are just temporary “glitches” of the mind.
Try it out yourself. There are millions of books and podcasts that you can easily find on this subject.
Applying these to your daily life, especially in a bummed-out situation such as a traffic jam, makes your day start fresh with a clear head and a stronger determination. 
It’s up to you
So there you have it. The days of staring at the taillights of the car in front of you while biting your nails because you fear that you will come in late again are over.
There are definitely some useful things to do while being stuck in your metal box and you can only come out of this traffic jam a stronger and wiser person.
I bet you are already looking out for tomorrow’s traffic jam, right?