Driving for up to four hours a day has changed more than my routine. It has changed what I listen to, when I listen to it, and how much patience I have for choosing something in the first place.
An early start to the day
This semester has changed how and what media I consume more than I expected.
Last semester, my earliest class was 11am. It was wonderful. I could have a little lie-in and leave my house around 9 am. The day was already in full swing, so I was in high spirits.
This semester is completely different. My earliest class is 9am, three days a week which means that I have to leave earlier, spend more time in traffic, and I am in a completely different mood before even sitting in the car.
I am not a morning person. When I leave my house at 6am, it is dark, cold and I am not a functioning human yet. So no big decisions can be made at that hour of the morning. My mood really impacts what I listen to on my commute because there are so many options now, it has become harder to choose.
After spending so many hours alone in my car, I have realised that what I listen to depends on so many different factors: what time of day it is, what classes I have, what time of the year it is and whether I already have something I’m looking forward to listening to.
Here’s a video about what currently gets me through those long drives:
Music is for the drive home
If a new album has been released, especially one that I have been excited about, then I will absolutely listen to it on repeat.
That is exactly what happened with Harry Styles’ new album, which I talk about here. When I like new music, I will listen to it until I get sick of it, and I am definitely not sick of his album yet.
However, timing does matter. I do not want to listen to such a fun album at 6am. That does not fit my mood at that time. I know there are people out there who would listen to this album to wake them up and start their morning on a high, but that person is not me.
Music feels better on the drive home. It fits the energy of being finished for the day, when I have a bit more life in me and can actually bop along to the music instead of trying not to fall asleep on the motorway.
That is something I hadn’t given much thought about before commuting so much. I used to think that if I liked an album or a new song, I would want to listen to it all the time. Now I know that isn’t true at all. My mood and the setting has to be right.
Everyone has different things they listen to, to pass the time on their commutes:
Easy listens for an early commute
My morning commute needs something else. It needs low energy, but high entertainment.
I have leaned more towards listening to podcasts because they keep me alert without demanding too much from me mentally. I can listen, half concentrate, laugh a little, and still keep my brain slightly occupied without exerting too much energy that early in the day.
This is where podcasts like Good Hang with Amy Poehler come into play. Its fun, conversational, and has enough personality to keep me company without asking too much from my brain. More recently, I have been listening to Smosh Reads Reddit Stories. I love hearing how chaotic some people’s lives are.
Podcasts have become a huge part of my routine. The time really does fly by, especially when I am too tired to choose music but don’t want to sit in silence either.
Indecision at its finest
One of the most annoying parts of commuting is not just the drive itself, but it is deciding what to listen to.
The pressure is immense because if you choose wrong, you can’t really go looking for something else unless you pull over.
Sometimes choosing music over a podcast can be the wrong decision. I can easily spend fifteen minutes just clicking next…next…next on songs until maybe one I like comes on, and then the cycle begins again.
Picking a podcast removes the decision-making. You pick one thing, press play, and listen. On a long commute, that relives so much unnecessary stress.
Audiobooks work well when I want my drive to feel a bit more productive and purposeful. There are many days where I feel like so much of my time is wasted because I’m in the car. Audiobooks aren’t for everyone, and some people don’t think that they count as reading, which has become a big topic of debate on #BookTok lately.
However, there is a problem: Spotify. They give you fifteen audiobook listening hours a month. Them expecting that to be enough time is crazy.
People on Reddit have made treads about their frustrations. The monthly time limit disappears so quickly when you commute regularly.
Because of that, I have had to become more aware of how I choose what to listen to. It’s not just about what I like, but what suits the time of day, my energy level, and how much concentration I have left.
My commute has changed the media I consume
What I choose to pass the time of my four-hour daily commute depends on many factors.
What time I’m leaving my house? Am I going to college or on my way home? Do I need to be woken up, distracted, or just have some company? There are days where I want Harry Styles on repeat. Other days, I want to hear people’s insane Reddit stories.
Sometimes what makes the drive easier is not just a great song. Sometimes it’s humour, a thought-provoking conversation or a familiar voice that makes the time go a little bit faster.
Once you spend enough hours by yourself in a car, those things start to matter.
