5 tips for hacking your commute

Commutes in Ottawa are getting longer at least, if you drive to work but they don't have to feel interminable.

As part of our commuting seriesNowhere Fast, we asked people who spend irksomely long hours trying to get around this city how they put all that travel time to good use.

We heard a few common refrains: get some work done, take a nap (drivers, you should probably skipthat one), orloseyourself inan absorbingpodcast.

Here are five more ideas to help you preserve your sanity when you're staring down hours on the road.

Get smart

WhenWillMonterrozawas suddenly saddled with a lengthy commutefromHawkesbury, Ont., toKanata, he decided to use that time to learn a new language.

"Hawkesburyis a very Francophone area, so it just made sense to improve my French," he says.

Monterrozacompleted French-language audio courses and honed his skills listening to French radio and a French version of the Bible from beginning to end.

It could all prove useful: a new role at work meansMonterroza isnow facing a slightly shorter commute to the west end of Montreal.

Stay in shape

Carol Manson's daily commute requires her to drive 65 kilometres from the town of Finch, Ont., to her job in Ottawa's south end.

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The closer she gets to work, the worse the traffic becomes,but at least those slowdownsgiveher time to get in a quick workout.

"I've been working on my abs," she says."You hold your abs in, count to 20, breathe, let them out, relax. You know, do a few repetitions like that. It's starting to work a little."

Exercising while stuck in traffic might not be a bad idea: studies have found remaining stationary behind the wheel of a car for long periodscan place drivers at higher risk of obesity and high blood pressure.

Manson alsogrips the steering wheel with both hands and pushesout sort of an isometric exercise and works her glutes the same way she does her abdomen.

Having a standard transmission rather than automaticalso keeps Manson moving,even when traffic isn't.

"[My car] isn't the best in traffic, especially when you're in stop-and-go," Mansonsays. "So I get a lot of exercise just [with] the clutch and the stick shift."

Work that app

Given how oftenJulianaSotomayorrides the bus, it's no surprise she's gota favourite app for managing her trips.

On her busiest days, the 19-year-old takes between five and seven buses first from her home in Blackburn Hamlet to her job in Barrhaven, then to afternoon classes at theUniversity of Ottawa, and finally home again.

She tries to bring some efficiency to all those trips by relyingon an app calledTransit that provides real-time information about city bus routes.

If her 95 bus to Barrhaven is running behind, for example, she'll use the app to catch an express bus to another station and hope the right bus is waiting when she arrives.

Bus riders can also use OC Transpo's official app to track the service, and there are countless online tools for drivers, too,like WazeandGoogle Maps.

For cyclists, Bike Ottawa has compiled various maps, including a crowdsourcedwinter map thatshows which routes have been cleared of snow.

So does Sotomayor'sapp-powered route switching actually make her commute quicker?

"Probably not," she says. "There'salways the hope. But [at least] it keeps me entertained."

Make it interactive

When Audrey Carignan and Amanda Richard get bored, they turn to their trusty whiteboard.

The pair carpoolto Ottawa each day from Kemptville, Ont., and for the past month or so they've been scrawling messages on the board and holding them up to drivers who for whatever reason capture their attention.

"We do send messages to other people who are picking their nose or talking on their cellphones ... or more happier messages, like, 'Finally, it's Friday!'" saysRichard.

"We did see a guy with a big spoiler on his car [once] so we wrote, 'Spoiler alert!' And we did kind of slow down a little bit so he could see the message. And he thoroughly enjoyed it.

"You might as well make the best of it, if you're going to spend the majority of your time in the car."

Let go

No, not the steering wheel,but the sense you can control everything.

At least, that's Rhonda Harper's philosophy.

Harper was born and raised in Cornwall, Ont., and had worked in the eastern Ontario city until a few years ago when her job was relocatedto Ottawa.

Initially, the commute felt overwhelming. Eventually, however, she found a few coworkers to share not only the drive but also the mental pressures that come with it.

"There are days it will take you two-and-a-half hours to get in, and you have to be able to be OK with that," she said.

"You have to have a sense of letting go of what you can't control."

What's your hackfor getting through the daily commute? If you've got one, send us an email.