Sometimes you know where you're going but getting from A to B is going to be more involved than you originally thought, sometimes it involved delays or detours, sometimes you take a wrong turn and add precious minutes to your journey. All of these cases offer an opportunity to capture some lost time, if you've plaanned for that opportunity. Time management gurus will tell you that you need to block similar tasks and allot certain times in your day to do just these, and do not allow them to take up other parts of your day. Many thought leaders have written many books which include this idea, and it will be a touch point for these quick tips.
As mentioned above, planning is key. Have a plan for any found minutes you have in the car. Obviously, hands-free bluetooth phone integration is a huge help, but if your vehicle doesn't include that, then it is worth looking into some aftermarket solutions that can pair with your phone to do things in a hands-free mode. Depending on your phone, it may even have such features built in.
Phone Calls. This is the big one. Obviously, blocking phone calls together for the car ride and taking phone meetings in which you don't need access to shared screens is a huge no-brainer for the car. One potential problem to be aware of, though, is meeting-induced fatigue, or a slowness in your reaction time as you become entranced in the meeting. There certainly is an opportunity to utilize this time effectively by communicating while commuting, but do not lull yourself into a false sense of safety.
Dictation. It is surprising that more people do not use dictation any longer, especially considering the number of apps that support taking notes and making documents this way. While a little more involved than a phone call, being able to get a draft put together entirely by voice is a relatively recent phenomenon, and one that can be suited to do while on the move. As with phone calls, though, be sure you are remaining aware of your surroundings.
Education and Training. Here's one that many people talk about. With the excellent selection of books on tape, radio programs, podcasts, and virtually any number of new media consumables coming out daily, it is not a bad idea to try to use your time ni the car listening to something that may prove useful to you down the road. It is just as easy as listening to music, but you may find a way to improve yourself and your self worth without even getting out of the car.
Things to remember - the best way to utilize these techniques is to plan to use them, to have a set of tasks relating to each area pre-arranged, so that when you find yourself in the car with nothing pressing, you can quickly just jump to these.
