Many people would say I don’t live that far away from uni.

If I drove, it would probably take me anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes max. But considering my uni is in the middle of a bustling CBD precinct, I would probably have to sell an organ (or two) just to keep up with the cost of parking. Not something I really want to add to my monthly budget. So the handy (always reliable!) public transport system it is. *nervous laughter*

Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way to help me (and you) survive our extraordinarily long morning commute.

Planning Is Everything

Think about the things you’d like to get done by the end of the day or during the week and jot them down in your notes app. Plan out your schedule, draft an assignment structure, do your uni readings. Haven’t planned your outfits for the week? Visualise that in your head too.

It all helps to keep your mind active and distracted from the long journey ahead of you.

Take Your Breakfast On The Road

Like the point above, eating your breakfast while you go means you won’t have to rush in the morning to head out the door. You could even go all out and sleep in for another 10 minutes. After all, it’s not like you have to waste time making your bowl of porridge when a handy banana and Up & Go will do the trick.

Also, munching on breakfast on the train makes the ride so much more bearable.

Curate The Perfect Playlist

While you’re waiting for your bus or train, why not make a playlist? It can represent how you’re feeling that morning or even how you want to feel by the end of the day. If you need some inspo, Spotify and Apple Music have got you covered. Just search “morning commute” and you’ve got hundreds of bangers at your disposal. A playlist that screams “you”, henny!

Learn A Language

If music is not your thing, you can use your time in the morning to pick up another language.

Duolingo is a language app that gamifies the learning experience through a variety of challenges to get your brain active. It even motivates you to stay on track with a streak count for how many days in a row you’ve spent learning a language.

Better still: it’s 100 per cent free. Hola, mi amigo.

Get Your Exercise In

If you want to cut down your time on the road, why not get off one or two stops earlier and walk to point B? It’s a great way to escape the overheated train carriage while getting your exercise in for the day.

If you need more convincing, it’s been proven to boost mental well-being and will put you in the right frame of mind to tackle the day ahead. Killing two birds with one stone? I like the sound of that.

Chelsea Hetherington is a Communications/Creative Intelligence and Innovation student at the University of Technology Sydney. She is a concert fanatic, sport enthusiast and tweets at @chelsea_hetho.

(Lead image: Broad City/HBO)