Sometimes, it takes everything we’ve got within us to simply get out of bed and get ready for work. Yet when we know that we have a long commute ahead of us, that can make things all the more challenging.

If you’ve been looking for some tips on how to survive your long commute to work, chin up. We have five great tips that will make the time almost fly by so that you can get into the office quicker and back home sooner.

Listen to a book. If you happen to be riding on a bus or train, you can easily read a book in order to pass the time. But obviously if you’re driving, that’s not the best idea. What you can do, however, is listen to an audio book. It’s a great alternative and it can be especially helpful if you don’t have much quiet time at home or work to read otherwise.

Carpool. Something that you can do that will prove to be beneficial for both you and the environment is to carpool. That way, you and the people you are riding with can rotate days. This helps to keep your car mileage down and emissions out of the air. Plus, having someone to talk to will definitely help to pass the time in a really delightful way.

Take your laptop along. This is a tip that’s solely reserved for individuals who are riding, rather than driving, into work. If you are someone who falls into this category, it might be a good idea to take your laptop or Netbook along. It’s especially ideal if you have a presentation to give or a report that is due. The extra minutes that you have while riding into work could end up being just the right amount of time that you needed to meet your deadlines. It can also be a good way to jot down grocery lists or upcoming weekend plans so that you can feel more organized once you get back home.

Have a snack. Or a nap. If you’re driving and you forgot to eat breakfast, the commute can be a good time to get a smoothie while on the road. If you’re riding and you could use another hour or so of sleep, the commute can be a great way to get a power nap in.

Do some brainstorming or daydreaming. If you really stop and think about it, there’s a pretty good chance that some of your best ideas transpired as you were riding alone, without the radio on, in your car. While a lot of us don’t really like commuting, the reality is that it tends to be one of the rarest moments when we really can be alone with our thoughts. So, if you’ve been looking for a new job and you saw some leads on a website like http://www.jobsinlancashire.com/ or you want to plan a dinner engagement or you’ve been contemplating how to approach a certain issue with a family member or friend, you just might find the answer that you’re looking for, ironically, during your long commute to work.