Being a frequent passenger of the ever famous NYC Subway system, I've observed and learned quite a few things. To many, travel time underground either means "time for a nap," or "time to get some work done!" For others, it's a session of leisurely time for themselves where they read a book, play their PSP, solve sudoku puzzles, or listen to their iPods. For this entry's sake, I'll be talking about achievements and productivity.
I can't remember how many times I've had so much work to do for school, I could only complete them on my way to class. The typical travel time for me is around 1 hour, and when you're in a rush, trust me, you get more done than you think. I also see people studying for exams, quickly scribbling the day's due assignment, drawing things, and more.
The worst part about doing work in the subway are the distractions! You never know when some bum or over-sized person is going to come and sit down next to you, or if you end up without a seat because of rush hour. I've ended up without a seat plenty of times, and it's not pleasant standing and trying to do some work when you barely have any energy to keep your eyes open. It's always good to know whether you should sit in the front, middle, or the back of the train where there are the least people. With great subway skills, comes more rest and completed (somewhat) work.
So, what about the people who have nothing to do on the train? This is where dedication and consistency comes into the picture. This is the point I want to reach where I could sit down on my brightly colored seat and read a book, write a story, come up with a great design or logo of some sort, or write down notes of what I should blog about next.
From this point, that's what I want to do. I want to set myself free in one form or another and do just that! I always have my iPhone with me, so I can keep notes, and keep a few pieces of paper in my backpack to draw out ideas. I will find an interesting book to read at Barnes & Noble and carry it with me as long as it's not an inconvenience. I will read and look smart and sophisticated all at the same time. So now, let's see how this all turns out in the following weeks/months.
Courtesy to Dominick Chapman for the Subway Photo.
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HA HA HA HA mate!!
Only you can use the words "dedication" and "consistency" when talking about riding the subway, perhaps you could look at a career in motivational speaking?
As a frequent public transport user myself, you got me thinking about the kind of people that I see on the trains too. It's also interesting to hear your opinion of NY train people and compare your observations to people in Sydney.
Personally I can't stand working on a train, I do enough of that AT WORK, plus since I am still running my business I also don't want to weave work into my train trip.
I frequently see people sitting there with laptops out plugging away at a presentation, Word document or checking email. Once I saw someone playing WOW, my reaction to that was "wow, that's sad!".
My usual train activity is chatting on AIM / MSN on my mobile phone, checking your blog, or reading one of my magazines (usually an Astronomy one). So so geeky!