What are effective ways to use your time even while commuting by car? Recommended methods & failed methods
Jan. 26, 2026
According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications conducted every five years, the average "car commute time" nationwide is 29 minutes.
Compared to the average "train commute" of 59 minutes, it may feel short, but it still means spending one hour on a round trip just for commuting.
If you had an extra hour on weekdays, you should normally be able to do many things.
In reality, the truth is that all that time is being spent solely on commuting.
In this article, we will explain how to effectively use your car commuting time.
It is difficult to use car commuting time effectively

You probably want to make effective use of the time you spend driving for your commute.
However, doing other things while driving is difficult and, moreover, dangerous.
After all, you have to drive the car.
You must constantly pay attention to your surroundings, and you cannot take your eyes off the road or the mirrors to check what is ahead.
Therefore, unlike commuting by train, car commuting makes it very difficult to use methods such as:
- Watching movies or YouTube on a smartphone
- Playing games
- Reading the news in a newspaper
These are common ways to use commute time on a train, but they are extremely difficult in a car.
However, there is actually an easy way to make effective use of your car commuting time!
Next, we will propose methods for the effective use of commute time.
What do you do during your car commute?

I used to commute by car myself.
My commute time was about 30 minutes. Right in the middle of the national average.
When I think about what I was doing in the car during my commute, it was mostly things like:
- Listening to music
- Listening to the radio
- Eating snacks
How about you?
When looking up other ways to use car commute time effectively, sometimes things like:
- Singing at the top of your lungs
- Eating a meal
are recommended.
Singing or eating is not recommended

However, personally, I do not recommend eating or singing during a car commute.
This is because I had an embarrassing experience myself.
It might just be my area, but in slightly rural regions, people often know who is riding in which car or who is driving based on the car model and license plate.
It’s at the level where just by seeing the car and plate, people know:
"Oh, that's neighbor so-and-so."
Because of this, you might be seen by an acquaintance while eating and driving without even realizing it, such as when passing an oncoming car.
"Hey, you were eating in your car the other day, weren't you?"
or,
"You were really singing in your car a while ago, weren't you?"
People might say things like this to you...
In fact, I had such an experience.
By the way, I was stuffing a rice ball in my mouth during my morning commute.
Being seen in a scene where you don't expect to be watched is quite embarrassing.
Based on that experience, I don't really recommend eating a meal or singing at the top of your lungs during a car commute.
The "using your ears" method is best for car commutes!

What I want to recommend for car commuting is the "using your ears" method of effective utilization.
For example:
- Radio
- Listening to music
- Audiobooks
- Narration of news or favorite blog articles
And so on.
Radio
In a world where COVID-19 spread, the radio provided a surprising amount of healing.
It offers a different kind of enjoyment than TV programs, and there are even surveys showing that the number of people listening to the radio increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listening to music
Car commute time is perfect for enjoying music.
Whenever you go for a drive, music is always there.
Audiobooks
"I want to read, but I can't open a book during my commute."
"I don't have an environment where I can concentrate on reading a book after returning home."
For those people, I would like to propose audiobooks.
By using audiobooks, you can hear the contents of a book just by listening.
With audiobooks, you "read" by listening to audio files of a book being read aloud.
It is a new way to enjoy books that is different from silent reading.
There are various genres of audiobooks, and you will surely find a book you want to read!
Also, even for those who say "I'm not good at reading," audiobooks involve just listening to a narration, so it’s a different sensation from reading a book.
There is no doubt it will be an opportunity to enjoy books in a fun way.
You can easily create audiobooks using a text-to-speech service.
First, why not try making an audiobook with Ondoku?
Qualification study
Additionally, some audiobooks are designed for qualification studies.
If you can study and obtain a qualification, it may broaden the range of options in your life, such as salary increases or career changes.
For example, bookkeeping.
- The required study time for Bookkeeping Level 3 is about 50 hours
- The required study time for Bookkeeping Level 2 is about 100 hours
This means that studying for Bookkeeping Level 3 is equivalent to 1.5 months of commute time.
Also, for Bookkeeping Level 2, the calculation shows that you can study by utilizing 3 months of commute time.
Narration of news or favorite blog articles
The online news and blogs you read daily can also be enjoyed by "listening" to them like an audiobook.
If you use text-to-speech software, this is also very easy.
Simply by having the text you want read aloud by text-to-speech software, you can listen to any text during your car commute.
Since it reads anything as long as it is text, you can use it not only during commute time but also when silent reading is a hassle.
Once you start using it, it becomes more convenient than you might think and you’ll get hooked.
"Ear activities" that can be done at any time are also attracting attention as "Mimikatsu."
Why not use text-to-speech software to incorporate new activities into your life?
What is the popular "Mimikatsu"? Recommended ways to start and 5 free apps explained | Text-to-speech software Ondoku
Recommendations for starting Mimikatsu even in a busy daily life. We introduce 5 recommended free apps such as AI narration apps and podcasts, as well as how to utilize them in various scenes such as commuting, housework, walking, and exercising.
Commute time utilization that suits you
By making effective use of your commute time, you can significantly change your life.
Commute time occupies more of your time than you might think.
If you can use this time well, you can make your life richer.
Instead of just being overwhelmed by daily life, using time effectively can help you find a "new you."
Even if you've never read much or aren't interested in the news, why not give it a try?
You might make an unexpected discovery!
■ AI voice synthesis software "Ondoku"
"Ondoku" is an online text-to-speech tool that can be used with no initial costs.
- Supports approximately 50 languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, and German
- Available from both PC and smartphone
- Suitable for business, education, entertainment, etc.
- No installation required, can be used immediately from your browser
- Supports reading from images
To use it, simply enter text or upload a file on the site. A natural-sounding audio file will be generated within seconds. You can use voice synthesis up to 5,000 characters for free, so please give it a try.
Email: ondoku3.com@gmail.com
"Ondoku" is a Text-to-Speech service that anyone can use for free without installation. If you register for free, you can get up to 5000 characters for free each month. Register now for free