What I Learned From… Commuting

And How to Turn ‘Dead Time’ into Useful Work

Notes from a Southampton marketer on audiobooks, dictation, dyslexia and making the most of the miles…

Commuting is one of those things nobody really wants to do, but many of us have to in order to seize the right opportunities. I grew up in Southampton, which is handily placed for work within a 20–60 minute radius – Portsmouth, Winchester, Bournemouth, Basingstoke – and, when needed, London in around 90 minutes by train and Paris in 90 minutes by air.

That geography has shaped my career so far.

It also taught me how to turn travel time into learning time.

The Marketing Made Clear Podcast

Check out the Marketing Made Clear Podcast on all good podcast platforms for more from Will Green MA MBA.

The South-Coast Catchment Problem – and Why it’s Not the Whole Story

A CEO on the south coast once told me that we are restricted by:

“recruiting from a 180-degree radius”

…compared with places inland that can draw talent from all directions.

It’s a neat observation, and there is evidence that coastal towns face labour-market challenges and slower employment growth. But people also move to the coast for quality of life. For the right role and culture, seaside can beat city – and of course there are plenty of large cities on the coast.

Still, the constraint is real enough that leaders should plan around it – more flexible work options, smarter commuter support, and deliberate employer branding to attract people who want both career and coastline.

Eight Years up the M3 – The ‘if I’m Stuck Here, I’m Learning’ Rule

For the best part of eight years I drove up to Basingstoke.

Early on, car tech meant radio or CDs, so I bought audiobooks. I tried learning French in the car – nothing like whispering “je voudrais un croissant” while queuing on the M3 – but found I’d drift. Economics clicked better. Henry Hazlitt’s lessons on incentives and second-order effects were perfect motorway companions. I listened to that epic-audiobook twice! The big learning wasn’t just the specific book; it was the habit.

If I was going to sit in traffic, the time had to pay me back.

A practical tip if you feel “saturation” on the drive home: alternate content densities. Maybe go for something heavy in the morning, lighter podcasts or audiobooks in the evening. Treat it like periodisation in the gym rather than trying to max out cognitive load twice a day.

By the way, commuters aren’t alone.

People in England spent an average of 362 hours travelling in 2024, roughly an hour a day across all purposes. That’s an enormous reservoir for learning if you can use it well.

Dictation Changed Everything

As tech improved, I started dictating ideas into Gmail on the move.

I’d speak outlines for articles, rough paragraphs, even notes from books. At the end of the journey I’d email it to myself, then use ChatGPT to tidy structure, fix mishears, and check logic.

Dictation was a game-changer for me because I’m dyslexic. I was only diagnosed at university, despite a school that supposedly specialised in dyslexia support. The diagnosis reframed everything:

I write slowly.

I type slowly.

But I think quickly.

Dictation let my ideas move at the speed of thought, not the speed of my fingers.

About dyslexia: the British Dyslexia Association estimates roughly 10% of the population are dyslexic, with around 4% severely affected. Assistive tech like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and structured editing isn’t a cheat code in my opinion… It’s good ergonomics for brains that learn differently.

“But What About AI Writing – Isn’t That Soulless?”

Some people worry that using AI makes content generic or puts writers out of work.

My take: tools don’t erase voice; they reduce friction. I use ChatGPT to clean dictation, impose structure, stress-test arguments, and surface sources I then read properly. Often the piece changes direction because the reading changes me.

That’s the work. In practice, AI lets me publish more of my own ideas – not fewer.

By smoothing out the process – I can keep myself engaged and productive.

There’s also a trend that supports “learning by listening.”

Audiobooks are booming.

In 2024, UK audiobook revenue hit a record £268m, up 31% year-on-year. That’s not just Audible hype – it’s proof that on-the-go learning is mainstream, and a lot of people find it works.

Safety First – A Quick Note on the Law and Attention

Two important points if you’re in a car:

• It is illegal in the UK to hold a phone or any data-sending device while driving. Full stop. If you use audio, use a properly mounted device, controls integrated with the car, and keep your eyes and mind on the road.

• Even hands-free voice tech can be distracting. Research shows cognitive load from voice-activated tasks can impair driving. If in doubt, record a quick voice memo when parked, or use the train for “deep work” listening and dictation.

The Commuter-to-Content Workflow I Use

This is my process – let’s call it the “Will Green Process”:

1. Capture – Dictate outlines, headlines and key points. Don’t chase perfect sentences.
2. Park and send – When the car is stopped and you’re legally stationary, email the notes to yourself.
3. Structure – Back at a desk, paste into an editor. Ask AI to propose a logical structure with headings, transitions and gaps to fill.
4. Substantiate – Add sources, quotes, and counterpoints. Read the links; don’t just drop them in.
5. Polish for readers – Clear headlines, short paragraphs, UK spelling, internal links where relevant, and a TL;DR.
6. Publish and learn – Publish, get feedback, iterate.

What the Numbers Say about Commuting and Work Now

• Hybrid saves time – On days people work from home, they save an average of 56 minutes by not commuting, according to the ONS Time Use Survey. For marketers, that’s a built-in half-hour for reading and half-hour for writing if you protect it.

• Travel time is back, but changed – Post-pandemic, total travel time is close to pre-2020, but patterns have shifted. In 2024 people spent ~362 hours travelling, a touch below 2019 but up on 2023. Rail commuting into cities has rebounded strongly, though peak-hour patterns remain different.

• Hybrid is unevenly distributed – Access to hybrid work rises with income. Almost 45% of workers earning £50k+ hybrid work, compared with 8% under £20k. It’s a flexibility divide that matters for hiring and inclusion strategies.

• Work on the move is normalising – Flexible workspaces in UK airports and rail stations have seen big footfall increases since 2022, as professionals “work from roam.” If you’re train-based, plan proper deep-work blocks.

• Audiobooks are mainstream study tools – As noted above, 2024 set a revenue record for UK audiobooks, reflecting how many of us now learn while we travel.

Historical context: Pre-pandemic, the average UK commute was commonly reported at around 59 minutes a day return. That’s roughly 221 hours a year – the equivalent of five or six working weeks, which explains why “making the commute pay” isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a serious productivity lever.

Tips for Marketers, Students and Anyone Building Something on the Side

• Use a “content alternation” plan – Heavy learning in the morning, lighter in the evening.

• Set themes per month – For example, June is “behavioural economics,” July is “brand history,” August is “quant research.” It reduces choice paralysis at 7am.

• Capture sparks, not essays – Dictate bullets, questions, and “note-to-self” lines. You’ll write prose faster later.

• Pre-load the queue – Download books and podcasts while on Wi-Fi. Poor reception is the mortal enemy of momentum.

• Respect cognitive limits – If you feel fried, switch to music or silence. Processing time is part of learning.

• If you manage a team – Consider commute-smart benefits: flexible start times on peak-disruption days, train-friendly meeting schedules, and a small stipend for audiobooks or professional subscriptions.

The Dyslexia Upside

Dyslexia made formal education harder early on, but it also trained me to build systems that are brilliant for marketing work.

If you’re dyslexic, lean into assistive tech without apology.

If you lead a team, assume at least one in ten colleagues would benefit from adjustments that make everyone’s work clearer and faster anyway.

Closing Thought

If I didn’t have my commute, I’m not sure I’d have sustained Marketing Made Clear. Those miles are where ideas get captured, shaped, and with help from AI; turned into something readable. It’s my time, and it’s oddly cathartic.

If any of this helps you study, switch careers, or keep your own project alive, tell me.

And if you have a better workflow, tell me that too.

I’m still learning.

TL;DR

• Commuting time is huge – roughly an hour a day across all travel in England in 2024 – and worth turning into learning time.

• Audiobooks, dictation and AI editing can transform “dead time” into published work, especially helpful if you’re dyslexic.

• Be safe and legal: never hold a phone while driving, and remember that even hands-free can distract. Park to capture longer notes.

• Hybrid working saves around 56 minutes per home-day, but access is unequal – plan inclusion and flexibility deliberately.