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How to maximise your time while commuting to and from work

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Commuting to work can be a real time suck, but I have found some great ways to maximise this time that I thought I would share with you. I have been travelling to work on a bus for 6 months now and while I am getting up a bit earlier, I have found some great benefits to maximising the time it takes to commute to work.

Commuting to work can be a real time suck, but I have found some great ways to maximise this time that I thought I would share with you. I have been travelling to work on a bus for 6 months now and while I am getting up a bit earlier, I have found some great benefits to maximising the time it takes to commute to work. My round-trip bus route takes a little under 3 hours to do – so I really want to make use of this time. I try to be mindful of this time and really try and make the most of it. Travelling on a bus is slow, but there are benefits to travelling on a bus. For one thing, I don’t get any road rage whilst stuck in traffic – and at least I don’t have to concentrate while on the bus (confession: I have been known to snooze on the bus, which is very unlike me since I usually battle to sleep while travelling).

Here are a few things that I do while I am commuting to and from work every day:

  • Social Media: Ok so it is not the most productive thing I could be doing, but I use the time sitting on the bus to catch up on social media, I do my posts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I join in conversations and chat with other bloggers and my friends. I try use this time so that when I am home, I am not continuously swiping through my phone but rather interacting with my hubby, and spending quality time with him and Jack.
  • Blogging: thanks to the notes app as well as the WordPress app, I spend some of my time coming up with ideas and re-arranging my blog ideas. Travelling on the bus is a novel thing for me still, since I come from a country where I didn’t use public transport, so I find travelling on the bus often brings up other ideas that I have experienced that are new as an expat living in a foreign country.
  • Reading: I have a husband who often sends me interesting articles via WhatsApp, so I like to read and catch up on these while I commute. I also subscribe to other blogs, so I like to read the updates and catch up on the news. I have thought about reading a book, but I can’t seem to read for too long while moving in a car, as I get motion sickness – so I can’t read for long periods, just short articles or news seem to be ok.
  • Podcasts: Podcasts are a great way to pass the time, especially on days where I feel tired, and not in the mood to read or concentrate too heavily. I can switch on a podcast, and they usually take about as long as my bus trip which is great, because I am still a little cautious of walking while listening. I just worry that if I am listening too intently on the podcast, while I am crossing the road – perhaps I might not be concentrating on traffic and cyclists. So I do prefer to listen to podcasts while I am sitting safely on the bus. There are a few podcasts I like to listen to: Estee Lalonde’s The Heart of It; Serial; Russell Brand’s Under the Skin are just a few I really enjoy.
  • Connecting with friends and family: Commuting to work means I walk a far bit, before I get onto the bus – so it is a great time to leave a voice note, or make a few phone calls. I also use the time sitting on the bus to return WhatsApp’s. I must admit, I am not very good at making phone calls and WhatsApp’s – but I am trying to get better. The hardest part about living so far away from friends and family is that is it does require more effort to keep in touch. So I use the time I have while travelling on the bus to catch up with friends and family. It is amazing how great technology is. Although, I prefer to not be talking on the bus, just because I feel like everyone is listening in on the conversation – that and I don’t like it when I can hear other people talking on the phone on the bus!
  • Emails: Part of this blog gives people insight into how I moved overseas, and how we live in Ireland, which means that I often get emails asking me questions about moving to Ireland and how they can do the same. So I use the time to reply to my emails, and clear my inbox.

DO YOU COMMUTE TO WORK? HOW DO YOU PASS THE TIME?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Commuting to work can be a real time suck, but I have found some great ways to maximise this time that I thought I would share with you. I have been travelling to work on a bus for 6 months now and while I am getting up a bit earlier, I have found some great benefits to maximising the time it takes to commute to work.

Top 6 Reasons to Live in Dublin, and 3 Reasons Why it can be Hard

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We have lived in Dublin for over a year now and while the move had it's challenges, we have come to love our new adopted home. Dublin and Ireland in general should be a place that everyone should visit. And that is not for the pubs and the craic - but more for the place that it is and the people. There are many reasons why I think Dublin is a great place to live, but I thought these six reasons best summarise this little city that has a very big heart.We have lived in Dublin for over a year now and while the move had it’s challenges, we have come to love our new adopted home. Dublin and Ireland in general should be a place that everyone should visit. And that is not for the pubs and the craic – but more for the place that it is and the people. There are many reasons why I think Dublin is a great place to live, but I thought these six reasons best summarise this little city that has a very big heart.

  1. It’s a big city but not too big: with just under 1.5 million people living in Dublin, this city is big but its not as over developed and hectic as some other european cities.
  2. It’s convenient: you can walk to most places in Dublin and if not, public transport is pretty good. Sure the bus time table might be more a suggestion than accurate all the time but thye recently joined up the red and green luas lines – so it is improving all the time.
  3. The Guinness just tastes better in Ireland – Fact: something about drinking a pint of Guinness on Irish soil (this goes for anywhere in Ireland, not specifically Dublin), just makes the pint taste sweeter.
  4. Variety: city/ mountains/ beach and the coastal cliffs – all within minutes of each other. everything is very central and convenient to get to in Dublin.
  5. Something is always happening: there is loads to see and do here; with  tons of history, arts, music, food – whatever your interests, there is bound to be something you like happening in Dublin.
  6. It has a mild climate: granted it might not be too hot but it is generally not too cold either.

Those are just some of the reasons why we love to live in Dublin, and why Dublin and Ireland have kinda stolen a piece of our hearts. We didn’t realise how good it could be to live in this city, we came over with zero expectations and were so pleasantly surprised by how much we love to live here. Rob cycles to work every day, I take the bus, our local pub has a music eve every week; and Jack loves to run along the beach and parks – all within walking distance from our home. But there are 3 main reasons why living in Dublin can be a challenge. I don’t like to be super negative on the blog, but a lot of my readers follow this blog with the hopes of one day moving to Ireland, so I feel its only fair that I raise a few of the reasons why living in Dublin can be hard too.

  1. Rent is astronomical: It is more than just expensive; finding a spot that won’t cost you an arm and a leg and one of your kidneys is a real challenge. That is not to say it can’t be done, I mean we did find a place, but there is a massive housing crisis here. Many of the good spots will go very quickly, and having a pet makes it an extra challenge.
  2. Finding a job can be a slow process: If you read any of the irish papers, they all talk about how the job market is booming. Loads of groups I am in will say that there are tons of jobs available – new job openings every day. But I don’t think that is entirely true for all people and all industries. For many expats I know, work permits make it longer process to finding employment too.
  3. The litter is out of control: I wish i could say its because we live in the city but its on the beaches, and in the parks. I drive out through the suburbs on my way to work every day and I can’t tell you how many people i have seen blatantly littering, or not picking up their dog’s poop! Litter is a huge issue here and it seriously bums me out.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE REASON FOR ENJOYING LIVING IN YOUR CITY?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

We have lived in Dublin for over a year now and while the move had it's challenges, we have come to love our new adopted home. Dublin and Ireland in general should be a place that everyone should visit. And that is not for the pubs and the craic - but more for the place that it is and the people. There are many reasons why I think Dublin is a great place to live, but I thought these six reasons best summarise this little city that has a very big heart.

What to bring to Ireland versus the things you should leave behind

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Moving to Ireland? This list might help you decide what to keep, what to bring with, and what to leave behind.When Rob and I decided to move to Ireland, we purposely opted to not send a lot of stuff over. we sold most of our things online before we came over – and came over with two suitcases each plus 3 boxes we shipped over. That might sound like a lot to some people, and quite a little to others. We have had friends who have come over with less than that – and others with way more. Even though we scaled back on what we sent over, I still feel like there were things we didn’t need to send over, and other things we really should have brought with us.

That’s the problem with hindsight, I think we had to come over here and realise what we needed for ourselves, but I do think that this list might help you decide what to keep; what to bring with; and what you could decide, after reading this, to leave behind.

First off, this is the list of things we decided not to bring with us, and we have zero regrets for leaving it all behind:

  • Furniture: depending on where you decide to live in Ireland, moving furniture might not be an option for you. We decided to live in the city, closer to work, this means that our place is a bit smaller than what we had back home – we would have battled to fit our stuff in here. Also, the place we rent here in Dublin came furnished. Most rentals in the city come furnished. This is pretty handy for people like us, who didn’t have any furniture to start out with. It has also helped that we havent needed to buy any furniture, which has saved us some cash too.
  • Towels/Linen etc: This was purely a space issue, we didn’t have the cash to send over lots of boxes, and to be honest, with IKEA and Penneys both relatively affordable – there wasn’t a need to bring over that kind of stuff, when you have such a big variety here that is affordable too.
  • Kitchen appliances etc: I am obsessed with my slow cooker, but the one I had back home was massive and really heavy. Since the boxes you ship over are based on weight, we decided to leave it behind. I felt really guilty because we had a lot of great gifts from our wedding, but made the choice to rather not come over with too much. We decided to first get here and then make the call on what we needed to bring over later. We have since bought a new slow cooker and food processor, none of the other kitchen appliances have really been too necessary for right now. Perhaps that will change the longer we are here. We also left behind plates, glasses, mugs etc – all of which were provided brand new in our rental. We did however pack our coffee machine – no regrets for having it here, Nespresso pods are cheaper here than back home!
  • Electrical Appliances: I couldn’t fit my hair dryer into my luggage when it came to flying over, so I chose to leave it behind. The SA plug is different to the ones in Ireland so it would have been a hassle to get international adaptors for all the electrical items – so I have zero regrets for leaving them behind.
  • Most of my Summer clothing: I have mentioned this in previous posts, but before I left SA, I sold, donated or got rid of over 8 large black bags of clothing. Mostly clothes I never wore, didn’t fit me, or knew I would never wear. With the weather being a lot cooler here in Ireland, I haven’t missed any of the clothes I left behind. I even got to donate my old running shoes to a worthy cause – so I have zero regrets for not bringing that kind of stuff with me.

So what about the stuff we brought over, but in the end found we didn’t actually need to bring with us? You will find that once you are over here, there will always be some things you bring with you, that you really didn’t need to – take note of this list and then seriously reconsider leaving it behind.

  • Way too many clothes: even though I culled my clothes to two suitcases, I still feel like I brought over way too much. A perfect example is that I went from over 70 items of clothing to under 30 when I moved to a capsule wardrobe last year. I could have saved myself a heap of space if I had left it behind in the first place.
  • Too many handbags and jewellery that I never wear: I think the biggest thing that holds us back from getting rid of things is the guilt we have for throwing things out. I felt guilty throwing out gifts and presents from friends and family, so instead I lugged it overseas and to be honest – I now realise that if I don’t wear something, and it doesn’t bring me joy – I am better off for letting it go.
  • Empty notebooks and too much stationery: I loved Typo when I lived in SA, and I had a pile of notebooks and pens that I brought over because I just couldn’t bear to let them go. And you know what? I let them go in the #minsgame any way. So they couldn’t have been all that important or necessary.
  • Winter coats: This is always a strange one for me. We decided to spend an unreasonable amount on winter coats in SA and when we got over here, we found that in these climates – they don’t actually keep us warm! So we had to go out and buy new coats when we got here. Save yourself the space and effort, and buy your coat when you get here.
  • Basic tees and ‘layers’: Those kinds of things are always going to be super cheap over here, trust me, you can buy them all at Penneys when you first get here.
  • Ratty dog toys: Purely for sentimental reasons, I decided to bring over a lot of Jack’s toys. Some of them were very ratty and worn – and we have since thrown them out. It really wasn’t necessary to bring them with.

Those are all of the things we shouldn’t have brought with us, but like I said – you only know what you know, when you know it. And once we got here, I quickly realised there were a few things we really should have brought with us. This is probably a handy list to keep in mind if you are still planning to make the move. There is still time to pack these in, and trust me, some of them are essential!

  • Rob’s bicycle: Yes there is a bike to work scheme here and you can get your company to pay for a bike and that’s all great, but that is not something you sort out as soon as you get over. We actually still haven’t sorted it out and we have been here a year! Rob is an avid cyclist, back home he had two pretty good off-road and road bicycles. And I think we should have just swallowed the price it would have cost to send them over. Even with the cost of shipping his bike, it still would have worked out cheaper than the cost to replace to the same standard of bike over here. The lesson you can take from us is, if it’s your hobby – bring it with you.
  • Extra Extra Toiletries: I bought new face wash and moisturizer and some make up staples before I left home and I am glad I did, but I probably should have bought more. When you first get over here and you are working on one salary – those things seems helluva expensive in Euros.
  • Poop bags (for the dog): This is a bit random, but my mum and I went into the pet store just before I left and picked up a few packs of poop bags super cheap in SA. It was something like ZAR20 for 300 poop bags. They really didn’t take up a lot of space, so I regret not stocking up on more.
  • A Stockpile of Medication: I know I sound like a druggy but I should have loaded up on things like Corenza C, Med-Lemon, Myprodol, Norflex and Allergex. Strong medication is not so readily available here, and I really think it would have been handy to stock up on some of these things as a base for when we first got here.
  • Wine: We only packed 2 bottles each into our checked in luggage – we should have tried to pack more. I don’t know how legal this suggestion is because I know the limit is 2 bottles, but trust me when you see the price of cheap wine back home, and what they charge for it here – you might as well risk it and sneak in a few more good bottles!

HAVE YOU MOVED COUNTRIES? WHAT WAS ONE THING YOU REGRET BRINGING WITH YOU?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Moving to Ireland? This list might help you decide what to keep, what to bring with, and what to leave behind.

When life gets hard, you need to be a strong partner

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Marriage is tricky even before adding things like moving countries and being an expat. I've learnt you need to be a strong partner. Buckle up, this post is full of the feels.I have written this post again and again in my mind, on paper and typed out. I keep trying to craft and find the right words for this post. This is the curse of the blogger – always thinking up new angles, and new ways of saying things. It also has taken me awhile to fully reflect on it, and then choose the right time to release the words out into the public. Because once it’s out there, it’s out there; there can be no take backs. Marriage is tricky even before adding things like moving countries and being an expat. I’ve learnt you need to be a strong partner. So buckle up kids, this post is full of the feels.

For those of you who have followed the blog from the very beginning back when I blogged mostly about getting happy through running. I know who am I even? The short version for the new readers: I first started a blog about learning to run my first 5km, then 10km, then first half marathon, and then I was aiming for a full marathon but fell and hurt my ankle. This all happened around the same time we decided to move over to Ireland, and the blog sort of evolved with all the things that I was feeling and experiencing with the move to a more simple/minimalist approach to life, slow travel and being an expat in a foreign country. ANYWAY, in the early days of the blog, I touched on my depression and some of the more dark crevices of my mind where I tend to overthink and worry about absolutely everything and nothing all at the same time. As a person who has suffered several moments in my life with depression, it has always been a challenge to fully vocalise all the feelings I have. Many people in my life have battled to understand how someone who is pretty much always cracking a joke; loves to giggle and laugh; and generally appear to be super happy with life; can still be the same person who has such low days. Like maybe I was faking the depression, or not trying hard enough to be happy.

Rob however always got it. He would sit down beside me and let me wallow a bit in my feelings, listen attentively to what I was thinking or feeling, and generally just hold me till I felt strong enough to go on. One of the big factors to me getting better was that I finally went to a doctor who understood me much like how Rob understood me, and who gave me the help that I needed. After many months of talking and listening, I started feeling up to running and getting active. A big help to depression is getting active, but the problem is when you are feeling low, you usually are low on energy as well as mood, so you don’t feel like working out or running. There were some pretty dark days in the beginning, saved purely for two reasons: Rob and Running. The two saved me in more ways than I can ever fully express.

For me running was something I could do on my own; it allowed me to stew in my thoughts in a ‘healthier’ way because when I ran, I would replay conversations, vent and rant and win arguments in my head while I pounded the pavement. Most days (read: always) I would complain while lacing up to go for a run, but always came home with a smile on my face. Rob was the one who introduced me to running. I never ran to lose weight (although that was an added benefit), I ran to make myself feel happier. Sometimes my mood would lift just briefly, just as long as the run itself, and sometimes mood lighten for months. That’s the thing with depression, it hides in the corner and basically rocks up when it feels like it – you have no control when it will hit.

OK so this post might be waffling, but I feel I need to set the scene. Stepping back a bit, when we first moved to Johannesburg, I hit a bit of a mental health wobble. I say wobble like it was a little ‘speed-bump’ in my life, but actually that first year we moved up to Joburg was one of the hardest years of my life. I had no idea if I would ever make it through. But I did because Rob guided me through it. He sat with me till the early hours of the morning, and waited till I was strong again. He was incredibly patient with me. I often think back and wonder how he could have stayed and put up with me when I was at my darkest. How he managed to be so composed and loving through all those many months. But the fact he stayed, made me love him even more. It cemented my feelings for him. I knew then that I would love him as hard and for as long as he loved me. That no matter what, we will always be a team. {Side note: Rob and I have a team name; we named ourselves an amalgamation of our names together – Megbert.} So yes it sounds cheesy, but we are a team, and we leave no man or woman behind.

Bringing it to present day: This year has been incredibly emotional for us, in some ways I am not sure I will ever be able to explain all the shit we have been through, in other ways I selfishly want to keep it to ourselves – like it is our battle that we fought together and we wear matching scars now, and we can wear them with pride because only we know what we have been through. The fact that we have made it and that we are very nearly on other side of it (not completely yet though), that tells me how strong we both are.

The saying you are only as strong as the weakest link – that couldn’t be more apt. You see, I know how strong Rob is. I have always known Rob was the strong one. I saw that strength in my dark, sad days in Joburg. I saw his resilience in that he would never give up on me, and so I can never give up on me, because what’s worse than feeling sad, is knowing that I could let him down. Let the team down.

I always thought that he was the stronger team mate, and that I was somehow a little less strong, and a whole lot less sure of myself. I thought I was the weakest link. But this year, through all the darkness, none of it has been because of my sadness, none of it has been because I got depressed again (although, I would argue that you never fully get rid of depression). It was all stuff out of our control. We got hit with a pile of bureaucracy and shit we never thought we would ever have to go through. And for the first time in my life, and in our time together, Rob needed me to be strong. And I was. I did not let the team down. I stood firmly in my resilience and determination to make it all work – no matter the costs. Because this year, the roles were a little reversed. This year, I learnt that I actually am strong, and just how strong I am mentally. This year, I needed to be a better partner, a better wife, a better friend.  And I did just that. I reminded him, in his darkest hour of uncertainty and doubt – that we would make it, that we would get through this, that he was the strongest person I know. And in it all, I learnt that I am the strongest person I know too. That inside of me is this incredibly stubborn (thanks Dad) and passionate person – who will not let anything stand in her way. That I have this strength inside of me that will fight to the bitter end to make her and her family feel safe, and loved and strong. Who would have thought that in a time when it would have been so easy to call it quits, move back home, give up and lose my shit (although I truthfully have still lost it a little out of anger & frustration) – I decided those weren’t the only options and that I was determined for it to all work out. And with my strength, I gave Rob strength. I have seen through his eyes, how me being strong for the both of us gave him a little push to step up and try again.

This year I have learnt a lot about myself, and about how strong our marriage is. I think that in marriage, you take turns being the leader and being the strong one. I always thought that I wouldn’t be good in stressful situations – just given my nature to overthink and worry. But what I learnt this year is that I actually can handle much more than I realised. I also learnt that sometimes it is not always Rob’s responsibility to be the leader and the strong one. That sometimes, it can be me.

HAVE YOU MOVED COUNTRIES WITH YOUR PARTNER? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

Marriage is tricky even before adding things like moving countries and being an expat. I've learnt you need to be a strong partner. Buckle up, this post is full of the feels.

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