5 More of the Best Car Life Hacks

I’m on a cruise this week! So, I thought I’d do a lighter, life-hack centered episode: It’s all about more of the best car life hacks.

Car life hack #1: Develop the habit to drive the speed limit

Make Life Easier

I used to struggle with this one.

I grew up in the east end of Dearborn, Michigan. I also learned to drive there.

After moving out of Dearborn, I learned something else: Drivers are a bit of a different breed where I grew up. The blunt version: they’re maniacs.

Folks in Dearborn drive, basically, like they’re perpetually racing the Daytona 500. Absolute speed demons. And, they weave in and out of traffic like they’re being pursued by federal law enforcement.

Suffice to say, I picked up a few bad driving habits. And those driving habits earned me three speeding tickets over a couple of years.

I use the word habits deliberately because that’s what I’d ingrained: a habit to drive 15 MPH faster than the speed limit.

After the third ticket though, I started to think about my driving. I realized that my speed was on autopilot, and I started paying really close attention to it.

Over time (and especially after moving elsewhere), I conditioned the bad habit out of my system. Now, I drive comfortably at the speed limit. On the freeway, my cruise control is set to 74 MPH (speed limit on most of our freeways is 70).

My last ticket for speeding was in 2011, and I credit my habit shift to that.

So, if you drive like the automotive version of a hybrid Speedy Gonzalez / Road Runner, and you’re racking up the tickets, take a look at that habit. It’ll just take a little bit of conscious effort to replace it, and your pocketbook, insurance company, and fellow drivers will thank you!

Develop the habit to drive the speed limit.

Car life hack #2: How to capture tasks and ideas while driving

Make Work Easier

This one is critical.

Have you ever wondered why you seem to have an endless flow of ideas while you’re behind the wheel? Every task you forgot and brilliant new ideas seem to pop up like never before?

Yeah, me too. Here’s the reason: When we’re driving, especially on a regular commute, our minds are in habit mode. We’ve done it so many times that we don’t have to pay conscious attention to it.

Ever have that thing happen where you drive all the way from home to work but can’t remember the driving part? That’s your habit at work.

It also explains why we have so many ideas in the car: Our brains are on autopilot with our primary task, so they’re free to wander and be creative.

Knowing this, it’s essential that we come up with a way to catch those ideas as we have them. Because, no matter how many times you tell yourself you’ll remember, you won’t.

Let me say again: you will NOT remember the vast majority of things you tell yourself you will.

That means we need to capture the ideas somehow. And clearly, writing and typing into a phone aren’t options.

Here’s how I capture ideas in the car:

Google Assistant + Todoist.

You can use any combination of a digital assistant (e.g., Siri, Alexa, etc.) and a task / notes app (e.g., OneNote, notes, Trello, Asana, etc.) you’d like. But this is the golden solution.

When you’re able to take digital notes with your voice, you can capture the stuff that pops into your head while your hands are occupied.

I will say that having Android Auto or Apple Carplay makes this way easier. I have Android Auto, so all I have to do is hit the button on my steering wheel and tell my Google Assistant to capture the idea (i.e., Hey Google — Add buy milk to my to-do list)

If you can activate your phone by voice, you can make this work without car-based software. You can also get a smart watch to achieve the same thing.

Any way you slice it, this is the answer to capturing stuff on the move.

And remember…

YOU. WILL NOT. REMEMBER.

At least, you won’t unless you capture it.

It’s like the opposite of Mufasa.

Except you won’t. Trust me.

Capture all of your ideas while driving.

Car life hack #3, 4, 5: Three favorites for the car!

My Favorite Things

Three car favorites today! Tune in to the episode (or hit the links below to check out the description in My Favorite Things) to hear all about each one ?

1. IMDEN Bluetooth FM Transmitter for Car
2. Feezen Car Trunk Organizer
3. Bossjoy Trigger Point Therapy Self Massage Tool

See all Favorites from this Episode

Get these Favorites. You’ll love them.

Reacting to the stupidity of other drivers

Riding the Struggle Bus

Last up today, let’s talk about my biggest car struggle: Other people and their stupidity.

This one’s another habit. Whenever someone else does something idiotic (read: whenever I’m driving and other people are driving too), I can’t help but be that person shouting at the windshield.

I’ve tried to figure out ways to interrupt this pattern, but I haven’t been successful.

I know for sure that I’m much better at it earlier in the day: my energy is much higher. But, as the day goes on, and my energy is depleted, I’m like a ticking time-bomb.

Help.

Call in to the show and let me know how you handle this. Or any resources you’ve got. Books on anger, habit, and/or triggers would also be amazing!

Dial 313-242-7473