15 Things You Can Do When Stuck In Lagos Traffic

It’s no news that Lagosians spend countless hours in traffic, and some are avoidable if you plan yourself well, others, however, cannot be avoided. Some commuters spend up to 5 hours or more in traffic every day to and from their place of work.

Here are some possible things to do when you’re stuck in traffic, when either you’re driving your own car, or you’re in a commercial vehicle.

1. LISTEN TO AUDIO BOOKS

The invention of audio books is one of the best things that happened to us in recent times in terms of how much we can learn and the flexibility of learning it. You could find good websites that give free audio books, or you could buy audiobooks from Amazon and other websites. There are hundreds of thousands of audiobooks right there filled with knowledge from all fields of life, including your very field waiting to be downloaded. If you visit YouTube, you could find lots of them there too.

The good thing about listening to audio books is that you can do it while driving. Driving is a subconscious activity and imagine how much you could learn in those hours while in commute.

2. READ DIGITAL BOOKS (E-BOOKS)

The world is changing. Hard cover books are great, but they are gradually becoming obsolete. Do you know that a mere 10MB of memory space could give you between 10 to 50 e-books in epub, pdf, txt or mobi formats right there in your smartphone? Digital books are more flexible and easier to read as you can do so with any smart devices you carry.

So, instead of waiting in traffic doing nothing, you could download e-books of your choice genre and start reading. If you like novels, there are millions of them online to download and read from. There are hundreds of apps on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store that give the reading process much ease and flexibility. These apps even save your progress, and some of them utilize the Text To Speech properties on your phone to read the novels or books aloud for you. This is especially useful if you’re on the wheels and can’t take your eyes off the road to read your e-books.

No need to waste your time in traffic. With all those time, you can read and expand your horizon. Personally, within 3 weeks, I have completed 4 e-books and counting. I am expanding my knowledge base, and I think you should too!

3. LISTEN TO MUSIC

We all know that traffic can be exhausting and frustrating, so, don’t make it harder on yourself. Music is known universally to soothe our nerves and make us feel good. If you’re stuck in traffic. Listening to your favorite music can help you relax. You could even in your spare time create a playlist of music you can play in traffic that will relax you and make you feel better while you get to your destination.

4. LISTEN TO THE RADIO

Well, every device or car has an F.M Radio, and Lagos has lots of good stations to listen to. So, to get informed, educated and entertained while in traffic, you can listen to your favorite F.M radio stations for good music, news and other interesting programs.

5. READ ARTICLES ON NAIRALAND, OR OTHER FORUMS

Well, Nairaland, without doubt is a very interesting forum. Loads of information right here if you know where to look. Most of us make the mistake of reading only front page and trending posts. I should tell you that there are dozens of other posts which don’t make it to front page but which are packed with educative, entertaining and interesting facts. What you need to do is to go to the section of your choice and browse, you’ll definitely see interesting stuff to read. Be sure to add discretion to what you read. Forget that a lot of members of the forum are tribalistic and insulting, but lots more are nice, warm and intelligent.

That is what you get in a faceless forum. Just ignore anyone you see that lacks courtesy even if they quote you. Don’t reply their quotes as some of them cannot even talk to you in real life. Of course, reading Nairaland is only possible if you’re in a public transport. Don’t read while driving as you need to pay attention to the road. Expand your knowledge by reading Nairaland articles, like this one. ;D

6. PRAY

Well, lots of Nigerians are very religious. If you’re stuck in traffic, you could gently bend down and pray. If you’re in your own car, you can pray as you want, but still pay attention to where you’re going. If you’re in a public transport, don’t be a nuisance to others, you can pray gently, in your mind. Prayer has been scientifically proven to give perspective and peace of mind. So, if you’re stuck in traffic, you can pray. Remember to pray for your country and friends too!

7. CALL YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES

When you’re stuck in traffic, you can use that opportunity to make some calls to your friends and loved ones that you’ve not called for a long time. People appreciate it when you call them, even if it’s for less than a minute. Your friends and loved ones can also make you happy when you talk with them. Make the calls, create new connections and strengthen already existing ones. If you’re in your own vehicle it would be ideal as you won’t be disturbing anyone. Make sure you use loudspeaker though since it’s not safe to cover your ears or handle a phone while driving.

8. CHAT WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

On WhatsApp and other social media platforms, you can spend some time when stuck in traffic to chat with people you love. Chat with the witty and funny ones who can make you smile and temporarily ease the stress of the traffic. This would be useful if you’re not driving.

9. MAKE NEW FRIENDS

Connections are very important. You never know who’s in that bus with you. They could be the person that gives you the information or assists you to achieve success in life. So if you can, start a conversation with the person sitting close to you. Try to be friendly and nice. You could even meet your life partner in Lagos traffic. Lolz. That would be a great story on its own!

10. ADMIRE THE CITY

You’ve got to admit; Lagos is a very beautiful city. If you’re working in the Island and living in the mainland, you could take some time to admire all the fine skyscrapers and other stunning structures around you. Admire the exquisite cars that people are driving around you. Admire the gorgeous and beautiful dudes and ladies around you. Looking is free, they say, so look around and admire the city, the life, and the people. You can do this while stuck in traffic.

11. PLAN YOUR LIFE

Some of us don’t really have our lives planned out. Life is short you know. Living from paycheck to paycheck isn’t an ideal way of living. You need to sit down sometimes and write down a plan for your life on paper. It’s sad that a lot of people have plans on everything else in their lives including what to buy and cook for the next pot of soup, but really don’t have plans for their very lives. Time is going. The years are strolling by. Before you know it, you’ll be 30, 35, 50, etc.

What are you going to do to secure you future? Are you going back to school? Are you saving enough money to venture into business? What kind of business? Do you want to climb the professional ladder? When are you getting married? When are you going to build your own house, and where? How many kids will you have, and where do you want to train them? Where do you plan on domicile?

Don’t just let life wheeze by. Use the time you have in traffic to plan. I’m not saying you should worry. I’m saying you should plan. He who fails to plan, has planned to fail. I’ll admit that sometimes, our plans change, but you should have something to lean on in the first place.

12. WATCH COMEDY ONLINE

On a lighter note though, Lagos traffic can be exhausting and frustrating. Instead of just sitting there, you could go to YouTube and watch some funny videos, comedy and the like. These can lighten your mood and make the traffic easier to bear. Laughing is good medicine. I’m sure you know.

13. WATCH A GOOD MOVIE

Some of us don’t have any time anymore for ourselves. It’s all work, work, work. When stuck in traffic, you could watch a good movie that you’ve downloaded but haven’t had the time to watch. If the movie is interesting enough, you won’t even know when the time passed and you’ll be home in no time. Of course, this is for those in public transport. Be vigilant though. Don’t pass your bus stop, and be careful of phone thieves! This na Lagos oh.

14. WRITE A GOOD ARTICLE

If you’re a writer, you could take the opportunity of being stuck in traffic to write a good article, especially that one you’ve been postponing. Maybe you’ve had it as a goal to set up a blog. Use the time you have in traffic to do so. I understand that you may be too exhausted to do anything creative, but even if it’s a few lines you manage to write, it is something.

15. ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

I’m sure you must have a side hustle in addition to your normal day job. If you don’t please go and find one like right away. Depending on where you work, your monthly salary alone can never sustain you in Lagos, not to talk of saving.

When stuck in traffic, use the opportunity to advertise your business online, on Facebook, Instagram and Nairaland. The fact is this: If nobody knows you, nobody will patronize your business. If it comes to it, pay some money to get your business known by a lot of people. In the long run, you’ll recover the money and make some profit.

These are 15 things you could do when stuck in Lagos traffic?

Written by Toochukwu Leonard.

Do you have any other ideas? Let’s hear them.