Business PPT

Okay, I declare it: I’m certainly a “Top Gear” junkie.

The hit BBC automotive show is laugh-out-loud hilarious, but what got my attention last week wasn’t the airport vehicle drag race or the carboat challenge…

…it was the news that we each spend an average of 4 YEARS wedged absolutely wedged in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Now that’s pretty terrible news for the average person. But you are not average, so there’s no real need to just sit there sucking down secondhand exhaust smoke.

It’s time to geek your ride.

Let’s do the math: if you have a basic 20-minute commute, five days each week, for 40 weeks a year (we will be generous and give you plenty of vacation time), that’s 4000 minutes of travel time a year, or 67 hours- – about equivalent to two university courses.

If you’re commuting more than 20 minutes a day, you have got about a whole semester’s worth of learning wide open to you. And imagine: there aren’t any pre-requisites, no restrictions, and no boundaries to what you can study. You can stimulate creativity by choosing to listen to a variety of subjects or become an expert by deep-diving into a series of materials.

So what have you always wanted to know more about if only you had the time? Do you want to dive in deeper to your profession? Become a better writer or speaker? Learn new marketing information and consumer insights unique to your industry? Learn the way to become more creative? Explore a second career or fascinating new leisure activity?

This week, spoil yourself with an audiobook from your favorite store or pick one up from the library for the low, low fee of free. Pop it in when you can, and stay right to the number-one rule of the nerdlicious ride: you have got to like what you’re finding out about, and if one “class” isn’t working, drop it and pick up another.

Where do you need to take your brain today?

Based in Atlanta, marketing strategy consultant Marie Elwood helps top branding companies develop new products through a better understanding of their key consumers.