The commute is the new office

I recently started a new role as an education consultant, and so I've been commuting to Shenzhen a lot recently. A typical trip involves four transportation modes, including a one-hour bus ride.

Today, somewhere in the middle of all that, I realized: this is actually what the future looks like.

We talk a lot about remote work. But I think the next shift is mobile work. We have to work as we move.

But there's a problem: I get headaches staring at my phone on the bus. So I've had to be more deliberate about what I actually do during that time. Right now, it's mostly thinking and strategizing. Not a lot of screen time, mostly just my brain functioning.

I also use Otter to record my thoughts so that I can use the notes later.

But I know there's more I could be doing.

I've been watching people use messenger apps to talk to their AI agents to get things done on the go. Send a message, delegate a task, get a result in minutes. You can get a lot done before you arrive at your destination. Right now the workflow is not fully developed yet, but I know it's coming faster than we expect.

What else will we be doing on the move? What are the best tasks to do when we commute? Lots to unpack.