I used to listen to radio, podcasts, interviews, etc. I found that they were not productive. Most were quite random, mostly trivia, the kind you would read on articles on HN. They didn't have the depth of a good book. It's hard to read anything with the depth of a good book; commutes don't give you the focus needed.

I drive to work. Now I wind down the windows and focus on the road. I listen to my car. I try to 'glide' the car, getting it as fast as possible without needing to press the brakes, feeling it as it turns on the curves, feeling the jolts as the gear changes. I observe the flow of traffic, trying to see which lanes are faster or slower, maybe even reverse engineer why so.

It's relaxing. Not really a waste because it wakes me up in the morning so I can focus properly on work.