Summer in Minnesota is a wonderful time of year. Your fingers and toes have finally defrosted from a harsh winter, the sun is warm, the grass is green and the lake is calling your name. Summer in Minnesota seems to be there perfect time of year. That is until you get stuck in the Minnesota summer traffic.

With only a few short months available each year to repair the roads from winter damage, construction crews are out in full force during the summer. And with construction work comes traffic. Terrible, frustrating traffic. And while no expanse of time can seem too long when driving a Jaguar from Jaguar of Minneapolis, no one likes to spend their day stuck in traffic. That is why we have compiled this list of things to do when stuck in Minnesota summer traffic  

Respond to emails/text messages

On your way home from work the last thing you want to think about is an inbox full of messages. However, sitting in traffic is a prime opportunity to knock this pesky task out of the way. Take this time to sort through your personal email or respond to those texts messages that have been sitting on your phone since yesterday. Reminder: don’t text and drive. This activity should only be done in dead stop traffic.

Read a book

This is not a good option when the traffic is stop and go, but for those days when you are stuck in standstill traffic that seems to go for miles a good book can really kill the time. Go to the bookstore, yes with actual books, and pick up a book you have been wanting to read. Stash it in the glove compartment or center console and only pull it out when you find yourself in traffic. You never know, a good book might have you hoping you catch some traffic on the way home.

Clean out your purse

Ladies, no one likes to deal with the tedious chore, but we all know it has to be done. Take this time to shift through all the receipts, energy bars and who knows what else that has been collecting in your purse for the past several months. Men, don’t think you are exempt from this one. This can easily apply to any bag you carry to work.

Call home

When was the last time you called your parents (or other relatives outside your household)? When life gets busy it can be hard to find time to make the call back home. Creeping down the highway provides the perfect time for you to pick up the phone and give your loved ones a call.

Chill out

Sometimes the best thing is to not do anything at all. If the stress of the day/week/month is getting to you take this time to just relax. Put away your phone, turn down the radio and just breathe. Sometimes just a few minutes of “me time” can lower your stress level and really turn the day around.