Say Goodbye to Wasted Time! Why Every Car Owner Should Turn Their Vehicle into a "Third Workspace"?
Abstract：People are spending more and more time in their cars, yet few have thought about how to turn their vehicles into a "third workspace." To avoid the decline in work and productivity caused by wasted time, we can transform your car into a mobile office by equipping it with some auto accessories for work: such as stable and ergonomic laptop desks, tablet stands, and portable power supplies that allow for on-the-go charging. This way, you can get into work mode anytime and capture inspiration whenever it strikes.
Key Words：Third workspace； Auto accessories for work；
As the pace of life continues to accelerate and commuting distances lengthen, we are spending more and more time in our cars:
According to data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita in the United States has shown a long-term upward trend. Although it declined briefly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had recovered to nearly 14,000 miles per year (approximately 22,500 kilometers) by 2022, approaching a historical high. Survey by the American Automobile Association (AAA) also indicates that the average American spends over 293 hours (approximately 12 full days) driving each year, and 90% of daily trips rely on cars. This, of course, does not include the time we spend waiting in parked vehicles.
I often waste a lot of precious time waiting for clients at the airport.I also often arrive at the client's company at least 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled time. Due to the lack of a proper working environment, I end up scrolling through my phone in the car during this time, wasting my precious time.
Additionally, during my trips, I occasionally need a quiet and safe place to handle urgent matters. Sometimes, when a design inspiration strikes, I need to immediately open my laptop and switch to work mode. I believe you often encounter the same situations too.
What is the Third Space for Work?
First Space: The Traditional Office
Second Space: The Home Workspace
Third Space: A Movable High-Efficiency Environment – Your Car
Kevin Kelly devoted a special discussion in his new book The Possibilities of the Next 10,000 Days: After the popularization of autonomous driving, vehicles will not move toward sharing, but will become third spaces with high privacy. The value of vehicles as third spaces will be truly developed. They can be easily transformed into mobile offices and entertainment centers, and people can even get a more interesting experience from them than at home.
Why Is Your Car Worth Investing in as the Third Space for Work?
1. Transform Fragmented Time into a Golden Period of Productivity
Imagine having an extra 90 minutes every day to work on project plans or conduct conference calls. Your car can serve as a mobile learning and work hub, allowing you to get a head start on others by the time you reach your destination.
2. Create an Exclusive Thinking Hub
You might choose a café, but distractions are often everywhere there. Your car, however, can provide a rare environment for solitude, making it an ideal place for deep thinking. Many creative breakthroughs happen in such isolated spaces. Yet you often overlook this, and the reason is that you haven’t thought through and equipped your in-car office solution to keep with you.
How to Create Your Third Workspace?
1.Auto Accessories For Work: Equip a stable and ergonomic laptop desk and tablet stand;
2.Power Solutions: Prepare a portable power supply that allows for charging anytime;
3.Storage Support: Add portable storage solutions to keep work materials neat and organized.
4.Of Course, Safety First!
It must be emphasized that the prerequisite for a safe workspace is that all work activities should be designed to be hands-free and audio-focused when you are driving, and you must focus on driving. If you are parked, you have more flexibility, but you must find a place where you can park safely.
Conclusion
Your car is no longer just a means of transportation — as Kevin Kelly put it, it is an undeveloped treasure trove of time. With careful design, this mobile space can become your secret weapon to boost productivity, foster personal growth, and enhance competitiveness.
Start re-evaluating the time you spend in your car from today onward. At that moment, you are not just driving on the road, but also seizing the initiative in your progressive life journey.
Have you ever tried creating a workspace in your car? Feel free to share your experiences and tips in the comment section!