As I type this, I can see the first rain bands from Tropical Storm Bill off in the distance. I’m in Texas. We’ve been hammered with copious amounts of rain already this year. In fact, 2015 will probably go down in the record books as one of the rainiest years in Texas history. Traffic is going to be a nightmare again this afternoon due to rain, flooding, and road closures.
Thanks to Waze, a GPS application on my iPhone, I know I’ll get home slightly faster than I would if I muddled my way through traffic on my own. If you’ve never used Waze, it’s really quite amazing. I’ve been a Waze user for over 3 years and it’s the only application on my phone that I’ll never willingly delete.
On a normal day, my commute to work takes an hour each way. On a rainy day, you can add another fifteen minutes to that easily. A few years ago the drive took significantly less time, but that was before every major freeway between my home and office was under construction. All the road work has turned my commute from a 35-minute nuisance to a 1+ hour disaster. Using the word “disaster” may sound dramatic, but there’s really no other word to describe it some days.
Enter Waze, my savior. The Waze app gets me around some of the congestion by finding new and sometimes inventive ways to get where I’m going. At its heart, Waze is a GPS application, but I think of it as GPS on steroids. It’s sort of like Google maps meets Twitter. (In fact, Google recently bought Waze, but that’s another story.)
Here’s my layman’s version of how Waze works:
Waze analyses the speed data from every user with the Waze application activated on their phone. With constant real-time data entering the system, Waze users get the benefit of knowing approximately how much time it will take to drive any particular route. The social media aspect of Waze comes from its millions of users, who actively report accidents, road hazards, and other incidents as they encounter them. Those updates are broadcast to all Waze users in the area, who receive real-time notifications about road conditions.
In a large metropolitan area, it’s critical to be forewarned about accidents, road closures, and other driving conditions before you leave the house. The local radio and TV stations try to keep up with traffic conditions, but their information is dated before it ever hits the airwaves.
Imagine – what would happen if a major accident happened on your route home just as you walked out your office door? The thought gives me cold chills. Now, what if Waze not only gave you a heads up, but also calculated an alternate route to your destination that would save you 20 minutes? What a relief! That sort of thing happens to me at least once a week. I honestly can’t tell you how much time Waze has saved me over the years. – several days for sure, or maybe even weeks.
I hope you’ll look at Waze and see if it works for you. It’s just one of the tips, tricks, and tools that help me to be more productive and realize my Prolific Intentions. Maybe they can help you accomplish your Prolific Intentions as well.
–Monica
P.S. – Don’t you love my pup’s raincoat? And for the record, I have no affiliation with Waze. I’m just a satisfied user.