Voice memo on the way home from workdailywellness

This is a daily routine for time in motion and pause. Use “Voice memo on the way home from work” to bring a little wellness into the gaps of your day.

When I put on my earphones on my way home from work, my day is covered with another sound. Podcasts, music, news—you arrive home with your ears restless. But the feet have already walked for a day, and the mouth is holding a sentence that has not yet been said.

Voice memo walking turns the 15 minutes on the way home from work into ‘time to organize things with words.’ There is no need to write it or send it to anyone. As you walk, record whatever comes to mind.

Before pressing the record button

Before leaving the office, open the voice memo app on your smartphone. Take out the earphones and keep the phone in your pocket or hand. It’s okay if your commute home from work doesn’t take 15 minutes. Just walking home after getting off the subway or getting off at the bus stop is enough.

When you start recording, the first 30 seconds can be awkward. You can start with ‘What did you do today?’ It's okay if the sentences aren't perfect. Talking while walking creates a rhythm and gets your thoughts out of your mouth. It's less stressful than writing a diary. Just say it and pass by.

Three things to ask while walking

One thing that went well today, one thing you're worried about tomorrow, and one thing your body wants right now—name these three things in no particular order. You may notice your voice rising when you talk about something that went well, and your speed speeding up when you talk about your worries.

What the body wants often ends up being ‘I just want to rest.’ That alone is enough. Worries that are expressed verbally may feel less heavy in your head. You don't need to listen to the recordings later, but if you listen to them once a week, you may notice repeating patterns.

You can stop while talking. Recording continues even if silence lasts for 10 seconds. In that vacuum, tomorrow’s priorities sometimes sort themselves out.

Stop before you get home

Stop recording in front of the front door or right before getting on the elevator. It's about creating a boundary to close your day before you go inside the house. The act of speaking itself is organizing. By the time you open the door to your house, your mouth has already rested and your feet have completed the last leg of the day.

The sound of umbrellas and footsteps on a rainy day, the shadows of trees as you pass through the park on a spring evening—the background remains in the recording as well. When I listen to it later, even the atmosphere of that day comes to mind.

Try setting aside just once or twice a week to fill 15 minutes on your way home from work with your own voice instead of a podcast. Time to listen to yourself instead of others—that alone makes a difference in the way your day ends.

There is no need to name your recordings. Just automatically stamping the date is enough. If I happen to play it a month later, the tone of my voice at that time will tell me the temperature of the day.