Your arm is aching from having to reach over three people to grab the nearest pole. Your head is pounding from the irksome combination of babies crying and people deciding it was a wonderful idea to complain about their day (loudly), into their bluetooth. Everybody is sweaty and irritable. It begins to rub off on you. For most, the commuter life can start to wear on you both mentally and physically.

Commuting can be tough. Dealing with constant train delays and crowded subway cars that make you feel like a sardine can make you question why you're on this tiring journey. My personal commute from Forest Hills, Queens to the NYU Campus can vary from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how dysfunctional the MTA decides to be that day. That allotted amount of time can make or break my day, depending on how I make use of it.

How can you solve the riddle of the morning and evening commute? The answer lies in how you want to deal with the unfortunate conundrum of spending at least an hour-or-so a day on the sauna train. Here are some reliable methods you can use to hack your commute that I've learned and used over my 19 years of being a native New Yorker.

1. Subscribe to Podcasts

Podcasts have been an essential part of my daily commute for the past semester. As a Sports Management major, I listen to several interesting sports podcasts. However, there are podcasts for everyone of every ilk. Whether you're into crime dramas, politics, music or comedy, there's a funny, inquisitive podcast out there waiting to be heard. My personal favorite is Serial, a crime drama that follows one case, week-by-week, and explores all aspects of the case. This particular series keeps the listener intrigued and engaged, almost making you forget about the fact that the E train is running local in both directions.

Assuming you have an iPhone, the podcast app gives you an unlimited supply to choose from. Subscribing to a few podcasts you like can fill up the ride to and from wherever you commute. Time will surely pass as you're enveloped by your headphones. Just don't forget to download the episode before you go into the train, or else you'll be dealing with the dirty word: "buffering."

2. Read a Book Series

There is nothing more engrossing than intently following a book series. For me, A Song of Ice and Fire books (or those Game of Thrones books, for those who don't know the actual name of the series) are always tucked in my backpack waiting to be unleashed. Looking forward to delving back into that other life in between the covers of your book can actually make you look forward to the commute. You can cover a couple of chapters a day, or more, and silently brag to yourself about knowing what happens in the books before they happen in the show. In the end, it's a win-win; just don't spoil anything for your friends.

3. Listen to an Entire Album

Feeling trapped and claustrophobic because of the dreaded 5-o'clock jam of fellow commuters? Don't have enough space to grab Game of Thrones, or your phone to listen to Serial? Transporting yourself into the ethereal realm of an amazing album is an advantageous alternative. There honestly is nothing more satisfying than listening to your favorite album from your favorite artist. Inciting the joyous feelings one would associate with a great album can turn an ugly commute into a worthwhile occasion. Plus, most albums are usually an hour long, which would hopefully cover the entire commute time. So jam out to To Pimp A Butterfly or Sound & Color and lose yourself in the beauty that unfolds in a well-made album.

4. Get a Pocket-Sized Notebook

If you consider yourself an artist of any sort, a pocket-sized notebook is the way to go. Whether you like to doodle or sketch, write poems or lyrics, having a notebook used solely for your artwork is handy.

For the artists of the world, there is plenty to be inspired by on the subway. Just look around and you're bound to see something worth basing a sketch off of. Just don't be a creep about it and stare inquisitively at a stranger's face. Maybe you can try and replicate those awesome subway drawings? Or better yet, that rat that you saw scamper across the track. There is art in everything.

For the poets, nothing is more poetic than the subway commute. Be influenced by the tired faces of people who just want their coffee or their beds. Write a poem about that and you're guaranteed to get plenty of snaps at your next open mic event.

And for the musicians, download some instrumentals onto your phone so you don't have to write lyrics to a beat in your head. Spend the hour train ride back home creating that fire song you're gonna include on your fire mixtape. Then, after you create that fire, fan the flames by promoting yourself on SoundCloud when you get into a Wi-fi zone. Networking at its finest.

5. Do Homework Or Study

This one is mainly for the morning commute, and assumes you can grab a seat to pull out your laptop or binder and get to work. If you're some sort of ninja who can do work standing up, all the power to you. The trains aren't the most optimal place to do your work, but if presented with an open seat, don't hesitate to fill it so you can churn away at your keyboard.

As for studying, I have studied for many 8 a.m. tests on the subway, mainly using Quizlet flashcards on my phone. The time spent on the train can be used to cram as much information into your brain as humanly possible before your test. If you have hand-written notes, make sure to get them out before you enter the subway car, unless you want to elbow innocent bystanders as you struggle to get them out of your backpack on the packed train. Just don't be mad then that the world is too crowded for your liking.

6. Sleep (But Be Mindful)

Nothing in life is greater than sleep. Naps can be an effective way of catching up on some z's missed because you had to wake up extra early to commute to your 8 a.m. class. Even on the ride back home, it is natural to want to doze off into sleep-land before you have to go home and do that homework you decided not to do on the train.

Just make sure to keep your belongings close to you and try not to listen to music if you're sleeping. Try to remain as alert as possible if you are putting yourself in a vulnerable state. Also, try not to drift into intense REM sleep, or else you'll be violently woken up by an MTA employee at the last stop of the train's line. And don't sleep leaning against a door unless you want to end up like this fellow:

7. Take a Look Around

Your phone is dead, you forgot your book and notebook, there is no homework or studying to be done, and you can't sleep--what do you do now?

My advice is to take a look around you. Soak in your surroundings. New York is the melting pot of the world, a conglomerate of cultures and races. One of the best examples of NYC's diversity is the subway. Notice how different you are from the people next you, while at the same time, notice the striking similarities that make us all New Yorkers. Blink and you might miss something that could only happen in an NYC subway. Life is full of quirky moments, and sometimes we miss them if we don't open our eyes wide enough. Time will surely pass if you take time to appreciate the zaniness of commuting. So bask in the uniqueness of it all and you might be lucky enough to be graced with a lovely display of showmanship.

8. But Most Importantly, Put Things Into Perspective

Let's say no matter how great any of those previous seven hacks are, your day will just not allow you to be happy. You spilled coffee on your shirt, or stepped in a giant rain puddle, and now you're soaked and soiled on your train ride back home. Today was just not your day, and the last thing you want to is go on this dreaded commute.

But try and put everything into perspective. Yes, commuting isn't always going to be great--trains will be delayed, subways will be packed, people might be rude. But at least you get to commute in the greatest city in the world. Take a second to marvel at the reality that basically all of New York is interconnected by a system of (mostly) high-speed trains; and all of this is happening underground. It's pretty amazing if you think of it.

So, take that first world problem and turn it into a first world solution. And when the train's dispatcher decides to inconvenience us with whatever they do, I hope one of these hacks will make it all the merrier.