Thursday, 10 minutes of silence in the cardaily

The inside of a car is one of the noisiest places to travel. Radio, podcasts, phone calls, navigation voices—your ears can't rest while you're behind the wheel. Just for 10 minutes on Thursday, turn off the speakers and drive. This is a routine that allows for a moment of silence in the middle of the week.

Why I Picked Thursday

Monday brings the excitement of starting the week, and Friday brings the excitement of ending it. Thursday is neither. It's an ambiguous day of the week, when work has piled up but isn't over yet. Add 10 minutes of silence to this ambiguity, and driving becomes more like a meditation.

You don't have to do it every day, just set it on Thursday either on your way to work or on your way home from work. If you're on your way to work, before you start your day, or if you're on your way home from work, before you put it down for the day - either way, 10 minutes is enough.

The moment you turn off the speaker

Turn off the radio and Bluetooth audio before starting the engine. You can leave the navigation voice on for safety reasons. At first, you only hear the engine and wind noise. Breathing can be heard while waiting for a signal, and the turn signal sound becomes clearer.

The path that your hands and feet remember

Even if you walk the same path every day, if there is no sound, other senses take precedence. The temperature of the steering wheel, the pressure you apply on the brakes, and the angle your body leans when turning left. You can feel your hand moving first in a familiar corner.

My mind thinks about the rest of the day, and at some point, I'm just driving. That moment when your thoughts are interrupted is the key to silent drive. You can turn the speaker back on one minute before arriving at your destination.

The scenery outside the window also looks different. Without music, the colors of traffic lights, the height of the sky, and the trees along the road come through more clearly. A scene I pass by every day catches my eye.

One ear break per week

When the silent period is over, you can turn the speaker back on. When music suddenly starts playing, the sound may feel clearer. 10 minutes of silence on Thursday doesn't change your entire day. Just the fact that you can rest your ears once a week can change the way you feel about driving.

Silence works even when you're stuck in traffic. Between the crunching sound and the engine stalling, there are moments when all I can hear is my own breathing. Turning off the sound won't make the frustration go away, but it may make your head feel less noisy.

Just 5 minutes is enough at first. Once you get used to it, increase it to 10 or 15 minutes. Thursday's silent drive is not like learning how to drive again, but rather like walking down a road you already know with different senses.

If you have a passenger, you can tell them in advance, ‘I will leave quietly for a moment.’ It is more effective when you are alone, but the short silence will not be a burden to the person sitting next to you.