I've had some time to perfect the art of commuting, London style. My first comment is that your 20-25 commute sounds quite pleasant, I'm lucky to make it in 45 (although this is, of course, a function of where I chose to live).

Commuting essentials for me are the iPhone, usually with some TV episodes on, and obviously a bit of music. I have found a good book to be the most engaging activity...newspapers or articles can be a bit too flitty; you need to be properly engaged for the "gloss over" the commute.

Having tried the RSS catch-up idea, I would advise against it, as you arrive at work/home and all those items you've trawled through are still marked as unread.