I don't like waiting for the bus; it's cold and boring. Instead I walk along the bus route and get on the bus when it catches up with me. The walking is good for me and is more pleasant than waiting, but I do need to be careful I don't let the bus pass me between stops. I use the mbta's real time bus predictions to get a sense of how careful I should be, and then once the bus gets close I start looking over my shoulder a lot. It's helpful to learn where the stops are so you know when you see a bus whether to go forward or back. I haven't missed a bus in the several months since I started.

Some times something goes wrong with the bus and it's very late. It used to be that I'd have to decide whether to give up and walk or keep waiting, and when I finally decided to walk I'd already lost a lot of time. Now I don't have to think about it, I walk regardless.

(One feature of where I live that makes this work especially well is that several bus lines join as I get closer in. The further along the route I walk the more likely I am to catch a bus, even if it's not my usual one.)