Phil for Humanity Phil for Humanity

Death to Commuting

Each weekday for about five years, I was driving about 45 minutes just to get to my job during rush hour traffic. That is about an hour and a half lost per weekday, and about seven and half hours per week! I quickly learned that commuting is not only a complete waste of time but also very stressful. I believe our time is one of the most valuable things that we have in our lives. That is why we trade our time and labor for money (this is how I personally define my job). The more time that I spend enjoying life with my friends and family, rather than traveling to and from work, the happier I am.

Fortunately, roughly 3 years ago, I moved to less than 3 miles from my job. My new commute is now less than 10 minutes instead of 45 minutes. That is a savings of 35 minutes per trip, or 70 minutes per weekday, not including the money I save in gasoline and car maintenance. Also, I am much more relaxed and stress free, and I have much more personal time to do the activities that I enjoy, such as writing articles for this website.

I strongly recommend seriously considering these suggestions:
  1. Move closer to your job. Some of us may find this difficult to do. For example, this may cause your spouse to commute more, thus you must find a balance between both commutes. Or home prices could be greater near your job and the cost of moving would not be worth the money and time you would save from moving. Or you could prefer where you live for any number of valid reasons, therefore here are even more options.

  2. Find a job closer to your home. Even a lesser salary may save you a lot more in time, money, and stress.

  3. Do not commute during rush hour. I learned the hard way when I was spending 45 minutes commuting that if I left my home an hour or two later, then I could save 10 to 15 minutes per commute. So, ask you boss if you can start and end your workdays during off hours instead.

  4. Nothing can save you more time and money than telecommuting (i.e. working from home). Again, ask your boss if you can telecommute whenever possible. This is something I am still trying to accomplish better.

Good luck saving yourself time and money. Go green. You and the planet are worth it.

by Phil for Humanity
on 08/23/2006

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