
Why you should have a long commute - The opportunity of commuting - robinwarren
http://blog.jobstractor.com/2011/10/12/the-opportunity-of-commuting/
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wccrawford
I really hate it when people try to turn a negative into a positive like this.

It's wonderful that he's managing to use 2 hours of his day that would
otherwise be unproductive and un-fun, but if he had those 2 hours at home, he
could choose to do so many more things, including spending them with family or
friends.

If you're the type of person who can't do anything productive or healthy
unless forced into it, a forced commute could be helpful, I guess. If you have
control of yourself and your destiny, a forced commute is a negative thing.

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wlievens
Indeed. Nothing is stopping him from reading that book for 2 hours every day
in his comfortable couch.

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fr0sty
I think it is a matter of "opportunity cost". If you take the commute as a
given then the question wrt to the technical tome is: "What must I give up to
read this book?" On the train the answer is: "Sleep, stare out the window,
solve crossword".

Contrast with home where the answer is: "anything and everything." Then
reading a giant technical treatise is not quite as appealing an option.

I'm not advocating long commutes but there is perhaps something to be said for
artificially limiting one's choices at times.

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brianlash
I agree with this 100%. I feel guilty staring out a window - that's wasteful -
but I don't feel guilty spending an extra half hour with my girlfriend or
investing the time preparing myself a nicer dinner.

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danso
I agree with others on this thread that this article reads too much like a
"make lemonade from your lemons", which is not a real argument against the
harm of a long commute, any more than "After I lost my sight, my sense of
hearing has become stronger and I have a greater appreciation for the small
noises in life that you sighted people may never have" is a rejoinder to "You
should wear safety goggles while pouring beakers of acid"

However, I don't think the author's argument should be taken as just that. He
brings up the possibility of gaining something from a long commute, and that
those benefits should be added to the equation. Because, to restate the
obvious, there are opportunity costs if you choose to reduce the commute. Such
as, buying a new house and/or living in a crappier neighborhood. Or, not
getting that job at all.

So the equation is no longer: the cost of moving/having a lesser job vs. 10%
of my life in a car.

But: the cost of moving/having a lesser job vs. 10% of my life in a car where
I have the opportunity to enrich myself.

At my first job out of college, I was assigned to a small regional office in a
bland suburb. I chose to live in a college town that was nearly an hour away.
So I lost two hours of my life every weekday to driving, but I did do more
"reading" than I have at any other point in my post-college life. And I made
friends and had the kind of social life that I would've never had had I chose
to live in the soulless suburban sprawl in which my cubicle was located.

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fr0sty
There is something, perhaps, to be said about forced activities and
artificially limited choices. There are no doubt people in possession of
sufficient motivation, discipline, wisdom and insight that can take the near-
infinite list of possibilities that lie before each one of us and choose the
happy few which are truly worthwhile.

For the rest of us being forced to sig in one place for an hour a day might
give us an opportunity to tend to parts of ourselves that might otherwise be
neglected in the rush of life. To a busy person taking 30minutes to sit in the
kitchen, read the paper, and sip some coffee would appear as sloth and
idleness but doing the same in a train car is nearly as pleasant and gives no
opportunity for the evil optimizer in our heads to give us grief about it.

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mchanson
I think a long commute on public transport is very different than a long
commute in the car. The first I could see doing when I was younger without a
family. Driving a long commute though is, IMHO, a miserable way to spend your
time and money.

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fr0sty
The misery index of your commute is inversely related to your average speed.

For a spell I had a 50min commute with an average speed of around 40mph. It
was a pleasant drive, mostly rural roads.

If I had to grind my way into a major city in traffic and averaging 20-25mph
(with a worst case significantly slower) for those same 50min I would go
insane.

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HeyLaughingBoy
Absolutely. I used to commute in southwestern CT and it could easily take 90
minutes to drive 15 miles. It was sheer misery and I soon resorted to taking
the train even though it meant walking 1.5 miles.

These days I have a 25 mile commute from a rural area to the suburbs and it's
55mph most of the way, very little traffic, pretty scenery and very relaxing
(except in the middle of a snowstorm!).

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dquigley
Great explanation of how to redeem a long commute. Making the best of your
situation, and using it to your advantage. (i.e., Life Hacking!)

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robinwarren
Thanks! I just need someone to give me some lemons and I can use my commute to
make lemonade.

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simonw
I used to commute 2hrs15 mins from Brighton to London, then 2hrs 15mins back
again. I took the train, always got a seat at a table (I got on at the first
station), had tethering on my iPhone and got an ENORMOUS amount of work done.

I was only working four days a week though, which made it tolerable. Commuting
like that five days a week would have driven me mad.

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eslachance
What is this I don't even...

So, just to get this straight, the answer to "A 20 minute, 40 mile commute to
work costs you $125.000 and 1.3 years of work, over 10 years" is "I take the
train and I listen to podcasts" ?

I see how he's trying to show a most positive side, but what he's doing is
both moving the goal posts and a strawman argument.

Plus, shameless self-promotion.

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bryanlarsen
No commute is better, but if you're going to have to commute, his commute is
much better than most: 1 hour of walking and 1 hour by train.

For me, walking is by far the most pleasant way of commuting. Driving is way
too stressful and eliminates the opportunity to multitask. If I bike, it pumps
my energy level up too high, so it takes a while to calm down enough to get
into the zone. Walking is the only way I can start doing productive work the
instant I get to the office.

The huge advantage of the train is that you can work on the train if it isn't
too crowded. That's a big if, but if it works and you have a cooperative boss,
suddenly commuting time is no longer commuting time.

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yllus
When I went from having a 2 hour commute via public transit to a 15 minute
walk to work, the main thing I've been lacking is the time to read
recreationally - though as someone points out below that's just me not making
time for it.

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heyrhett
Newsflash: You can listen to things in your car

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larrik
That doesn't mean you should, though. Anything that requires concentration
should probably not be happening while you are driving.

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omgtehlion
ok, now you're losing 1hr a day to listening to podcasts. may be better spend
those 365hrs a year with your friends/family?

Author should be really lonely if listetning to random guys sounds like a good
idea....

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smcdow
He claims his commute involves one hour per day walking and one hour per day
riding on a train.

THIS IS NOT COMMUTING.

Commuting is getting in your car and sitting in traffic for two hours per day.

