
Your Commute Is Killing You - kmfrk
http://www.slate.com/id/2295603/pagenum/all/
======
zwieback
I used to commute from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara, which is a beautiful 70
minute drive but it quickly wore me down.

I called up the county car pool number and got set up with three other people
to start a car pool and I can't say enough good things about that experience:
it's very therapeutic, like having your daily support group. It also forces
you to be efficient with your time because you always leave at a fixed time.
Most employers and coworkers won't give you a hard time because you're doing
the "right" thing.

On days I couldn't car pool (rare) I listened to books on tape. My favorite
was "Tale of two cities."

I'm glad those days are over, though, now I have a 20 min bike ride along the
Willamette.

------
crikli
Wait a second. This article pivots on a fulcrum of crap. I've read hundreds of
articles that mistake correlation with causation, but never one so brazen as
to straight up interchange the words:

"[Commuting] correlates with an increased risk of obesity, divorce, neck pain,
stress, worry, and sleeplessness."

"Long commutes cause obesity, neck pain, loneliness, divorce, stress, and
insomnia."

~~~
jancona
So you're arguing that obesity, neck pain, loneliness, divorce, stress, and
insomnia cause long commutes? Or that some factor causes both? What might that
be?

I'm suspicious of this sort of research for lots of reasons, but concerns
about the direction of causality is pretty low on my list in this case.

~~~
jerf
"So you're arguing that obesity, neck pain, loneliness, divorce, stress, and
insomnia cause long commutes? Or that some factor causes both? What might that
be?"

Poor decision making skills. Excepting possibly neck pain (and even then I
could work it in), that could underlie them all, and there's a certain amount
of evidence to suggest things like willpower and discipline exist as at least
statistically-distinct entities, even if you can't quite point at the
willpower organ.

~~~
etal
It's probably being poor, which also correlates with worse working
environments. Remember, "drive until you qualify."

------
frankwiles
I switched from a 45-50 minute commute in bad traffic and tons of construction
to a job with a <10 minute commute. Despite it being less pay and more hours I
stayed for many many years. Those first few months after the switch were
amazingly different. Now my commute is less than 5 minutes and I still want to
move closer! I don't understand how people survive some of the punishing
commutes I hear about. Life is to short to hate your job, it's also to short
to hate getting to and from it!

~~~
thomasgerbe
"I don't understand how people survive some of the punishing commutes I hear
about."

I have a 30-40 minute commute each way from the burbs to SF.

I end up reading interesting books, sketching ideas, or sometimes pop out the
laptop to do some quick work.

The savings on rent by living in the 'burbs is a decent tradeoff for having
more expendable income for my hobbies.

~~~
aaronblohowiak
my time on the train is some of my favorite time. if i had to commute by car,
i'd hate it, though

~~~
bmj
I've been a full-time bike commuter for about 15 years now. I love it, and
couldn't imagine driving to work.

That said, I don't mind taking the bus sometimes because it does give me time
to think, write, or read. The only thing I don't like about it is being
beholden to a schedule.

~~~
smutticus
I'm a bike commuter as well and I love it. Been doing it for about 9 years
now. The first 2 years it was a 40 minute bike ride each way. After that I got
another job and moved which resulted in a 15 minute ride each way.

Funny thing is I kind of miss the longer commute. Sometimes after work I will
take an extra 30 minutes on my bike by taking the long way home. How many
times do you hear a car commuter say that?

~~~
goatforce5
My current door-to-door commute is about 10 minutes. Most of that is spent
waiting for elevators. I'm often late, strangely enough.

Previously I had a 30 minute each way commute by bike, with most of it along a
river. I really miss that commute. Watching the seasons change, the different
critters come and go, riding faster than the commuters stuck in traffic and
feeling really 'connected' to the city. And 2-3 times a week i'd take a longer
way home just to get a little more enjoyment out of the commute.

------
bane
Early in my career I had a job with a commute from a city suburb into a job at
the heart of a major U.S. city.

When I first started that job the commute was ~45minutes to 1 hour each way.
Over the years, as the city grew, the transit time started going up. Then all
of a sudden, some sort of critical mass hit one year and the roads became
absolutely jammed to the point that my commute was 2-3 hours each way.

I went through something like the 7 stages of grief, especially 6 or 7 months
of intense "anger" then "bargaining" -- manifest as an endless trying of new
routes. Even longer routes were considered more optimal if I was able to stay
above 45mph for some percentage of the trip.

When I finally did get to work, I'd lock my self in my office for a couple
hours, unable to get any work done, but decompressing from the commute. It
_killed_ my productivity.

The worst was the caged animal feeling. Most days I was bored out of my skull,
the radio had nothing interesting to listen to, I had exhausted my music
library, I started reading books on the way in. But eventually I started
behaving like a prisoner stuck in solitary confinement so intense that I
wasn't allowed to even stand for 6 hours a day.

The end point was not exactly stage 7 "Acceptance" but instead manifested in a
Zen-like turning off of my brain while in transit. I literally could not
recall a single thing along the route from my home to work. Sometimes I would
arrive at work with a hot coffee in hand, no recollection of ever having
picked one up.

In the end I switched jobs for one with a "mere" 1 hour commute (at highway
speeds) and never looked back. It was revelatory. Immediately, accumulated
stress started to drip away. Constant headaches turned into every-so-oftens,
my memory started improving, my mood changed for the positive, my health
started picking up.

Lots of people suggested I move in closer, or carpool, or some other method of
changing things. But in the end, I didn't like any of the areas I could afford
closer in, and nobody in my area carpooled to within a 30 minute walking
distance to my employer.

I eventually left that job and have a 15-30 minute drive every day (depending
on traffic) and wouldn't look back. I've had offers to go back to that
original job at a significantly higher position than I hold now and turned
them down flat (unless they had an office out my way I could work from).

I have to agree that my commute was literally killing me, and I advise lots of
people not to get into a situation like that if they can help it.

------
filiwickers
Unfortunately I think this article only counts a commute if the person is
driving. It may be refreshing to see the difference for people who walk, bike,
or take public transit.

Personally, my bike commute makes me happier and healthier.

~~~
mynameishere
I walk to work but I suspect it's actually much more dangerous than driving.

~~~
lurker19
It is a tradeoff between traffic risk and cardio health, particularly if the
commute is a nontrivial component of your excercise regimen.

------
Impossible
I had a 1-1.5 hour commute when I worked in Chicago years ago and after going
through that for 3 years I swore to never do it again. Since then my commute
has been a 5 minute drive or 15 minute walk and its greatly improved my
quality of life.

I didn't like how much of my life was being eaten away by commuting, even
though it was on the train and I would use the time to listen to podcasts,
music, or play games. I'd also get less sleep than I like because I'd stay up
late to make up for lost time and get up early to make it to work semi-on
time.

~~~
chicagobob
I take the metra every day. It sucks that public transit didn't work for you,
but I live in the suburbs and work downtown. I think taking the train to work
is probably the best way to commute, even though its a 40/45 minute train ride
each way (with about a 10 minute walk on each), depending on my mood I can do
a lot of work, reading, or socializing.

------
Todd
This is a very timely article for me. The place that I work used to have an
office about a 12 minute drive from my house. It was a temporary solution
(that ended up lasting over a year) and we needed to find a more permanent
location. It was somehow decided that cool companies are downtown, which would
make it easier to recruit and retain cool people. Well, we moved about a month
ago and my commute went down the tubes.

I now have three options: 1) drive for 35-60 minutes at a cost of $27-$34 per
day ($16 for gas [my camping truck was never meant to be a commuter vehicle],
$11 for parking, and a new $7 toll which I can opt out of for a more congested
route). 2) Buy a car with better gas mileage, which would be the same
duration, but cheaper. 3) ride the bus for $5 per day.

Now the thing is, I'm very lucky. It turns out that there is an express bus
from my town straight downtown to a location close to my workplace. This
sounded perfect. In practice, it has been punishing. The bus ride itself takes
exactly one hour. Getting to the park and ride and walking to the office adds
between 15-30 minutes depending on timing. So I have upwards of 2.5-3 hours of
my day lost _every single day_.

I've tried coding on my MBA. I've tried podcasts and music. I've tried reading
my Kindle. Nothing works. This article may cite questionable research, but I
can tell you from personal experience that it is absolutely true.

------
e40
I commute by foot 35 minutes each way. On those days where I have to drive
(very, very rare), my level of stress when I arrive home is far greater than
on those days when I walk. It's really dramatic. And, if I have to drive for
several days in a row (like to a conference), I really start to feel
physically crappy.

I know I'm lucky, but if you have the opportunity, even for less money, I
could not recommend it more.

~~~
GFischer
The article states that people prefer larger houses than a small 2 bedroom
apartment closer to work.

I just moved in with my girlfriend, and we chose the small 2 bedroom apartment
option, with a 20-minute commute by foot for me - it makes all the difference.

We'll probably choose a house when we have children, but for childless
couples, I don't see why you'd need the space (I believe people tend to
accumulate too much stuff - we had to throw away or sell a lot of things!)

------
narrator
My 40 minute driving commute was really getting on my nerves. I then
discovered books on tape on my smartphone and now it's pretty tolerable.
Having a transit commute would be better though because I could read books on
programming topics. There are no books on tape where the subject matter is
programming that I'm aware of. It's pretty obvious it wouldn't work very well
anyway. Maybe "Coders at Work" or "Mythical Man Month" would work well on tape
though, since they're written in a narrative style without a lot of diagrams
or code.

~~~
biafra
What about technical podcasts? If you're into Java, I'd recomment the
Javaposse. I am sure there is a podcast for your line of work/passion. For a
non specialized IT-Podcast I like to listen to Buzz out loud. They produce
about 30 minutes every workday.

------
ageektrapped
My last job had a commute of one hour each way on public transit (bus). I
didn't notice the commute until we had lay offs. I wasn't laid off, but left
within 8 months.

Now I'm a 20 minute walk to work and 2 minutes from the gym. That might be the
best part of the job, even in cold Canadian winters.

~~~
oddthink
I wonder if walking commutes are qualitatively different. I have about a 25
minute walk to work, technically above average, but I don't find it
particularly onerous, except around Christmas as I have to cross 5th avenue. I
was a little surprised that 24 is the US average, but I think the year-and-a-
half I spent doing Berkeley-to-Sunnyvale colored my perceptions.

~~~
spatten
I was wondering the same thing. I find my walk (around half an hour) to be a
net positive. Significantly better than my previous commutes, which were the
same amount of time but by bicycle.

I'm totally spoiled, though. I've never had a car commute except for a couple
of years in university.

------
kapitalx
I commute on the caltrain for 1 hour in each direction. However, I get online
as soon as I get on the train and time seems to fly. I'm often amazed by how
fast it feels.

~~~
ecspike
The Caltrain ride does go incredibly fast. Muni is a totally different story.

------
InclinedPlane
I refuse to commute by car more than about 20 minutes each way. If I do have
to commute I prefer a bus ride where I can at least get some dedicated reading
time in.

------
TheRevoltingX
I have an hour and a half commute each way. I take the bus for half an hour
and ride my bike for about an hour. (or if I feel lazy I'll just take the bus
longer)

I feel much better than when I was driving but making a 30 minute commute. Not
only is the bus more interesting, it gives me time to think and read sometimes
and even meet girls. Plus the excercise really gives me a boost for a full day
of programming.

~~~
shantanubala
I agree. The total time in a commute doesn't really mean as much as the method
of transportation (for me at least). I find myself usually very exhausted
after a long car ride (45min+), but usually pretty refreshed after a long bus
ride (45min+) because I can zone out and just relax while riding a bus. I
think it also plays into psychology a little bit -- when I drive, I feel like
it's almost like a "me against the world" type of situation where I usually
begin to dislike every other driver on the road. When I'm riding public
transportation it feels more like I'm sharing time with other people or
something. I don't really know... It just feels a lot more calm.

------
chrismealy
Robert H Frank's article "How not to buy happiness" hits on commuting as well:

<http://www.amacad.org/publications/spring2004/frank.pdf>

------
lsb
On the contrary. My commute is 45 minutes of biking along a river, and I love
it. My metabolism is way up, and because of showers at work I can change into
something less sweaty when I get in.

(Employers: showers are a cheap perk that pay off bigtime in the long run.)

------
rdl
I'm currently commuting from Oakland to Mountain View by car nearly daily, and
it takes between 35 and 60 minutes door to door each way. I don't really mind
(I enjoy driving, have a great car, and listen to music, CNBC/Bloomberg/BBC,
audiobooks, etc., or make phone calls), but it would be nice to be able to
drop by my office more spontaneously -- doing one roundtrip in a day is fine,
but two would be horrible.

I'd prefer a 1h driving commute on interesting/high speed roads (i.e.
interstates at off-peak hours, or something like HWY 17) to a 30 minute public
transit commute or stop-and-go driving commute.

------
BenSS
Interesting article that matches up with my long (driving) commute
experiences. Driving well requires you to be alert and focused for that entire
time, which is effort better allocated elsewhere.

I'm currently job-hunting, but recently turned down a promising interview
simply because it was 50m away, with no traffic at all. I'll take a train for
that same time with no regrets, but driving it? No thanks.

------
tluyben2
The reason for this is that people who like to commute don't like it at home
so much, otherwise they wouldn't like to commute. They would divorce anyway
and they seek out commutes (and overtime, evening meetings, dinners with
clients etc) to minimize home time. People who like their family / home life
will try to minimize commute and actually not commute at all. If you like your
commute; analyze your relationship and find out (really digging deep and
honest) why you like it; it's not a good thing for sure.

Not commuting enhances your life, gives you more time with your loved ones and
time for your hobbies, while commuting, usually gives you _nothing_ but waste.
Yeah, you listen to your Spanish course; you'll learn Spanish from a good
teacher in a few hours faster than months of sitting in your car.

Personally I don't understand people who commute more than 30 minutes, but
that's just me. People who commute for over an hour simply have a problem with
their life, goals and relationship.

~~~
lurker19
Funny you mention this, because I read a popular book today "Healthy Sleep
Habits, Happy Child", that claims that _being conpletely responsive to a
crying/fussy baby_ tends to be less about creating a nurturing parental
relationship, and more about hiding from one's relationship with one's spouse.

------
Urgo
I disagree......

I work from home. :)

~~~
Vivtek
Congratulations on not dying, then.

So do I, since 1996, and they couldn't drag me back into commuting at
gunpoint.

~~~
tluyben2
Exactly. If you offer me $10 million now to commute 1 year for 2 hours / day,
I wouldn't do it. Life is way too short.

~~~
rms
With $10 million, you could do something like directly save the lives of more
than 10,000 children from death [[http://www.givewell.org/international/top-
charities/villager...](http://www.givewell.org/international/top-
charities/villagereach)] or stop a whole lot of tuberculosis
[<http://www.givewell.org/international/top-charities/stop-tb>]. At a certain
point your time is less important than what you could have done with the extra
money.

~~~
Vivtek
Why does what I could have done with the money justify how I chose to spend
the time? I see this meme occasionally nowadays, implying that it is my sad
duty to become rich because of all the philanthropy I could engage in, and I
don't trust it.

No offense meant; I'm sure you mean it sincerely.

~~~
mwhite
[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Famine,_Afflu...](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Famine,_Affluence,_and_Morality)

~~~
Vivtek
No, you mistake me. While I couldn't put Singer's name to it, I'm _quite_
familiar with his argument. But this familiar argument is subtly modified in
this case: not "if you're rich you're obligated to aid", but rather "if you
have the _chance to become rich_ , then you are _obligated to become_ rich _so
that_ you can aid". Regardless of whether that's truly your goal, and
regardless of the personal cost to yourself, which is why I don't like it.

I suspect it's often used as a rationalization for becoming rich. Either way,
I don't trust it.

------
sans-serif
I'm sure I can't be the only one who's not seriously bothered by commute. I
value my time as much as the next guy, but when I'm stuck behind the wheel I
listen to podcast or crank up some MP3s, and when I'm on a train I read.

------
maigret
My work is not in a place that is more expensive to live than where I am
currently. But I live in an university town and really think this is worth the
commuting. I got a comfortable car for commuting and I am usually listening to
political news and humoristic podcasts that entertain me much the whole way.
All in all, I think this is quite livable, even if driving brings some stress.
I notice an impact on my social environment as described by the article, but I
think it would be even worse if I lived near where I work. It's just not the
kind of environment I'm searching right now.

------
Tharkun
Getting pretty tired of these "FOO is killing you"-articles. Salt kills, not
enough salt kills, commuting kills, staying at home kills, sex kills,
cucumbers kill, not enough veggies kill, blablabla.

Common sense, anyone?

~~~
gjm11
> Common sense, anyone?

Sorry, that kills too. Also, medical research has been shown to cause cancer
in rats.

------
yason
It's a trade-off between less expensive living and more time spent commuting
versus more expensive living and less time spent commuting. For all I've
experienced, I'd take the extra time any day.

It's also a problem for the whole society when the sustainability of such a
daily feat becomes a burning question. A dystopian view of doubling the price
of oil and commuting will be not only painful but also ridiculously expensive.

Cities with a relatively good train/tram network and dense neighbourhoods
grown around train stations/tram stops will be in big favor at that point.

------
chicagobob
I have to assume the article is talking about driving commute time. I take the
train about 45 mintues each way, and although I wish it were less, I have a
regular cadre of folks I've met over the years that I can chat with on the
train ... or I can read or work or listen to music podcasts, etc. Frankly, to
get to my job its the best possible way to commute and I think working at home
would be worse than not working in an office (tho I can work from home and do
so a few days / month).

------
bearwithclaws
Not if you have dozens of Mixergy interview preloaded on your iPod.

------
tintin
I don't know why nobody mentioned this but commuting is not killing you. When
you have the feeling it's a waste of time it will kill you. Just like a job
that feels like a waste of time will kill you.

Check the comments of people who are commuting by bike or by walking.
Commuting that way feels like freeing your mind and exercising. That's why it
doesn't feel like a waste of time. Same for the people who are programming or
reading a book in the bus or train.

Commuting will not kill you. Wasting time will.

------
oren
no. coding on the bus gives me 1 hour a day of pure fun. if I don't code I
read a book about a new language or technology.

you can't beat that!

~~~
megablast
You are allowed to code anywhere, at anytime you are not working. The
difference is you get to choose. (Which can be a bad thing!)

I have turned down a number of jobs before because of a tricky/long commute
(if I can't ride there, I am not interested), which has confused a number of
HR/Agents. I value my time too much (unless they are paying me 1/4* as much,
but they never are. Companies that are further away from the city (I always
live near the center), are usually cheap in other ways too.

------
JoeAltmaier
Had a 10-minute commute in Santa Clara - amazing luck! Then I moved to Iowa
(long storey) and telecommute - which strangely is the same average commute. 0
minutes most days; 12 hours once a month (flying to and from Santa Clara). I'm
not sure I'm better off.

------
dripton
The article seems to make the unstated assumption that every commute is in a
car. My bike commute is one of the best parts of my day. In fact, I turned
down a telecommute job so that I could continue riding to work.

------
will_lam
so glad I live downtown... I'm a zealot for convenience in all of its forms..
and proximity to the downtown core of a metropolitan area is definitely one of
them.

~~~
hugh3
There's a lot of folks who live in downtown San Francisco and commute 90
minutes each way to work at Apple/Google/etc. I'd hate to do it myself, but on
the other hand I'd hate to live in Cupertino or Mountain View.

------
dblock
A response to this article: <http://www.dblock.org/ShowPost.aspx?id=1588>

------
blendergasket
I used to commute 15 miles each way by bike. I can honestly say the commute
was the best part of my job and I was in the best shape of my life.

------
orthecreedence
My 3 hours of commuting 5 times a week is really bringing me down? Wow never
really thought about it until I read this article.

