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I don't believe your "commute" constitutes a commute in the sense of what this article is about. Your commute is just a walk. People traveling for 30-90 (or m

by blunte 9y ago

I don't believe your "commute" constitutes a commute in the sense of what this article is about. Your commute is just a walk. People traveling for 30-90 (or more!) minutes to and from work, particularly the ones driving in traffic, are the commuters. And the ones I know that fall into that category hate it. Good for you that you have such a nice situation, though!

tossaway1 9y ago
I commute 60 minutes each way (give or take depending on traffic). I wish the commute was shorter but I personally wouldn't work from home regularly even though I technically could. Between a chatty wife, active kids, and unfinished projects around the house, I don't have the willpower or ability to avoid distractions at home. I'm more productive going into work even if you factor in the time spent driving. Plus, my drive gives me some down time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts. I do look forward to self-driving cars though (adaptive cruise control helps a lot in the meantime...)
- blunte 9y ago
  Ah that is a point I forgot to mention on my other post of CONs with remote work - when friends/family in close proximity don't respect your need for space and quiet. But really, it's not much different from co-workers who do the same (except that with your children it's expected behavior, but with colleagues you would think they could learn after a while!) Commutes are not all bad. But the bad ones can be miserable. Self driving cars (for all drivers!) would make it so much better...
- madcaptenor 9y ago
  Although when we get self-driving cars your employer will start expecting you to work during the commute.
- rpazyaquian 9y ago
  You have options here. You can set aside a room as your quiet office, you can find a cafe or rent a coworking space to work in...it doesn't necessitate commuting 45 minutes into an office to solve.
dagw 9y ago
I actually commute by public transport. The 30 minute walk is something I do because I find it a nice way to start the day. Instead of changing busses, I just walk the last 2-3 km.
- blunte 9y ago
  That sounds like a good situation (and apparently your weather is tolerable). Unfortunately, this just wouldn't work in Texas, for example, because even 10 minutes of walking when it's 100+ leaves you very uncomfortable and not very presentable when you arrive in the office.
  - lkbm 9y ago
    When it's 100f+ I prefer to wear shorts and change when I arrive, but aside from that, my ~10min bike ride in great. (Austin TX) Generally it's not bad in the morning, and it's going home that's worse, but at that point, it matters less if I get sweaty. I used to bike 30-45 minutes each way to work, and, yeah, I got very sweaty. I always wished there were a shower I could use there. It's not ideal biking (or walking) weather, for sure. One additional anecdote I'd like to share: my coworker just moved to be under a mile from the office. His first time biking to the office from his new place was under five minutes. The other day he had to drive home. He messages me afterwards: "Took me 31 minutes to drive 9 blocks". (5:30pm and raining.) So I love my bike, even in the Texas summer. :-)
scaryclam 9y ago
I'd fall into that category. While I dislike the amount of time I spend travelling, I'd much rather do that than sit at home all day by myself. Honestly, I'm far more productive in the office where I can communicate face to face, explain things on whiteboards, ask quick questions and get some social interaction.
jablan 9y ago
Any commute is a commute. And if the only possible commute is driving 60+ minutes, citizens should seriously consider changing their city (in both meanings of the verb), rather than pretending a virtual workspace is as good as real one.
- wambotron 9y ago
  This is an extremely naive view of living situations and how "easy" it is to just move somewhere. I worked for a company in NYC for years and lived 8 miles from work. It took me a minimum of 90 minutes to get to work. You seem to think I can either just uproot my family and move to some sort of utopia city with short commutes, good public schools, and well-paying jobs; OR I can just change New York City itself. The fact is that most people in the US have commutes of 25+ minutes. Folks who walk to work are not the norm, and city schools across the US are a complete failure and joke. Don't assume your situation applies to everyone. * According to the US Cencus Bureau: https://project.wnyc.org/commute-times-us/embed.html https://project.wnyc.org/commute-times-us/embed.html
  - jjkk0101 9y ago
    Big cities are here to show how naive we can be about life.

by blunte 9y ago

tossaway1 9y ago

I commute 60 minutes each way (give or take depending on traffic). I wish the commute was shorter but I personally wouldn't work from home regularly even though I technically could. Between a chatty wife, active kids, and unfinished projects around the house, I don't have the willpower or ability to avoid distractions at home. I'm more productive going into work even if you factor in the time spent driving. Plus, my drive gives me some down time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts. I do look forward to self-driving cars though (adaptive cruise control helps a lot in the meantime...)

blunte 9y ago
Ah that is a point I forgot to mention on my other post of CONs with remote work - when friends/family in close proximity don't respect your need for space and quiet. But really, it's not much different from co-workers who do the same (except that with your children it's expected behavior, but with colleagues you would think they could learn after a while!) Commutes are not all bad. But the bad ones can be miserable. Self driving cars (for all drivers!) would make it so much better...
madcaptenor 9y ago
Although when we get self-driving cars your employer will start expecting you to work during the commute.
rpazyaquian 9y ago
You have options here. You can set aside a room as your quiet office, you can find a cafe or rent a coworking space to work in...it doesn't necessitate commuting 45 minutes into an office to solve.

dagw 9y ago

I actually commute by public transport. The 30 minute walk is something I do because I find it a nice way to start the day. Instead of changing busses, I just walk the last 2-3 km.

blunte 9y ago
That sounds like a good situation (and apparently your weather is tolerable). Unfortunately, this just wouldn't work in Texas, for example, because even 10 minutes of walking when it's 100+ leaves you very uncomfortable and not very presentable when you arrive in the office.
- lkbm 9y ago
  When it's 100f+ I prefer to wear shorts and change when I arrive, but aside from that, my ~10min bike ride in great. (Austin TX) Generally it's not bad in the morning, and it's going home that's worse, but at that point, it matters less if I get sweaty. I used to bike 30-45 minutes each way to work, and, yeah, I got very sweaty. I always wished there were a shower I could use there. It's not ideal biking (or walking) weather, for sure. One additional anecdote I'd like to share: my coworker just moved to be under a mile from the office. His first time biking to the office from his new place was under five minutes. The other day he had to drive home. He messages me afterwards: "Took me 31 minutes to drive 9 blocks". (5:30pm and raining.) So I love my bike, even in the Texas summer. :-)

scaryclam 9y ago

I'd fall into that category. While I dislike the amount of time I spend travelling, I'd much rather do that than sit at home all day by myself. Honestly, I'm far more productive in the office where I can communicate face to face, explain things on whiteboards, ask quick questions and get some social interaction.

jablan 9y ago

Any commute is a commute. And if the only possible commute is driving 60+ minutes, citizens should seriously consider changing their city (in both meanings of the verb), rather than pretending a virtual workspace is as good as real one.

wambotron 9y ago
This is an extremely naive view of living situations and how "easy" it is to just move somewhere. I worked for a company in NYC for years and lived 8 miles from work. It took me a minimum of 90 minutes to get to work. You seem to think I can either just uproot my family and move to some sort of utopia city with short commutes, good public schools, and well-paying jobs; OR I can just change New York City itself. The fact is that most people in the US have commutes of 25+ minutes. Folks who walk to work are not the norm, and city schools across the US are a complete failure and joke. Don't assume your situation applies to everyone. * According to the US Cencus Bureau: https://project.wnyc.org/commute-times-us/embed.html https://project.wnyc.org/commute-times-us/embed.html
- jjkk0101 9y ago
  Big cities are here to show how naive we can be about life.