6 ms·

My case is pretty much the opposite. Remote work has given me almost two more hours of life a day (that I'd otherwise spend commuting), it made me realize how

by kace91 5y ago

My case is pretty much the opposite. Remote work has given me almost two more hours of life a day (that I'd otherwise spend commuting), it made me realize how sleep deprived I used to be, and substantially improved my health - through home cooking, being less stuck to the chair, and having more time for sports. Additionally, it has greatly improved my career, since the advent of somewhat commonplace remote work means that I have access to jobs in areas where the pay is substantially better (up to 3x my current salary). If I end up quitting it will be either to capitalize on those new opportunities or to set in stone my ability to work remotely.

k3liutZu 5y ago
> Remote work has given me almost two more hours of life a day (that I'd otherwise spend commuting) Only that I now spend most of that extra time for more work & I'm behind 1.5 years on all my podcasts
- norov 5y ago
  Those podcasts must not have been all that interesting to begin with if you're not listening to them on your own time.
  - bluefirebrand 5y ago
    This is pretty much my take when people tell me how much better commuting is on the bus or train. "You can read a book or listen to podcasts" Come on, I don't do those things in my free time, I'd much prefer more free time from working remotely than fake "free time" on the bus.
    - the_only_law 5y ago
      Personally, I use the time for a little more sleep.
benrbray 5y ago
> Remote work has given me almost two more hours of life a day (that I'd otherwise spend commuting) I get this sentiment, but I want to stress to people who feel this way that long commutes are not a problem with our work culture, they are a problem with our car culture. Instead of retreating to our homes in the suburbs, people should be demanding more compact cities with expansive public transportation. Instead of losing our "second place", let's fight to get our "third place" back!
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  More compact cities mean less living space.
  - benrbray 5y ago
    Not necessarily. Urban/suburban spaces today are dominated by parking lots and four-to-six-lane roads. Eliminating those would make cities more compact without sacrificing size. With everything closer together, you wouldn't need the parking spaces in the first place! Of course, I also don't think it would be a bad thing to stop building McMansions. Many consider Tokyo to be an extreme example of density, but even there it is quite common to find 80-160sqm detached houses. At half of Tokyo's density, people wouldn't even need to give up their yards.
    - formerly_proven 5y ago
      People still commute an hour or more (using a lot of public transport) in large-ish European cities because there simply isn't enough housing in the cities (and through some kind of bacterial growth law, there will never be enough in the city) and what is there is of course extremely expensive. Naturally many people live in suburbian-ish things.
      - vladvasiliu 5y ago
        This. I live and work in Paris proper, which is a very dense city. Transit sucks, my commute is around 45 minutes each way. Bonus points for when I have to take it in rush hour, with people pressed together and no air conditioning. Extra bonus points for the habitual breakdowns, meaning even more people per train. Also, high density with "historic city" means very small apartments and very high prices. I really don't know how much better this is compared to US-style suburbia. Oh, we don't have clean air either, all the highways and city roads are congested, too.
albertopv 5y ago
Recently I changed job, now my commute is 15 minutes, 10 kilometers. At work I don't have to cook for lunch, I have great air conditioning and above all I don't work from the basement, like I did at home during lockdowns.

by kace91 5y ago

k3liutZu 5y ago

> Remote work has given me almost two more hours of life a day (that I'd otherwise spend commuting) Only that I now spend most of that extra time for more work & I'm behind 1.5 years on all my podcasts

norov 5y ago
Those podcasts must not have been all that interesting to begin with if you're not listening to them on your own time.
- bluefirebrand 5y ago
  This is pretty much my take when people tell me how much better commuting is on the bus or train. "You can read a book or listen to podcasts" Come on, I don't do those things in my free time, I'd much prefer more free time from working remotely than fake "free time" on the bus.
  - the_only_law 5y ago
    Personally, I use the time for a little more sleep.

benrbray 5y ago

> Remote work has given me almost two more hours of life a day (that I'd otherwise spend commuting) I get this sentiment, but I want to stress to people who feel this way that long commutes are not a problem with our work culture, they are a problem with our car culture. Instead of retreating to our homes in the suburbs, people should be demanding more compact cities with expansive public transportation. Instead of losing our "second place", let's fight to get our "third place" back!

MattGaiser 5y ago
More compact cities mean less living space.
- benrbray 5y ago
  Not necessarily. Urban/suburban spaces today are dominated by parking lots and four-to-six-lane roads. Eliminating those would make cities more compact without sacrificing size. With everything closer together, you wouldn't need the parking spaces in the first place! Of course, I also don't think it would be a bad thing to stop building McMansions. Many consider Tokyo to be an extreme example of density, but even there it is quite common to find 80-160sqm detached houses. At half of Tokyo's density, people wouldn't even need to give up their yards.
  - formerly_proven 5y ago
    People still commute an hour or more (using a lot of public transport) in large-ish European cities because there simply isn't enough housing in the cities (and through some kind of bacterial growth law, there will never be enough in the city) and what is there is of course extremely expensive. Naturally many people live in suburbian-ish things.
    - vladvasiliu 5y ago
      This. I live and work in Paris proper, which is a very dense city. Transit sucks, my commute is around 45 minutes each way. Bonus points for when I have to take it in rush hour, with people pressed together and no air conditioning. Extra bonus points for the habitual breakdowns, meaning even more people per train. Also, high density with "historic city" means very small apartments and very high prices. I really don't know how much better this is compared to US-style suburbia. Oh, we don't have clean air either, all the highways and city roads are congested, too.

albertopv 5y ago

Recently I changed job, now my commute is 15 minutes, 10 kilometers. At work I don't have to cook for lunch, I have great air conditioning and above all I don't work from the basement, like I did at home during lockdowns.