7 ms·

Not to discount this, but where does commute fall into this breakdown?

ojbyrne 13y ago
Good point, because in the US at least, people will willingly sacrifice their leisure time for more money (longer commutes allowing for cheaper housing being just one example).
- jonny_eh 13y ago
  And yet studies show that next to being below the poverty line, nothing correlates higher with unhappiness than commute times. http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/03/30/commuting/ http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/03/30/commuting/
  - sdoering 13y ago
    Funny thing. I commute not that much (1hr) per workday. I use this time, to listen to relaxing music and reading fiction (and sometimes popular science). After the commute I have to walk 10 minutes, to arrive at my front door. I have to walk through a little park. Really. For me commuting and then walking is my way of coming down. Of letting go of the work, so that I arrive at home free of all the stuff, that happens in front of my two screens. But that is just anecdotal evidence - and it might just work for me. But on the topic, I would add one point: Regularly working more than the paid 8 hours might show another thing: You just are not fit for the work you do. You are not good enough, as you cannot get it done in 8 hours. By the way is that a signal that you send to your boss, if you work longer regularly.
    - rjurney 13y ago
      A driving commute makes you unhappy because it is exhausting, and you lose that time. It sounds like your commute is on transit, which isn't so bad... you can read, so that time is still yours. I'd love an hour transit commute. I like to read!
      - arethuza 13y ago
        A few years back I changed from a 1 hour drive (with completely unpredictable queues and delays) to get to work to a very pleasant 25 minute walk - which I love. The only problem is that having got used to this I'd be very reluctant to take a job that I could walk or cycle to - which is a bit limiting.
        a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
        I had a half hour walk to work for a couple years and I was always shredded. I exercise regularly anyway, but with that easy daily hour of walking my body fat stayed super low without any real deliberate effort.
        arethuza 13y ago
        I can't say my walk is great exercise - but as it is through central Edinburgh it is very scenic! I did used to cycle ~10 miles to work, which was far better exercise. Unfortunately my employer doesn't want to relocate to a convenient distance just for me.... :-)
      - LaGrange 13y ago
        I’m actually considering moving a bit further from Amsterdam, because the amount of time I spend on the train is just a tiny bit too short for reading. Added bonus: I’d live next to the sea! (but I also willingly increase the commute time by picking a „wrong” train station, to have a longer cycling leg of the commute)
      - randomdata 13y ago
        I commuted to an office for the first couple of years of my career and it was awful. Now I only commute to the farm and get excited about it. The drive itself is very similar to both locations. I feel like the big difference is the expectations of others placed on me. When I had to commute to the office, I was doing it for someone else. Others wanted me there certain days, at certain times, and it becomes a dash to meeting their expectations. That was the most draining part of the entire job. On the farm, I'm doing it for myself. I want to go because it is what I want to do. Driving itself isn't that bad. I spent nine hours in the tractor and another hour on the road yesterday and while I was certainly tired and beat up, I felt a certain euphoria of accomplishment.
    - arjie 13y ago
      This is _exactly_ it. My morning commute was essentially free time. Public transit is a glorious thing.
- eli_gottlieb 13y ago
  It's not so much that they willingly sacrifice their leisure time for cheaper housing as that the US has really terrible urban planning.
enjo 13y ago
That's on your own time:) Seriously, people need to start living closer to work (and demanding that work make that possible).
- RussianCow 13y ago
  Or work from home, and demand that work make that possible. :)
- joelrunyon 13y ago
  That assumes that people are in a position to negotiate & don't work a commodity profession.
  - antimagic 13y ago
    Actually "commodity" professions actually have it pretty good on this score. By definition, commodity profession jobs are everywhere, because there are a lot of them, that's what makes them "commodity" - there are cashier jobs within a kilometre of where most of us live, as an example. It's when you start getting specialised that it gets harder to negotiate where you work - there might only be one company doing web-development work in a 10km radius around your home. Of course specialisation allows you to negotiate up your salary, so you can offset the loss of freedom in choosing the location of your workplace with an increase in freedom of choosing the location of your house / apartment due to a higher salary.
- walshemj 13y ago
  mm yes id like that nice two bed flat in red lion square in London but i dont have a spare million or so to hand.

Good point, because in the US at least, people will willingly sacrifice their leisure time for more money (longer commutes allowing for cheaper housing being just one example).

jonny_eh 13y ago
And yet studies show that next to being below the poverty line, nothing correlates higher with unhappiness than commute times. http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/03/30/commuting/ http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/03/30/commuting/
- sdoering 13y ago
  Funny thing. I commute not that much (1hr) per workday. I use this time, to listen to relaxing music and reading fiction (and sometimes popular science). After the commute I have to walk 10 minutes, to arrive at my front door. I have to walk through a little park. Really. For me commuting and then walking is my way of coming down. Of letting go of the work, so that I arrive at home free of all the stuff, that happens in front of my two screens. But that is just anecdotal evidence - and it might just work for me. But on the topic, I would add one point: Regularly working more than the paid 8 hours might show another thing: You just are not fit for the work you do. You are not good enough, as you cannot get it done in 8 hours. By the way is that a signal that you send to your boss, if you work longer regularly.
  - rjurney 13y ago
    A driving commute makes you unhappy because it is exhausting, and you lose that time. It sounds like your commute is on transit, which isn't so bad... you can read, so that time is still yours. I'd love an hour transit commute. I like to read!
    - arethuza 13y ago
      A few years back I changed from a 1 hour drive (with completely unpredictable queues and delays) to get to work to a very pleasant 25 minute walk - which I love. The only problem is that having got used to this I'd be very reluctant to take a job that I could walk or cycle to - which is a bit limiting.
      - a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
        I had a half hour walk to work for a couple years and I was always shredded. I exercise regularly anyway, but with that easy daily hour of walking my body fat stayed super low without any real deliberate effort.
        arethuza 13y ago
        I can't say my walk is great exercise - but as it is through central Edinburgh it is very scenic! I did used to cycle ~10 miles to work, which was far better exercise. Unfortunately my employer doesn't want to relocate to a convenient distance just for me.... :-)
    - LaGrange 13y ago
      I’m actually considering moving a bit further from Amsterdam, because the amount of time I spend on the train is just a tiny bit too short for reading. Added bonus: I’d live next to the sea! (but I also willingly increase the commute time by picking a „wrong” train station, to have a longer cycling leg of the commute)
    - randomdata 13y ago
      I commuted to an office for the first couple of years of my career and it was awful. Now I only commute to the farm and get excited about it. The drive itself is very similar to both locations. I feel like the big difference is the expectations of others placed on me. When I had to commute to the office, I was doing it for someone else. Others wanted me there certain days, at certain times, and it becomes a dash to meeting their expectations. That was the most draining part of the entire job. On the farm, I'm doing it for myself. I want to go because it is what I want to do. Driving itself isn't that bad. I spent nine hours in the tractor and another hour on the road yesterday and while I was certainly tired and beat up, I felt a certain euphoria of accomplishment.
  - arjie 13y ago
    This is _exactly_ it. My morning commute was essentially free time. Public transit is a glorious thing.
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
It's not so much that they willingly sacrifice their leisure time for cheaper housing as that the US has really terrible urban planning.

enjo 13y ago

That's on your own time:) Seriously, people need to start living closer to work (and demanding that work make that possible).

RussianCow 13y ago
Or work from home, and demand that work make that possible. :)
joelrunyon 13y ago
That assumes that people are in a position to negotiate & don't work a commodity profession.
- antimagic 13y ago
  Actually "commodity" professions actually have it pretty good on this score. By definition, commodity profession jobs are everywhere, because there are a lot of them, that's what makes them "commodity" - there are cashier jobs within a kilometre of where most of us live, as an example. It's when you start getting specialised that it gets harder to negotiate where you work - there might only be one company doing web-development work in a 10km radius around your home. Of course specialisation allows you to negotiate up your salary, so you can offset the loss of freedom in choosing the location of your workplace with an increase in freedom of choosing the location of your house / apartment due to a higher salary.
walshemj 13y ago
mm yes id like that nice two bed flat in red lion square in London but i dont have a spare million or so to hand.