How To Reduce Commuting
I was shoveling the first significant snow of 2006 at 6am this morning, when a question came to my mind. Why am I doing this?
You see, since Nov 1, 2004, I've been a telecommuter. I've been able to continue to work at a large company, yet I always stay at home. Because I'm the only Canadian in my department (maybe I'm a token, I'm not sure), I do not deal with anyone directly, other than by phone or email. As a result, I can avoid the 30km-drive-each-way-that-felt-like-100km commute I used to make.
I know you may not be as fortunate. However, please ask yourself the following 3 questions to see if you can reduce your commute time.
1) Do I have to live here?
If you are not in your dream home, and there is nothing keeping you tied to the community, you may want to consider moving closer to your work. All of us would love to have an extra hour a day in our lives. If you can do it by moving, I personally recommend going for it.
2) Do I have to work here?
As someone who has been told in the past his job was being eliminated, I empathize with anyone who feels they have to stay at a job for security reasons. However, if you like where you live, you may want to put out some casual feelers to see if there are any local jobs you would be qualified for. Again, the time savings may be more than worth it.
3) Can I work where I live?
In talking to the Facilities person at my company, there are very few jobs which cannot be done at home, at least to some degree. Ask your boss if you can work one day a week at home. Get the high-speed access you need (if you're reading this, you probably already have it). See if you can adjust to life away from the office. While I had no problem at all (every day I think of one more benefit to working at home), you could experience an adjustment period. See if working at home part time is rewarding.
By reducing your commute time, you may realize some tangible (saving time and money) and intangible (peace of mind, less stress) benefits.
Now, if only I could get my wife to work from home, I wouldn't have to shovel at 6am anymore.
Regards,
Steve
You see, since Nov 1, 2004, I've been a telecommuter. I've been able to continue to work at a large company, yet I always stay at home. Because I'm the only Canadian in my department (maybe I'm a token, I'm not sure), I do not deal with anyone directly, other than by phone or email. As a result, I can avoid the 30km-drive-each-way-that-felt-like-100km commute I used to make.
I know you may not be as fortunate. However, please ask yourself the following 3 questions to see if you can reduce your commute time.
1) Do I have to live here?
If you are not in your dream home, and there is nothing keeping you tied to the community, you may want to consider moving closer to your work. All of us would love to have an extra hour a day in our lives. If you can do it by moving, I personally recommend going for it.
2) Do I have to work here?
As someone who has been told in the past his job was being eliminated, I empathize with anyone who feels they have to stay at a job for security reasons. However, if you like where you live, you may want to put out some casual feelers to see if there are any local jobs you would be qualified for. Again, the time savings may be more than worth it.
3) Can I work where I live?
In talking to the Facilities person at my company, there are very few jobs which cannot be done at home, at least to some degree. Ask your boss if you can work one day a week at home. Get the high-speed access you need (if you're reading this, you probably already have it). See if you can adjust to life away from the office. While I had no problem at all (every day I think of one more benefit to working at home), you could experience an adjustment period. See if working at home part time is rewarding.
By reducing your commute time, you may realize some tangible (saving time and money) and intangible (peace of mind, less stress) benefits.
Now, if only I could get my wife to work from home, I wouldn't have to shovel at 6am anymore.
Regards,
Steve
posted by Irrelevant at 1:44 PM
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