Take Your Commute Time Back
Since you started working from home a zillion months ago, what happened to what used to be your commute time?
Just a guess: you turned it into more work time.
Sound familiar? You are not alone. Many of us have allowed what was our commute time to turn into more Zoom calls, more spreadsheet updates, and more emails. It’s easy to do - it was easy to take that commute time for granted.
Let’s step back a moment and consider commuting.
How many books did you read while commuting by bus?
Whether on foot, on a bike, on public transit, or in your own vehicle, commuting isn’t just for getting to and fro your place of work. Alongside that basic function, commuting is also time where your brain has the chance to transition between home and work. You might not have thought of it that way at the time, but commute time was also, in fact, for you.
If you were driving, even if you were stuck in traffic and annoyed, maybe you listened to the news. Sang along loudly to music because no one else could hear you. Daydreamed a bit.
If you were riding public transit, maybe you played that new album from your favorite band over your headphones. Listened to a podcast you love. Or maybe you passed the time by reading an actual book.
For those who commuted outside of a vehicle, the commute was also likely a time to get some fresh air, exercise, and decompress.
You notice more when you commute on foot.
In summary, that time that used to be spent decompressing, listening to music, daydreaming, and/or moving your body is now time that you are…just getting more work done.
That doesn’t square up. Not one bit.
If you’re up for it, try this little experiment:
Just two days this week, try commuting again.
Here’s how it can work:
Do your morning routine as usual (coffee, feed children, stare at phone, etc.).
Get dressed. Put your shoes on.
Head out the door and set the timer on your phone/watch for 7 minutes. Walk AWAY from your apartment/house/yurt.
When the timer goes off, walk back home.
Take your shoes off. Put your slippers on.
Sit down and get to work.
When your work day is done, put your shoes back on. Walk out the door and set that 7 minute timer. Walk away from your dwelling until the timer goes off and then return.
Proceed with your evening routine (remember: you’re not at work anymore).
Give it a whirl. Just twice this week. Notice how it feels. It’ll help.
If you’re struggling to adjust to your new WFH situation, become an online member of our coworking community. We’re all in this together, and we’re here to support each other through this thing.