Work Commute - Using The Time

jfb

jfb

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I was wondering about this earlier. I currently work from home most everyday but have spent plenty of time in the car doing the daily commute. I usually listened to music but every so often would wonder why I wasn't trying to learn something instead.

How much time do you spend in the work commute?

Do you think you could use that time constructively?

If so, how?
 
One reason I like what I do is that my daily commute is: Leave bedroom, stop in kitchen for coffee, walk into studio.

But in the days when I did commute, simply enjoying the drive, and getting my head ready for the day, were things I considered necessary and constructive. I'm not a believer in cramming too much into a day. Whether it was law in the early days, or music today, work has always presented sufficient challenges to keep my mind occupied and useful.

I have always worked hard, and put in pretty long hours, but a person needs to just relax at other times.
 
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About a half hour each way. I mostly listen to music, which I consider constructive because it is uninterrupted. Sometimes I'm listening to band songs that are new to wrap my head around things or figure out if there's parts I want to change.
 
I average about 15 hours a week in transit. When driving I mostly listen to music: a combination of a couple of stations that might play new things I would be interested in and my copies of things I already know I like.
 
My commute can range from 1/2 hour to 3 hours depending on traffic. Thank God for 160 gb IPods. The only thing I am interested in learning these days is guitar technique, etc. I found that is very difficult to do while driving.
 
My wife and I used to commute together, which was great. An hour or so a day to just hang out. Now, her commute matches Les's. I started riding the bus, and love it. it takes about 1/3 less time than driving, since the bus can take the HOV lanes, and I spend the time reading, working, listening to music, or very occasionally, sleeping. If the bus was less crowded, I might consider carrying on a guitar, but I haven't gotten there, yet. :)
 
I'm quite happy to say that I haven't driven to work in five years. This year I've been working from home two (soon to be three) days a week.

For the last three years, I've taken the train in ATL. Takes about 40 minutes. I spend about half that reading and the rest is mostly taken with driving to the station and walking.
The year before that, I took the bus when I lived in Australia. Took about 20 minutes. I used to listen to music the whole time.
The year before that, in Australia, I walked. I think it was about 30 minutes. I would listen to music and enjoy the views of the parklands and the river in Adelaide.

Reading is productive, of course. I guess if you're driving or walking, etc., you could listen to audio books or interesting podcasts, or NPR.
 
Abouta 30 minute drine in the am, 40 in the pm. I typically catch up on Facebook and my tweets, text friends...

What? You're not supposed to do that?


Jamie

P.S. I say, I say, that was a joke son!
 
I don't commute daily but when I do I spend most of my time hating people I have never met that live in a suburb of Chicago called Oak Park.

The expressway I use to get into the city moves fairly well except for a stretch of it where the off-ramps change from being on the right side of the road, to being on the left. It's only four exits, but I am convinced that is the major reason for congestion.... so I hate them, and hate is an ugly thing.
 
hour each way... luckily I do not have to do that every day. I work from home several days a week. Typically I listen to am traffic reports until I know I'm in the clear, then switch to ipod. I've been thinking about books on cd or digital audio. seemed like audio books want you to buy a player... why cant my ipod play them just like it plays tunes? why do I have to buy an additional player?
 
markie said:
I drive about 2 minutes each way. Not enough time to listen to a whole song, so I just leave the radio off most of the time.............
Click to expand...

I wonder how many years it would take to listen to a book on that commute - or would you have to start over every couple of months to figure out what happened.
 
Phoenix is a weird city in that there isn't a lot of overlap between where the jobs are and where the good schools are. A few years ago we moved further from my work in order to live in a better area with better schools. I don't regret it, but my commute times doubled it's now 30 minutes in the AM and 40 or 45 in the PM. I listen to music and try to ignore the horrible stop and go on the freeway.
 
I commute about 80 minutes a day, using mass transit so I read on the bus and subway.

Magazines and books. Its a great way to relax and given that I don't have much time to read at home with my family, house chores and guitar practice when my youngest is asleep.:biggrin:

Cheers!

D.
 
My Job is quite different..I make one commute..to the boat every 28 days..Its a 5 hr drive.. I work 12 hrs on and 12 off but rank has its privliges I have my own room. The food is free and no utility bills. But you live with your co workers for a month..So if anyone has personal problems, it affects everyone. But I usually bring several books(now I can just download them) play my guitar with the headphones. I pretty much keep to myself..When I first got my Captains slot, I wanted to be friends with the crew..That never works..I always worked harder I my boss was my friend..But its not that way for most people I have encountered..But my commute is on 1-10 and there is no time to relax as you are always stuck behind someone going 50 and the other drivers are going 95. The days of cruise control on the interstate are pretty much over..Hey, BTW has anyone tried out Rosetta Stone? And why are they so hard to buy used? 300 bucks is kinda steep.
 
I'm now semi (mostly) retired, but before that my commute was about 3 hours round trip. I listened to books on tape/CD. It became addictive.
 
My commute is 1 1/4 hours each way, it can be a bind at busy times of the year but a love driving and I always have music on, it helps that my journey takes me through some of the most amazing countryside the UK has to offer.

that said I would much rather work from home.
 
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