Current Events > I feel like people really underestimate how miserable a long commute makes them

(+) Yeah! (+)

like the way I think we usually think about it is pretty narrowly in terms of what you get paid vs the cost of housing and then we adjust where we live mostly based on that

but usually jobs are in one area and housing is cheaper farther away from the jobs, especially if you want 'decent' housing

imo a lot of people would be happier if they took lower quality housing (less floor area, smaller lots, older stock) but drove like even 20 fewer minutes a day
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My drive to work is 4 min and its glorious
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NeuralLaxative posted...

My drive to work is 10 min and its glorious

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I had an hour long drive both ways for three years. It wasn't that terrible since it was during no traffic times.

Now it's 25-45 minutes depending on traffic
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spudger posted...

NeuralLaxative posted...

My busride is 40 minutes one way and it's fine I guess

I drive 20-25 minutes, just right (I work mid shift and find I really enjoy the drive home where few cars are on the road and I can just hit cruise and chill out with mellow tunes)
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Roughly a half an hour.

Before this my commute was an hour and like 20 minutes so....it's a huge improvement to my attitude.
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spudger posted...

NeuralLaxative posted...

My drive to work is 7 min and its glorious

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I was driving an hour and a half each way for a decade. I hated life. Left and now drive about 15 each way. It was a night and day change.
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I do field service based out of my house so I get paid for travel time
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I have about a 50 minute, 35 mile drive, but it can sometimes break an hour depending on traffic. Honestly I'm used to it after 8 years, and knew in advance when I bought my house the commute was a trade off for a nice, comfortable home. I live in Arizona, and honestly there isn't anywhere within about a 30 mile radius of downtown Phoenix I'd want to live anyway. (It's super ghetto.) Not that it can't be obnoxious some days, but then I just think of the alternatives.
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Balrog0 posted...

like the way I think we usually think about it is pretty narrowly in terms of what you get paid vs the cost of housing and then we adjust where we live mostly based on that

but usually jobs are in one area and housing is cheaper farther away from the jobs, especially if you want 'decent' housing

imo a lot of people would be happier if they took lower quality housing (less floor area, smaller lots, older stock) but drove like even 20 fewer minutes a day

Traffic has a role too. I go out of the way to avoid traffic and its a little longer (by 10 minutes at most, on average it's shorter) but a much more pleasant experience since I'm not competing with a bunch of assholes.
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yeah true, I typically associate time with traffic because the two are strongly correlated during drive time but I agree that the traffic is just as or more important than the length of time it takes
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@g980
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my workplace is a ~10 minute bus ride, or a ~25 minute walk away
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NeuralLaxative posted...

My drive to work is 4 min and its glorious

My commute is 4 - 5 minutes. It's so great.
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I have a 90 min commute, but its all on public transit so I can just relax at least.
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yeah my commute is 5-10 minutes. it's great.
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Oh, I'm quite aware of how shitty it is. I spend 50-60 minutes each way, each day. I used to do 5 minutes, then 20 minutes. Situations change and although it sucks, you do build somewhat of a tolerance. I'll be moving to a new house in a couple years or so, in an area that will cut down commute by at least half.
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my work is a 10 minute walk.

a 10k salary increase probably wouldnt justify a a commute to the city for me (like 1.5 hours combined)

1337toothbrush posted...

Oh, I'm quite aware of how shitty it is. I spend 50-60 minutes each way, each day. I used to do 5 minutes, then 20 minutes. Situations change and although it sucks, you do build somewhat of a tolerance. I'll be moving to a new house in a couple years or so, in an area that will cut down commute by at least half.

Im not saying theres never a reason to commute, even a long one, just saying I think that people really discount it more than they should usually

just a feelin I have tho
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TeaMilk posted...

I have a 90 min commute, but its all on public transit so I can just relax at least.

yeah that's not even bad - you can read a book or something while you're going. transit and walking imo should be taken into consideration for commute, because spending a while doing either one is very different from driving for the same period of time
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My 25-30 minute commute isn't bad. I wouldn't want it longer, though.
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yeah my work is about a 25 minute walk or maybe 10 minute bike ride from my place or a 15 minute drive from my girlfriend's place

its pretty good, I would like to live even closer to work personally though
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Asherlee10 posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

I had an hour long drive both ways for three years. It wasn't that terrible since it was during no traffic times.

Now it's 25-45 minutes depending on traffic

This is still terrible for a lot of people, though.

If you are lucky enough to work just 8 hours a day, that's actually a 10 hour work day. Most people sleep about 8 hours a night, so that's 18 of your 24 hours gone. Left with 6 now. It takes probably 1.5-2 hours to prepare dinner and eat each night. Then if you shower at night that's another 30 minutes gone. If you have any chores or children you need to take care of, you MIGHT get lucky to have 30-60 minutes of 'free' time to yourself each day.

Having those 2 hours back would be a game changer for a lot of people.

I work 10-12 hour shifts too.

Been working overnights for three years now.

Yes I realize I'm taking years off my life with this.
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I have an hour to work in the morning and an hour and a half back home

I actually really enjoy it. First, it lets me have personal time. With a wife and kid, there really are no breaks after work because its straight into daddy and husband duties.

Second, I put on a podcast or more often some kind of great courses or book on tape. The spoken word has as much reach as the written word does now, and at the very least I'm being more productive with my windshield time by engaging in content and information that I want. I might be lucky because I love long form content and have a pretty long attention span.

Plus I was able to get a larger house for my family (doubled the size for the same price). It's just too hard to find 3 bedroom homes to rent over 1000 sq ft for under $2500 in San Diego.

The biggest and most unexpected benefit was how much we would love our new city. It is a much newer community and heavily focused on families (lot of cool amenities all around town and the businesses are all pro family)

So yeah the traffic can suck, but its a pretty easy sacrifice given the upsides

I understand my situation may not be typical

I take a 5-10 minute drive depending on traffic to get to the train station, 45 min train ride, and then a 8 minute walk to get to work. Since I sleep on the train, it isn't that bad.
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I know, right? Even helping give my friend rides is a pain in the ass since he lives 20+ minutes away.
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my current commute is maybe 15ft to my home office.
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Kombucha posted...

my current commute is maybe 15ft to my home office.

You know, there is the fact that I also get to work from home 2 days a week that helps with the long commute

I mean I could theoretically work from home every day but I don't get as much done and I have too much to do

My options are:
1. 1 hour 40 minute commute at 3AM and sleep under my desk; or
2. 4 hour commute at 7:00AM and spend more time in the car than I spend at work.

Either way, the drive home is a bitch. It's only twice per week for me though. I can't imagine someone living with this 5 days a week. There aren't enough podcasts in the history of mankind to fill that kind of time.
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My friends sometimes offer me jobs that are roughly an hour away (there's a lot of work out there) that will give like 3 to 4 dollars more an hour and I always turn them down. That's a whole 2 hours out of my day when I normally only get 8 to myself (assuming I work 8 and sleep for 8 hours each). 2 hours you're devoting to work that you're not getting paid for. And then they look at me like I'm dumb. And then I look at them like they're dumb.
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Polycosm posted...

My options are:
1. 1 hour 40 minute commute at 3AM and sleep under my desk; or
2. 4 hour commute at 7:00AM and spend more time in the car than I spend at work.

Either way, the drive home is a bitch. It's only twice per week for me though. I can't imagine someone living with this 5 days a week. There aren't enough podcasts in the history of mankind to fill that kind of time.

which one do you do? what city do you work in?
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pauIie posted...

Polycosm posted...

My options are:
1. 1 hour 40 minute commute at 3AM and sleep under my desk; or
2. 4 hour commute at 7:00AM and spend more time in the car than I spend at work.

Either way, the drive home is a bitch. It's only twice per week for me though. I can't imagine someone living with this 5 days a week. There aren't enough podcasts in the history of mankind to fill that kind of time.

which one do you do? what city do you work in?

I sleep under the desk most days that I drive in. Luckily it doesn't bother me too much, comfort-wise, so I'd rather do that than lose 2+ hours in the car. I commute into Los Angeles.
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i just straight up hate living in Seattle anymore and traffic is a major part of that. Leaving before 6 AM I can have a mere 45 minute commute. If I leave at 6:30 it is 1 hour, at 7 it is about 2 hours.

Coming home if I can get out at 2:30 or before it takes about 40 minutes. 3 is takes 1 hour. 3:30-6 2 hours.

i just applied to a job about 90 miles south of seattle near where I grew up. i'd take it even with a pay cut. and i could buy a mansion down there.
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Balrog0 posted...

like the way I think we usually think about it is pretty narrowly in terms of what you get paid vs the cost of housing and then we adjust where we live mostly based on that

but usually jobs are in one area and housing is cheaper farther away from the jobs, especially if you want 'decent' housing

imo a lot of people would be happier if they took lower quality housing (less floor area, smaller lots, older stock) but drove like even 20 fewer minutes a day

Well, living in affluent suburbs isn't cheap but they contribute to some of the more massive commutes you see people willing to take. In my city a one-way hour to an hour and a half commute is not terribly uncommon due to this.
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It depends. I had an hour and a half (sometimes up to three hours) commute before and it was terrible but that's because job satisfaction was sub zero. I'm going to have a similar commute soon but I actually want to be there (plus my wife just started working too) so I'm more than happy to take it.
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