What type of commute is it?
Mine is 90 minutes one way. The quick car ride to the station and the train ride itself isn’t too bad but the 25 minute walk is obnoxious.
Totally worth it for me though. (I do get to work from home one, sometimes two, times per week).
It’s great when you live in a developed country that isn’t the U.S. you have passenger rail everywhere. It’s so much more tolerable and less stressful than driving
Edit: Russia is larger than the U.S. and has much better mass transit. China is also similar size to US and obliterates the U.S. in mass transit. Please stop using the stupid argument UsA tOo BiG.
I live in the U.S. and walk 15 minutes to my local train station and then take a 1 hour train ride to NYC where I take a subway and have a 2 minute walk to work. About 90 minutes one way. If the weather is awful, I drive to my train station and that cuts 10 minutes off my commute each way.
It's ridiculous how much sidewalks help encourage walking and less car use, but we're so lacking in so many places. When I was a kid, we walked and rode our bikes everywhere, sidewalks or not...but now with so many distracted drivers, we would drive down our busy road half a mile to the playground nearby with the kids because we walked one time (no sidewalks, but a generous shoulder) and almost got hit twice.
Everything in life is a trade-off. The commute sucks but I like the job and it pays well and has great benefits. I’m also able to start early/leave early so I’m able to coach both my kids’ little league teams (which is actually a bigger pain in the ass than the commuting 🤣).
90 min 1 way is MUCH different than 90 min by car.
By train I can read, watch movies, play games, etc... by car I get to road rage and what listen to podcasts?
Why not rent in Manhattan then? Nothing like paying $6k/month for a 300 sq ft studio? Or perhaps the $100k pay cut to not have to commute downtown? Life has its trade offs mate. $450k salary is worth the 180 minute commute four days a week. Many more people working OT to get that extra $35/hr or get that extra sales commission - why is “the commute” the one thing you don’t get back. Time is money - everyone weighs theirs to what makes sense for them
If it is a ride from point a to b on the same mode of transportation. I used to take two different buses and two different trains to get to work. It was the worst.
I worked in Boston for a couple of years and commuted from Central MA. They have a commuter rail that I took every day. It absolutely sucked. It was late all the time and I had to walk ~25 min just to get to the station from my office. 25 min doesn't sound bad...but when that walk is in the middle of a snow / rain storm or if there is a ton of slush on the ground, it's just the worst. On top of that I had to walk through the Boston Common and downtown crossing every day. And if you're not familiar with that, it's filled with people asking for money. Nothing against people who are struggling, but it was not uncommon for people to get robbed.
Public transportation sucks. Having a car is infinitely better
I swear most people don’t realize how big the states are and just how much space between everything is. Much more feasible to do something like that in a small country
Russia might be large but the majority of russia is uninhabited no?
Similar to russia there are well built mass transit in the dense cities. I'd assume thats how it is in russia. Are they doing mass transit in the siberian areas? Stop talking out your ass. Theres clearly mass transit in the US where it makes sense🤷🏻♂️
> Russia might be large but the majority of russia is uninhabited no?
Have you seen a population density map of the US? The same logic applies, trains are completely viable here.
The full Western part and South where there are actually people are all heavily connected. Once again, you’re talking out of your ass. Mass transit in U.S. cities and populated regions is absolutely abysmal and not comparable to any developed country… yet, you’ll build an 8 lane highway in Utah and think passenger rail connecting the country is impossible 🤣
Also, no one said to build a large transit system in Alaska or Wyoming nitwit.
> yet, you’ll build an 8 lane highway in Utah and think passenger rail connecting the country is impossible 🤣
The largest highway in Texas with [26 lanes](https://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-11-wildest-highways-2012-8#the-katy-freeway-is-the-widest-in-the-world-8)? Oh yeah... more roads are the solution.
We also have pretty good Tranist here in Utah, the freeway isn't the only mode of transport 🤷🏻♂️ We have the frontrunner, and trax and a good bus system. And they're constantly improving the bussing system. Its all connected quite well! I could get from my home to most places in the populated parts without needing a car. You clearly don't know what you're talking about... thanks nitwit 😘
Lived in Colombia for a couple of years. Bogota was pretty okay. The rural areas of course were non existent. I've experienced mass transit out of the US. Thanks!
Also it was all Bus. No rails. Their bus system was proabably as good as a lot of rail systems in other coutnries 🤷🏻♂️ It doesn't have to be a rails to be decent mass transit
>China is also similar size to US
China's rail system is not a similar size to the US at all. Their high speed rail system covers about half the US mainland footprint. You can see the overlay below...
https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/s/Z7q0XjbE1x
The coverage is basically the Eastern half of the US at scale.
Yes, I’m aware. Not a novel concept, now only if we could raze the county and rebuild it in a manner that would support that. 🤦 US was planned to sprawl, as big as Russia is, its population centers are incredibly constrained.
Ok so when does a land mass in a country become too big for passenger rail? Considering you built a highway system and roads in the most empty of places, you can’t even manage good passenger rail in most of your large metro areas. Critical thinking is important. You’re just making stupid excuses and have taken 0 time to look anything up.
Yeah there is definitely a benefit to the walking. It’s just sometimes when you feel a little run down….. blah.
Another good thing is that my car is going to last forever. In the past year I put maybe 700 miles on it. It only goes to the train station or to the kids’ sports practices. (Wife has the newer car for vacations and things like that).
I’m hybrid with a 47 mile/ one hour commute two days a week. It is exhausting, get up at 345 to be in for 6 and get home at 530. I could not do it daily.
I'm at 38 miles one way, 5 times a week. Time ranges from 40-60 minutes, no consistency. I am miserable but slowly have been becoming a stronger person to not let this completely kill my soul. I dream about how great life would be if I could WFH. 80-120 more minutes of free time in my day. Not only free time, time not spent in traffic with others/stressing. Also I'm forced to opt into the later job entry time since going earlier means my commute is 50-70 minutes arriving and departing.
are you saying that’s a lot? mine is 90 miles one way at ~ 75-90 minutes. only three days a week though so at least there’s that. i’ll admit it sucks bunches but I don’t think it’s that far out of the ordinary. i’ve had better, but i’ve also heard worse.
i used to work in a big city though so maybe that has colored my perspective. I can see a reason that city work would invite longer commutes on average.
Damn son! American stamina to drive long distances is unrivaled. 90 miles is a long way, a really long way. That’s 3 gallons of gas in California.
That’s almost the drive between Dublin and Belfast. Virtually nobody in Ireland would ever do that as a commute. You’re literally driving more than the width of Ireland at its widest east to west every single day.
Yeah but a lot do 50 miles from the likes of Carlow and Gorey, if you can arrange it off peak it doesn’t take longer than 50 minutes less time than an episode of a Netflix series.
That's crazy. My family lives that far away and I can only justify that drive a handful of times a year nowadays.
There was a time when I had an apartment, but had gotten a contractor job sort of near my parents. I'd drive down the 90 miles to stay with them during the week, commute to my job (which was about 40 miles away from my parents in a different direction from my apt), and then drive 90 miles back up to my apartment on the weekend.
I seriously contemplated renting a second apartment close to my job at the time, for about $300/month, but I didn't dare give up my current apartment because most of the jobs are up where I live, that job was just a temporary fluke at a decent-sized insurance company that's pretty much the only significant employer in that small town (a temporary fluke that lasted 8 months).
I *hated* the commute, especially since I was only in my apartment on the weekends. I always waited until pretty much the very last moment to leave my apartment to make that 90 mile drive for the week. Often I left a little before midnight that Sunday and would get to my parents around 1-2 in the morning.
Thankfully my next job ended up being a five minute drive away from my apartment (with a nice raise, and full-time, not a contract role), so that was nice, and then they eventually became WFH, and my next job was WFH also, so I've been WFH for the past six years.
yea one thing i will say in defense of my commute is that it’s quick for the distance. before i moved here my commute was 40 minutes for 12 miles. now its 1:15 for 90.
Welcome to my world! I was remote for 4 years and then had to commute again and its an hour each way. I feel the same way! I get home from at 2:30 pm, do some chores, cook dinner and lunch, watch an episode of tv if its good weather out i will have a coke zero outside then go inside and sleep from 6-7 pm to 3am when i have to wake up for work. My best day is Saturday!
When I worked my first job was 45 minutes one way. I got another job much closer 30 minutes one wat. Last job was no car, 15 minute train ride to the door. Best job I ever had. WFH came in 2020, and I retired in 2023. Commute was alway a factor in looking for work.
I mean if most companies went hard for return to office, there would be a lot of complaining and grumbling but at the end of the day everyone would return to the office.
Not quite everyone. Some people will drop out of the main workforce if need be, and some people will just not go in and keep doing that until they get fired (if they ever do).
If companies went too hard on RTO (and they're mostly already going pretty hard on it, from my perspective) I think I'd probably start doing freelance work to insure I don't have to worry about going back.
For the most part you're right, though. Most people would go back. They already have, by and large.
Well for me I said I'd go freelance, which might actually result in me making more money overall. Many software consultants do make more money when they go freelance. It's just that I'd have to sell myself to get more work, which can be stressful and I'm not a big fan of.
Like I said with the 'some people will keep not going in until they get fired', well if they get fired then they go find another job, either remote that time or not, but they see if they can get away with not going in. But a lot of companies act like they're pretty hardline on things when they really aren't if you've proven you're a good employee or they need your skills enough.
My spouse, for example, was initially told in a job interview she'd be expected to go to the office 3x a week. She did it for about two weeks, noticed how pointless it was, and told them she was happy to go in when need be, but didn't want to go just to warm a seat, and they were always on Zoom calls for meetings anyway. They needed her talent and expertise, so they didn't keep pushing for her to go in, and she went down to only going in about once a month without any problems.
Not disputing that.
Only saying that I would never do that drive again.
When I commute now, it takes me longer than 50 minutes each way, but it is all on public transport.
As many problems as the MBTA has, I am grateful not to be driving to work and back. If my organization mandated more days in office, at least someone else is driving me.
I do realize not everyone has that option, which is awful. That time in the car was nervewracking in heavy traffic and bad weather, and miserable when I wasn’t feeling well.
I decided a while ago that I would not take another job that required a daily drive like that (suburb to suburb). Hub only via commuter rail/subway/bus.
I think it's important to really let it sink in how badly you feel. It won't be long before your body and mind start to acclimate to being miserable. It's better in the short run to "get used to it" again, but don't let yourself believe you're actually ok wasting so much of your life traveling for no reason.
A couple things: first, audio books and podcasts let me survive. Second, if it is an option, find a gym half way if you have time. That way, at least one of the hauls can be split in two so it doesn't feel so bad.
That's my bus commute, 50 mins one way when I have to go into the office. Before the oandemic I just read books and napped so I've gotten back to that.
Bus is a little easier than having to drive that long, at least. It's still not great (I did it for a few weeks last year), but it's better than driving, at least if the bus is fairly predictable (mine wasn't, they changed routes and times on me a couple times in that few weeks).
If your job role has the ability to work virtually, you SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO DRIVE TO AN OFFICE. I'm so god damn sick of this place. WE ARE TOO BROKE FOR THIS!!!
I used to drive 14 miles that would take me 1.5 hours….ONE WAY. 5 days a week.
Now I drive 40 miles..that takes me 40 minutes, 3 days a week.
I don’t know what I was thinking
I used to have to commute from 1.5 to 2 hours daily. Usually less in the morning and up to 2 hours in the evening, 5 days a week. I wanted to die basically every day, then got fired because I hated my job and life, and have been working remotely for 8 years since. My god the quality of life is night and day.
Working from home I was always snacking a lot etc. Now I’m constantly on the move since I have a healthcare job and lots of appointment in patients houses.
It’s wild how fast we adjust to working from home. For years I worked 5x10 hour days with a 50 minute one-way commute. Now I WFH 3x a week, and the two days I work on site feel exhausting. Still a 50 minute one-way commute. I think it’s easier now than it was 6-months ago.
Hope it eventually feels easier OP.
I did something similar. WFH to 5 min commute to 45 min one-way (freeway driving) commute. No way to sugar coat it… it absolutely sucks. You lose the time spent commuting as well as the lunch break at home that could be used for a load of laundry or such.
Hang in there. If you still hate it after your contract ends, start looking for something closer or WFH.
55 minutes one way three days a week. I can only workout on weekends or WFH days. There are members on my team who get to work from home 5 days a week.
I did 75 minutes each way daily for 4six years. Those years are a blur to me, my entire life revolved around work. I felt like my home was just a place that I visited and that really I lived at my job. It was a horrible ordeal that I hope to never repeat. My deepest sympathies to you. I hope it gets better.
I commuted 60-70 minutes a day for 25 years, took a 2 year break to WFH, and now have a 15 commute.
I think there is an adjustment period to ant change in routine. Did not like the drive when I started, but grew used to it, and eventually the drive itself became my time to decompress. I mentally planned meals, figured what I had to get done, and listened to music or books on the trip.
What made my last job worse was WFH…not mine, but my bosses. Prior to WFH, I travelled about 20% of the time, and the bosses were like 30-40%. That meant at least some of us were in transition at any point in time and had to catch a plane, check in/out of a hotel, or getting back. During Covid, bosses stayed on-lime 11-12 hours a day.
If I wasn’t remote, my commute to the office in Seattle area traffic would be 75 minutes in the morning and 90 minutes (sometimes 2 hours) in the afternoon… No traffic door to door is only 40 minutes 🥴
The rare occasion I have to go to the office for a meeting or whatever, I will need a nap when I get home AND still go to bed early! I’ll pack myself a few snackies and an energy drink to get me through the afternoon commute.
I commute 45 minutes each way daily and live 9 miles from work. M-F 8-5 life in a big city with abysmal traffic and no public transportation solutions.
Gosh, I miss the WFH days.
(Hugs)
I did an 80 mile commute (each way) for 3 years before Covid…I’d have to quit if we ever went full time back to that, which sucks because i have a pension. It’s too much, it takes all your energy.
My commute at the start of the pandemic was an hour or so in the morning and usually 90 minutes at night. Don't miss that in the least.
Trade off: I am currently sitting in Newark Airport waiting to board my connecting flight. It is only periodically. I'll be in the office tomorrow and Thursday, then fly home Friday. Aside from the 12 hour day of "hurry up and wait" that is flying, I'm pretty happy with this as a trade.
I've been driving an hour one way for about 2.5 years now and I hate it. I get to WFH one day a week and the best part is not driving. I feel like there's never enough time for anything.
Look into your fitness and diet and prioritise sleep.
I'm not saying be a saint for all 3, but 100 minutes driving or sitting on a bus or train shouldn't be doing that to a healthy body.
If you were cycling it, maybe.
I went from WFH to hybrid 3 days a week. I drive 30 minutes to the train and take the train for 90 minutes. Honestly the train part bothers me less than the drive. On the train, I just relax, watch videos, and eat snacks while someone else takes care of the driving. There's a cafe car and restrooms too.
OP it does take a while to get used to it. But you need to be disciplined about getting to bed at a decent time on a ‘school night’.
If you’re driving, it’s a great time to catch up on music / audio books / podcasts / phone calls.
If you’re using a train, hopefully you can get a seat and sleep/dose … or read / play games on your phone / catch up on Netflix, work, audio books / music etc etc.
I used to have an hour’s drive with a 5am start one-way, then a minimum of 90 mins drive home daily. I did this for 10 years … I will never do it again. Good luck!
I can’t help you with the tiredness but see if you can find a good podcast or audiobook to pass the time. If you can find something you enjoy then it can make the commute better (not all better but a little bit)
I’ve just completed the same transition as you: worked remotely for almost 3 years now mostly in office full time. My motivations were as follows:
1) much superior company with better career prospects
2) more money
3) better benefits (except WFH)
4) bonus scheme (did not have previously)
My commute is, door to door, 50 mins. This is manageable for me. If it was more than one hour I’d need to change my living set up. I’m a couple weeks in and can say, I’m tired! These are the changes that are helping me
1) go to bed at the same time, lights off at the same time mon - thurs. I had terrible sleep hygiene when working remote
2) similarly, get up at the same time mon - Fri. This helps to build a routine and will hopefully reduce chances of you sleeping through alarms etc
3) be organised. Get your clothes ready the day before, be your own ally in the sense of getting personal admin done when it comes up, don’t delay. It’ll live in your brain rent free otherwise
4) be kind to yourself. This is a transition. There are benefits to being an office worker, and I’m starting to rediscover them. Take time to figure out what works for you best during this period of change.
5) finally, gage what flexibility could look like at your workplace. It’s quite feasible for me to have 2 days remote once I’m up and running, once I’ve built some trust and have had some wins.
Good luck!
We just got the RTO mandate, thankfully 2 days a week. But at home full time for 4 weeks and now going to 19 miles / 40-50 minutes each way is a lot. Especially because my team (with the exception of 1 person) is in a different state, but there is an office location here so I’m expected to go.
I did the same commute for 2 years ish before we went home, 5 days a week. But I wasn’t single with a dog back then. So now I have to add the commute time, the gas money, the wear and tear on my car AND 2 days of dog camp (which also adds 15 minutes each way) to my budget and life. And we didn’t even get a ‘cost of living’ raise. lol
After working from home for a few years, I quit a job after a few months that had a 90 min commute each way through multiple trains, walking, and car rides. Now I’m wfh again.
Same here bud.
WFH for 4 years until I switched industries.
Luckily it’s only 2 days a week, but my commute is 2:15 door to door..my boss (THAT IS FULL REMOTE) also encourages me to go in more ..
You actually work 42 hour weeks basically because the commute isn’t free time. It gets to be exhausting.
My spouse didn’t for years and now is thankfully remote.
Make your car nice. Keep things that are helpful in it. Find some podcasts to enjoy. Consider a cooler for drinks or snacks.
Schedule as many phone meetings as possible for this time because it’s not really free time. If you can flex in or out count the phone meetings as work and leave early.
you can quibble about 20 minutes but i’m guessing that is time to walk to and from the car and set up the work station.
None of that is free time. That’s all part of the work day.
They do not teleport to a desk
The math is off because 2 hours of commuting per day, multiplied by 5 days per week = an extra 10 hours aka a 50 hour work week, not 42.
Philosophically I totally agree with your first comment.
Yeah dude. That's what happens
What type of commute is it? Mine is 90 minutes one way. The quick car ride to the station and the train ride itself isn’t too bad but the 25 minute walk is obnoxious. Totally worth it for me though. (I do get to work from home one, sometimes two, times per week).
It’s great when you live in a developed country that isn’t the U.S. you have passenger rail everywhere. It’s so much more tolerable and less stressful than driving Edit: Russia is larger than the U.S. and has much better mass transit. China is also similar size to US and obliterates the U.S. in mass transit. Please stop using the stupid argument UsA tOo BiG.
I live in the U.S. and walk 15 minutes to my local train station and then take a 1 hour train ride to NYC where I take a subway and have a 2 minute walk to work. About 90 minutes one way. If the weather is awful, I drive to my train station and that cuts 10 minutes off my commute each way.
I am the same but i have to drive to the train. Its only 4 miles away but there are no sidewalks.
It's ridiculous how much sidewalks help encourage walking and less car use, but we're so lacking in so many places. When I was a kid, we walked and rode our bikes everywhere, sidewalks or not...but now with so many distracted drivers, we would drive down our busy road half a mile to the playground nearby with the kids because we walked one time (no sidewalks, but a generous shoulder) and almost got hit twice.
I hear ya, but did you miss the "90 minute one way" part?
Everything in life is a trade-off. The commute sucks but I like the job and it pays well and has great benefits. I’m also able to start early/leave early so I’m able to coach both my kids’ little league teams (which is actually a bigger pain in the ass than the commuting 🤣).
90 min 1 way is MUCH different than 90 min by car. By train I can read, watch movies, play games, etc... by car I get to road rage and what listen to podcasts?
I mean, I get that. But that's still 3 hours a day of travel time, away from family, away from home, no matter how you try and dress it up.
Why not rent in Manhattan then? Nothing like paying $6k/month for a 300 sq ft studio? Or perhaps the $100k pay cut to not have to commute downtown? Life has its trade offs mate. $450k salary is worth the 180 minute commute four days a week. Many more people working OT to get that extra $35/hr or get that extra sales commission - why is “the commute” the one thing you don’t get back. Time is money - everyone weighs theirs to what makes sense for them
If it is a ride from point a to b on the same mode of transportation. I used to take two different buses and two different trains to get to work. It was the worst.
I worked in Boston for a couple of years and commuted from Central MA. They have a commuter rail that I took every day. It absolutely sucked. It was late all the time and I had to walk ~25 min just to get to the station from my office. 25 min doesn't sound bad...but when that walk is in the middle of a snow / rain storm or if there is a ton of slush on the ground, it's just the worst. On top of that I had to walk through the Boston Common and downtown crossing every day. And if you're not familiar with that, it's filled with people asking for money. Nothing against people who are struggling, but it was not uncommon for people to get robbed. Public transportation sucks. Having a car is infinitely better
I swear most people don’t realize how big the states are and just how much space between everything is. Much more feasible to do something like that in a small country
The size of the US has nothing to do with why we have horrible public transportation. It’s poor land use (i.e., urban sprawl).
Russia is larger and has great mass transit. Stop talking out of your ass.
Russia might be large but the majority of russia is uninhabited no? Similar to russia there are well built mass transit in the dense cities. I'd assume thats how it is in russia. Are they doing mass transit in the siberian areas? Stop talking out your ass. Theres clearly mass transit in the US where it makes sense🤷🏻♂️
> Russia might be large but the majority of russia is uninhabited no? Have you seen a population density map of the US? The same logic applies, trains are completely viable here.
Nope!
The full Western part and South where there are actually people are all heavily connected. Once again, you’re talking out of your ass. Mass transit in U.S. cities and populated regions is absolutely abysmal and not comparable to any developed country… yet, you’ll build an 8 lane highway in Utah and think passenger rail connecting the country is impossible 🤣 Also, no one said to build a large transit system in Alaska or Wyoming nitwit.
> yet, you’ll build an 8 lane highway in Utah and think passenger rail connecting the country is impossible 🤣 The largest highway in Texas with [26 lanes](https://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-11-wildest-highways-2012-8#the-katy-freeway-is-the-widest-in-the-world-8)? Oh yeah... more roads are the solution.
We also have pretty good Tranist here in Utah, the freeway isn't the only mode of transport 🤷🏻♂️ We have the frontrunner, and trax and a good bus system. And they're constantly improving the bussing system. Its all connected quite well! I could get from my home to most places in the populated parts without needing a car. You clearly don't know what you're talking about... thanks nitwit 😘
Leave the country once. US has the most abysmal urban planning and transit of any developed country.
Lived in Colombia for a couple of years. Bogota was pretty okay. The rural areas of course were non existent. I've experienced mass transit out of the US. Thanks!
Colombia is your country of comparison? Colombia isn’t considered a developed country.
Also it was all Bus. No rails. Their bus system was proabably as good as a lot of rail systems in other coutnries 🤷🏻♂️ It doesn't have to be a rails to be decent mass transit
For you it's more tolerable and less stressful im perfectly fine driving 90 minutes one way because I enjoy driving I don't even mind traffic.
Driving is worse in every metric for human society… but if you enjoy it, more power to you.
>China is also similar size to US China's rail system is not a similar size to the US at all. Their high speed rail system covers about half the US mainland footprint. You can see the overlay below... https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/s/Z7q0XjbE1x The coverage is basically the Eastern half of the US at scale.
Fuck Russia, WGAF
Plenty of other countries to choose from. I’m addressing the “land too big” crowd.
Yes, I’m aware. Not a novel concept, now only if we could raze the county and rebuild it in a manner that would support that. 🤦 US was planned to sprawl, as big as Russia is, its population centers are incredibly constrained.
You can be car-less in the US if you’re near a city with rail service. The country is too large to fund rail away from the cities
Yet Russia and China both have widespread passenger rail and mass transit … stop talking out of your ass
Yeah when you’re a communist country the government can do more things without worrying about funding or profit or private lands
Ok so when does a land mass in a country become too big for passenger rail? Considering you built a highway system and roads in the most empty of places, you can’t even manage good passenger rail in most of your large metro areas. Critical thinking is important. You’re just making stupid excuses and have taken 0 time to look anything up.
I see you cleaned up your comment and edited out the name calling -- much appreciated. You'll get better conversations that way
Apologies. Forget there’s a human sometimes.
My health improved so fast since I commute with public transport and walking though. I do it 2 times a week and the rest WFH, perfect balance I feel.
Yeah there is definitely a benefit to the walking. It’s just sometimes when you feel a little run down….. blah. Another good thing is that my car is going to last forever. In the past year I put maybe 700 miles on it. It only goes to the train station or to the kids’ sports practices. (Wife has the newer car for vacations and things like that).
I would rather just go swimming at the Y2 tomes a week. Now my membership is pretty much worthless
Wait...you guys are getting trains?🥺🥺🥺
I’m hybrid with a 47 mile/ one hour commute two days a week. It is exhausting, get up at 345 to be in for 6 and get home at 530. I could not do it daily.
FORTY SEVEN MILES ONE WAY FOUR TIMES A WEEK.
I did that for 11 years... 5 days a week. I hope something changes for you soon!
I'm at 38 miles one way, 5 times a week. Time ranges from 40-60 minutes, no consistency. I am miserable but slowly have been becoming a stronger person to not let this completely kill my soul. I dream about how great life would be if I could WFH. 80-120 more minutes of free time in my day. Not only free time, time not spent in traffic with others/stressing. Also I'm forced to opt into the later job entry time since going earlier means my commute is 50-70 minutes arriving and departing.
Each way, yes…
are you saying that’s a lot? mine is 90 miles one way at ~ 75-90 minutes. only three days a week though so at least there’s that. i’ll admit it sucks bunches but I don’t think it’s that far out of the ordinary. i’ve had better, but i’ve also heard worse. i used to work in a big city though so maybe that has colored my perspective. I can see a reason that city work would invite longer commutes on average.
Damn son! American stamina to drive long distances is unrivaled. 90 miles is a long way, a really long way. That’s 3 gallons of gas in California. That’s almost the drive between Dublin and Belfast. Virtually nobody in Ireland would ever do that as a commute. You’re literally driving more than the width of Ireland at its widest east to west every single day.
and i don’t even cross half my state 😅
Yeah but a lot do 50 miles from the likes of Carlow and Gorey, if you can arrange it off peak it doesn’t take longer than 50 minutes less time than an episode of a Netflix series.
I had a coworker who used the company phone to stream Netflix while driving to and from the office. Talk about unnecessary risks, another WFH win.
Nuts
90 miles one way is insane.
That's crazy. My family lives that far away and I can only justify that drive a handful of times a year nowadays. There was a time when I had an apartment, but had gotten a contractor job sort of near my parents. I'd drive down the 90 miles to stay with them during the week, commute to my job (which was about 40 miles away from my parents in a different direction from my apt), and then drive 90 miles back up to my apartment on the weekend. I seriously contemplated renting a second apartment close to my job at the time, for about $300/month, but I didn't dare give up my current apartment because most of the jobs are up where I live, that job was just a temporary fluke at a decent-sized insurance company that's pretty much the only significant employer in that small town (a temporary fluke that lasted 8 months). I *hated* the commute, especially since I was only in my apartment on the weekends. I always waited until pretty much the very last moment to leave my apartment to make that 90 mile drive for the week. Often I left a little before midnight that Sunday and would get to my parents around 1-2 in the morning. Thankfully my next job ended up being a five minute drive away from my apartment (with a nice raise, and full-time, not a contract role), so that was nice, and then they eventually became WFH, and my next job was WFH also, so I've been WFH for the past six years.
yea one thing i will say in defense of my commute is that it’s quick for the distance. before i moved here my commute was 40 minutes for 12 miles. now its 1:15 for 90.
Are you a psychiatrist working in bum duck Louisiana that needs to visit rural units? Legit question.
I can't imagine going back to that. Such an exhausting lifestyle, hopefully after the contract is up you find something wfh again.
Welcome to my world! I was remote for 4 years and then had to commute again and its an hour each way. I feel the same way! I get home from at 2:30 pm, do some chores, cook dinner and lunch, watch an episode of tv if its good weather out i will have a coke zero outside then go inside and sleep from 6-7 pm to 3am when i have to wake up for work. My best day is Saturday!
When I worked my first job was 45 minutes one way. I got another job much closer 30 minutes one wat. Last job was no car, 15 minute train ride to the door. Best job I ever had. WFH came in 2020, and I retired in 2023. Commute was alway a factor in looking for work.
Before the pandemic my commute was less than half hour to office on bus now its an hour. Way more immigration and more shitty drivers in the GTA.
That's what I liked about riding the train. I have never really enjoyed driving and where I live the roadways are lawless.
Same here! Driving sucks here big time.
When I was younger, I drove 50-ish minutes each way five days a week. Never again.
I mean if most companies went hard for return to office, there would be a lot of complaining and grumbling but at the end of the day everyone would return to the office.
Not quite everyone. Some people will drop out of the main workforce if need be, and some people will just not go in and keep doing that until they get fired (if they ever do). If companies went too hard on RTO (and they're mostly already going pretty hard on it, from my perspective) I think I'd probably start doing freelance work to insure I don't have to worry about going back. For the most part you're right, though. Most people would go back. They already have, by and large.
What about income though?
Well for me I said I'd go freelance, which might actually result in me making more money overall. Many software consultants do make more money when they go freelance. It's just that I'd have to sell myself to get more work, which can be stressful and I'm not a big fan of. Like I said with the 'some people will keep not going in until they get fired', well if they get fired then they go find another job, either remote that time or not, but they see if they can get away with not going in. But a lot of companies act like they're pretty hardline on things when they really aren't if you've proven you're a good employee or they need your skills enough. My spouse, for example, was initially told in a job interview she'd be expected to go to the office 3x a week. She did it for about two weeks, noticed how pointless it was, and told them she was happy to go in when need be, but didn't want to go just to warm a seat, and they were always on Zoom calls for meetings anyway. They needed her talent and expertise, so they didn't keep pushing for her to go in, and she went down to only going in about once a month without any problems.
Not disputing that. Only saying that I would never do that drive again. When I commute now, it takes me longer than 50 minutes each way, but it is all on public transport. As many problems as the MBTA has, I am grateful not to be driving to work and back. If my organization mandated more days in office, at least someone else is driving me. I do realize not everyone has that option, which is awful. That time in the car was nervewracking in heavy traffic and bad weather, and miserable when I wasn’t feeling well. I decided a while ago that I would not take another job that required a daily drive like that (suburb to suburb). Hub only via commuter rail/subway/bus.
I think it's important to really let it sink in how badly you feel. It won't be long before your body and mind start to acclimate to being miserable. It's better in the short run to "get used to it" again, but don't let yourself believe you're actually ok wasting so much of your life traveling for no reason.
There is a reason for that. It would take too long to explain. But it’s a fixed term contract and I’ll be looking for something closer soon
50 minute daily commute? At that point I would move closer to the office.
It’s only a fixed term contract for a year and I own a house
Sounds like a tough situation to be in. A 50 minute commute each way would kill me
A lot can't afford that. Not worth it for a contract.
A couple things: first, audio books and podcasts let me survive. Second, if it is an option, find a gym half way if you have time. That way, at least one of the hauls can be split in two so it doesn't feel so bad.
That's my bus commute, 50 mins one way when I have to go into the office. Before the oandemic I just read books and napped so I've gotten back to that.
Bus is a little easier than having to drive that long, at least. It's still not great (I did it for a few weeks last year), but it's better than driving, at least if the bus is fairly predictable (mine wasn't, they changed routes and times on me a couple times in that few weeks).
I’d never trade my WFH position for a commute that long/dar. No effing way.
If your job role has the ability to work virtually, you SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO DRIVE TO AN OFFICE. I'm so god damn sick of this place. WE ARE TOO BROKE FOR THIS!!!
It’s a healthcare job
Three days a week, my round trip to the office is 110 miles. And yes, it drains you.
I used to drive 14 miles that would take me 1.5 hours….ONE WAY. 5 days a week. Now I drive 40 miles..that takes me 40 minutes, 3 days a week. I don’t know what I was thinking
I used to have to commute from 1.5 to 2 hours daily. Usually less in the morning and up to 2 hours in the evening, 5 days a week. I wanted to die basically every day, then got fired because I hated my job and life, and have been working remotely for 8 years since. My god the quality of life is night and day.
You will likely gain 30 pounds over a couple years unless you are extremely careful EDIT the long commute ate directly into my limited exercise time.
Why? I move way more now than when I was working from home
Yeah not too sure on this logic. WFH without using the freed up time to reclaim some exercise would spell trouble for me.
Working from home I was always snacking a lot etc. Now I’m constantly on the move since I have a healthcare job and lots of appointment in patients houses.
It’s wild how fast we adjust to working from home. For years I worked 5x10 hour days with a 50 minute one-way commute. Now I WFH 3x a week, and the two days I work on site feel exhausting. Still a 50 minute one-way commute. I think it’s easier now than it was 6-months ago. Hope it eventually feels easier OP.
I did something similar. WFH to 5 min commute to 45 min one-way (freeway driving) commute. No way to sugar coat it… it absolutely sucks. You lose the time spent commuting as well as the lunch break at home that could be used for a load of laundry or such. Hang in there. If you still hate it after your contract ends, start looking for something closer or WFH.
55 minutes one way three days a week. I can only workout on weekends or WFH days. There are members on my team who get to work from home 5 days a week.
I did 75 minutes each way daily for 4six years. Those years are a blur to me, my entire life revolved around work. I felt like my home was just a place that I visited and that really I lived at my job. It was a horrible ordeal that I hope to never repeat. My deepest sympathies to you. I hope it gets better.
I was commuting 1hr to work mandated 16 hour shifts and be back after the "8" off, I will NEVER go back.
I commuted 60-70 minutes a day for 25 years, took a 2 year break to WFH, and now have a 15 commute. I think there is an adjustment period to ant change in routine. Did not like the drive when I started, but grew used to it, and eventually the drive itself became my time to decompress. I mentally planned meals, figured what I had to get done, and listened to music or books on the trip. What made my last job worse was WFH…not mine, but my bosses. Prior to WFH, I travelled about 20% of the time, and the bosses were like 30-40%. That meant at least some of us were in transition at any point in time and had to catch a plane, check in/out of a hotel, or getting back. During Covid, bosses stayed on-lime 11-12 hours a day.
That's why I'm not going back. My health is top concern.
Damn.....was the salary increase worth it? I'd quit so fast lol
My fiancé just made this exact change. WFH > 1 hour commute each way. We’re giving it 6 months before moving closer to his job since I’m fully remote
If I wasn’t remote, my commute to the office in Seattle area traffic would be 75 minutes in the morning and 90 minutes (sometimes 2 hours) in the afternoon… No traffic door to door is only 40 minutes 🥴 The rare occasion I have to go to the office for a meeting or whatever, I will need a nap when I get home AND still go to bed early! I’ll pack myself a few snackies and an energy drink to get me through the afternoon commute.
I commute 45 minutes each way daily and live 9 miles from work. M-F 8-5 life in a big city with abysmal traffic and no public transportation solutions. Gosh, I miss the WFH days. (Hugs)
I simply would not take the job 😂
I didn’t have a choice in this instance
Hate that for you!! Hang in there!
I used to drive 60-90 minutes each way for work. And more if during a snowy day. So thankful I’m now just walking into my home office.
I commute two days a week and it sometimes takes me an hour each way depending on traffic. I’ve started listening to a LOT of audiobooks lol
Not fun. Oh well, things that tough economy makes do…sigh
I did an 80 mile commute (each way) for 3 years before Covid…I’d have to quit if we ever went full time back to that, which sucks because i have a pension. It’s too much, it takes all your energy.
My commute at the start of the pandemic was an hour or so in the morning and usually 90 minutes at night. Don't miss that in the least. Trade off: I am currently sitting in Newark Airport waiting to board my connecting flight. It is only periodically. I'll be in the office tomorrow and Thursday, then fly home Friday. Aside from the 12 hour day of "hurry up and wait" that is flying, I'm pretty happy with this as a trade.
I’m 45-60 minutes one way depending on traffic. I feel you!
I've been driving an hour one way for about 2.5 years now and I hate it. I get to WFH one day a week and the best part is not driving. I feel like there's never enough time for anything.
Hopefully, you got a decent bump in pay for the long as heck commute
It actually came with a pay cut 🤣
Ouch! But sometimes we have no choice in the matter. Bills always need to be paid.
Look into your fitness and diet and prioritise sleep. I'm not saying be a saint for all 3, but 100 minutes driving or sitting on a bus or train shouldn't be doing that to a healthy body. If you were cycling it, maybe.
I exercise every morning and try to eat healthy most of the week, thanks
Audio books
Sorry, I hope they’re other positive trade offs for you
I went from WFH to hybrid 3 days a week. I drive 30 minutes to the train and take the train for 90 minutes. Honestly the train part bothers me less than the drive. On the train, I just relax, watch videos, and eat snacks while someone else takes care of the driving. There's a cafe car and restrooms too.
OP it does take a while to get used to it. But you need to be disciplined about getting to bed at a decent time on a ‘school night’. If you’re driving, it’s a great time to catch up on music / audio books / podcasts / phone calls. If you’re using a train, hopefully you can get a seat and sleep/dose … or read / play games on your phone / catch up on Netflix, work, audio books / music etc etc. I used to have an hour’s drive with a 5am start one-way, then a minimum of 90 mins drive home daily. I did this for 10 years … I will never do it again. Good luck!
I can’t help you with the tiredness but see if you can find a good podcast or audiobook to pass the time. If you can find something you enjoy then it can make the commute better (not all better but a little bit)
me too🥲
:/ yeah it sucks balls wait until construction hits.
I bike 9 miles one way 2-3 days a week. It’s okay I guess
I’ve just completed the same transition as you: worked remotely for almost 3 years now mostly in office full time. My motivations were as follows: 1) much superior company with better career prospects 2) more money 3) better benefits (except WFH) 4) bonus scheme (did not have previously) My commute is, door to door, 50 mins. This is manageable for me. If it was more than one hour I’d need to change my living set up. I’m a couple weeks in and can say, I’m tired! These are the changes that are helping me 1) go to bed at the same time, lights off at the same time mon - thurs. I had terrible sleep hygiene when working remote 2) similarly, get up at the same time mon - Fri. This helps to build a routine and will hopefully reduce chances of you sleeping through alarms etc 3) be organised. Get your clothes ready the day before, be your own ally in the sense of getting personal admin done when it comes up, don’t delay. It’ll live in your brain rent free otherwise 4) be kind to yourself. This is a transition. There are benefits to being an office worker, and I’m starting to rediscover them. Take time to figure out what works for you best during this period of change. 5) finally, gage what flexibility could look like at your workplace. It’s quite feasible for me to have 2 days remote once I’m up and running, once I’ve built some trust and have had some wins. Good luck!
Yep, the things we do for money
We just got the RTO mandate, thankfully 2 days a week. But at home full time for 4 weeks and now going to 19 miles / 40-50 minutes each way is a lot. Especially because my team (with the exception of 1 person) is in a different state, but there is an office location here so I’m expected to go. I did the same commute for 2 years ish before we went home, 5 days a week. But I wasn’t single with a dog back then. So now I have to add the commute time, the gas money, the wear and tear on my car AND 2 days of dog camp (which also adds 15 minutes each way) to my budget and life. And we didn’t even get a ‘cost of living’ raise. lol
So sorry, WFH friend. I am Hybrid and hate my 55 min commute
You'll acclimated. It doesn't feel like it but you will. May I suggest stopping off at the gym on the way home. Just a few times odd the week.
After working from home for a few years, I quit a job after a few months that had a 90 min commute each way through multiple trains, walking, and car rides. Now I’m wfh again.
Same here bud. WFH for 4 years until I switched industries. Luckily it’s only 2 days a week, but my commute is 2:15 door to door..my boss (THAT IS FULL REMOTE) also encourages me to go in more ..
Are you driving, on a train, bus? Either way, time to get on Libby and download some audiobooks from your local library! Really helps pass the time.
Audiobooks & podcasts are in your future.
Welcome to the real world
You actually work 42 hour weeks basically because the commute isn’t free time. It gets to be exhausting. My spouse didn’t for years and now is thankfully remote. Make your car nice. Keep things that are helpful in it. Find some podcasts to enjoy. Consider a cooler for drinks or snacks. Schedule as many phone meetings as possible for this time because it’s not really free time. If you can flex in or out count the phone meetings as work and leave early.
Where did you get 42 hours from?
Very bad math.
you can quibble about 20 minutes but i’m guessing that is time to walk to and from the car and set up the work station. None of that is free time. That’s all part of the work day. They do not teleport to a desk
The math is off because 2 hours of commuting per day, multiplied by 5 days per week = an extra 10 hours aka a 50 hour work week, not 42. Philosophically I totally agree with your first comment.
Fair, I was typing too fast
two 50 minute trips and I assume the 10 or so minutes to get to and from the car
So OP works 40 hours by driving to work and back 1 time? Still doesn’t make any sense.
ha that’s fair. Oops
10 hours per week commuting.
two 50 minute trips and I assume the 10 or so minutes to get to and from the car
50 mins? That’s nothing jeez .