How commuting changed my life (for the better)
There was a time before COVID. And there is a time post-COVID. Both contributed to my growth in various ways. This post details the nuances of energy levels and the overall outcome of both scenarios.
There was a time before COVID. And there is a time post-COVID. Both contributed to my growth in various ways. This post details the nuances of energy levels and the overall outcome of both scenarios.
"Living" on a train
Pre-COVID my commute to work took a long time. Waking up a 6am - often even earlier - catching the 6:45 train, arriving to the city by 7:45 and then taking public transport to the office, just to reach my desk by 8:15.
On the way back it took even longer. Leaving the office at around 5:45pm, public transport to the train station to catch the 6:30pm train back home to arrive a solid one hour later to the front door.
All this does not sound like a lot, but if you calculate it's 3+ hours "wasted" every single day.
On the way to work
On the way to work the energy levels are up, there is certainly an opportunity to utilise some brain power - although that is mostly spent on consuming content.
The benefits?
I managed to keep up-to-date on most topics that interested me, relevant to my work or hobbies. Great!
Actually producing anything useful. Nope.
Back from work
On the way back energy levels are clearly exhausted, nothing much left, maybe trying to sleep, so when I get back to my family I can at least still spend some time with them.
Consuming still works. But on a much lower level. Producing anything useful? Nope.
What about utilising this time for work related things (and by doing that saving some time from the "at desk" time)? Yes, on the way there this works.
WFH - working from home
Everything changed with COVID. From one day to another commuting was no longer required.
WHAAAATTT?!?
Yes, the world has changed. Better morning routines, less exposure to the potential threats outside, and the biggest thing of all:
I've got 3+ hours BACK!
Every. Single. Day.
...and it was golden: I could decide to extend my working hours - easily, since I've got an additional "budget" of 3+ hours to work with, every single day.
...I'm unstoppable...
Fast forward to today
- Better work-life balance? CHECK
- Better morning routine? CHECK
- Better health? CHECK
- Better focus on work? CHECK
- More time spent with family? CHECK
- Time allocated to personal development? CHECK
Even my employer is better off: no need to maintain a dedicated office space, hot desking is absolutely fine. I can better accommodate all the time zone differences.
If it's not a win-win, then what else is? ;)
Lessons
- Sense of accomplishment: while back in the commuting days I felt (and thought) that I'm accomplishing some advancements by purely consuming - while I seemingly did - it did not contribute as much as what followed post-COVID.
- Feeling informed (vs being informed): I was more informed (or felt like more informed) back in the "podcasts days" on the trains, it was (and still is) hard to turn into something productive and creative.
- Discipline: "Owning" that 3+ hours a day you have to apply discipline not to waste it. Sitting on the train did not "enforce" this at all.
- Plan vs routine: Sometimes a plan remains a plan. What I managed to introduce in my life is not a set of action items pre-planned in advance, but a routine: interestingly, I know what to focus on each morning to achieve a bigger goal. It's easier to see a smaller next step.