Embrace Your Commute

After college and before I bought a car, my movements and career choices were confined to public transportation routes. I would read a couple of books a week, was able to keep my magazine pile to a minimum and desperately longed for my own vehicle so I could control where I went and when.

I recall that time fondly. Sure, I didn't always have a seat, but I could read standing up. Whenever I brought work home, the 60 minutes or so it took me to go six miles usually provided enough time to get it done. And for one of my first jobs, I was actually able to walk to work in nice weather. Maybe I couldn't read while walking the two miles, but I got some good exercise in -- even if I ended up taking the bus home. But now that I drive, I feel like I can't take quite as much advantage of the time.

Yes, sometimes I complain about my commute. It's not the amount of time it takes, but more that once I'm done with my day at work, I have yet one more thing to do before I'm relaxing at home. But this article from CareerJournal.com reminded me of some of the benefits of commuting.

First, it definitely is worth it to have some time to unwind. One time, I ran into a former professor and his wife downtown. They lived in a condo only a couple of blocks from where she worked. She told me how sometimes she had to walk around the block a bit before going into the house, because she didn't have enough time to separate herself from work.

A couple of years ago, I was on a mission to make my driving time more productive. I was all about book tapes. Not only was I accomplishing something, but boy did time fly. I even tried to teach myself Russian, but the tapes I took out of the library were dependent on the book.

The point is, your commute is your time, so be sure to treat it like it is.

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