Did you know that adding 20 minutes to your commute is the equivalent of getting a 19% pay cut?
Did you also know that driving more than 2 hours a day makes you dumber?
Gentle readers, the reality is that commuting is an unpleasant experience. For someone who has no patience like me, the thought of wasting an hour a day is dreadful. I like to start my days fresh, so that when I get to the office I can dive straight in and take advantage of the most productive hours of the day. So when I came across studies such as these, a while ago, the idea stuck: pay more for a place to live that’s closer to your office. If cutting 20 minutes commute each way makes me as happy as a 19% pay raise, or even a 10% pay raise, yeah I’m willing to pay for that.
There are many benefits to living close to your office beyond the reduced commute time. First, if you forgot something at home, you can make a quick run home to retrieve it. Second, if you have to be home during a certain time window for delivery of your furniture, you don’t have to stay home all day. Third, you can take a proper nap on a comfortable bed in the middle of the day. Fourth, if you don’t drive, you can go to happy hours with co-workers without worrying about how to get home. Etc cetera. All these things make going to work a much more pleasant experience.
And if you enjoy going to work more, perhaps you’ll enjoy your job more, do better work, get promoted faster, learn more, and be more successful! Think of the extra money you spend on living closer to your office an upfront investment that bears terrific ROI. Maybe even higher ROI than business school.
I love my job, and I love my short commute which allows me to spend more time on the job. And more time to write on this blog for you all to enjoy.
-Richard
Richard Anderson 