Why Commute

I think about escaping my commute many times during my 2 hours of driving daily on weekdays. I hear u loud and clear and think the flexibility to work where and when u wish is reward that I find most desirable about being an entrepreneur and working in an online business. Nice post chris.

Could be worse, could be the NY subway – in 100 degree heat! That's why my commute is now 4 feet.

So, where's the Camaro? ;-)

Chris! First, I'm a little nervous about the whole camera in the car thing!!! (At least you don't put your makeup on in the car. Or, do you??) :0)

Commuting is torture. Frankly, for me, any traffic is torture. I'd sooner hit the road at 4am (and often do…) then risk getting stuck in traffic.

In fact, I have mastered the short commute! While I'm only working at home when I'm working on my blog, I have always had a commute of less than 10 minutes to work == and not by accident. It's just so important to me not to spend my time commuting, that I will do anything I can to avoid it. When I am stuck in the car though, I am forever thankful for cellphones and the opportunity to spend the time catching up with people who I can't really talk to at length once I get home.

Glad to be working at home today. Thanks for the reminder!

Amy

Chris, I am on my third year of working from home as an independent contractor. For 10 years before that, I commuted to various downtown Chicago and suburban jobs, traveling up to 4 hours each day in a train or car. I hated it. It took me away from my family and made me a stranger to my local community.

Now, I have an extreme amount of freedom, I see my kids at breakfast and dinner (and lunch in summertime), I exercise in my hilly town every morning and I am totally connected so my clients can't tell that I'm not in a high rise cubicle.

I'm grateful every morning I wake up, and feel extremely lucky that I'm in marketing and PR, where working from home is hardly noticeable to the client (unless the dog at my side stirs and barks when he senses the mailman on the driveway).

I wonder why it took me so long to do this, but I don't think too hard about it. I'm just happy to be where I am. I strongly encourage others to try it.

Michelle
http://www.michelledamico.com

Chris- VERY powerful video… (moved me) I don't commute anymore, I work from home in my recruiting business, and my staff is virtual… I only do business with people who share my passion, I only hang with people who lift me up (iron sharpens iron), and I do things on my (our/family) time….. The world is completely viewed differently because of a decision I made nearly 4yrs ago to start my own GIG… Best, Brian-

I like your term, “escape velocity”. I 've achieved escape velocity and now live and work on Vancouver Island. I have clients who put themselves into the “career changer” category who are looking for assistance with hitting their own escape velocity and moving here.

I started my travels in the greater Toronto area and arrived here via Saskatoon (considerably smaller, but very cold). By the time we left Saskatoon, I'd managed to secure a teaching position in the alternative school only about 10 blocks from our alternative little house. The walk took me past the local pub and coffee shop. I don't envy you the Boston driving – when I visited as a kid back in the mesozoic we were advised to leave our car at the campground and take the shuttle b/c of the traffic. I can't imagine what its become since then.

I'm seeing an increase in the number of employees dissatisfied with the demands of the traditional workplace – I'm seeing it in friends, family members and in clients. They're dissatisfied because of the nasty commutes and the inflexibility of employers around family committments and needs. I think people are especially dissatisfied because much of their work could be done closer to home – or even at home. The solution many are coming to is to work for themselves – either as solopreneurs or to secure a series of temporary contracts – or a combination thereof.

The secret in achieving escape velocity is to first come to the awareness that you can do what you're doing on your own if need be – you don't need to give up so much of your life to an employer.

Chris, totally like you term “escape velocity”. The City of Calgary has a program called workSHIFT (http://www.workshiftcalgary.com/) which is geared towards training businesses in our city about the value of telecommuting. However, I don't know what impact it is having out there. We are continuing to build skyscrapers and have the tallest building in Western Canada being built right now.

Although we don't have the traffic issues that our US friends have…we still have traffic.

Thanks for the great post and the excellent comments

Cheers

Stuart Crawford
Calgary, AB

Cool! We started the Workshifting blog (http://workshifting.com) a year or so ago, so we're into that term, too. : )

Perfect! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. : )

10 more days for the Camaro.

Chris, I just had a nightmarish flashback. I drove “that commute” for almost 10 years on the I-5 corridor here in WA. Anywhere from 5 to 18 miles each way. At the most the commute added 2.5 hours of wasted time every day…until I started to listen to CD's of Tony Robbins while driving it.

I love the term “escape velocity”… because for me, it took awhile to achieve it…in fact, it was like trying to escape the gravitational pull of the sun at times.

Great thoughts Chris.

Chris, want to add 1 more thing. My 10 year old woke up sick today. Working from home means no guilty feelings when I leave her with a caregiver, and no hassles in arranging doctors visits. I feel very blessed!
Michelle

I don't drive. But I traveled for many years I rode the NYC subway system and believe me it is nicer to stay home to work.

So very true. I think it takes thought leaders like you who are also employers to get this first. While you always have choice for where you work and live, some of us choose not to own our own businesses for various reasons. I love my work in PR, but I just have no desire to run my own company (I get plenty of the reward – and headache – of that experience helping my husband run his business.) I'm just lucky enough to work for a guy that gets escape velocity and creates ways for his employees to manage it in their lives. I work from home two days a week, which saves me six hours in commuting time. When it comes to getting more time for my family or myself, that's a really big deal.

I commuted two hours into New York City each day for 18 years before having a child reminded me that it's precious time being wasted on a train. I'm home now to work my own hours and do some very cool things with my family. It may mean I work some odd hours, but the trade off is well worth it. I miss a lot of things about working in an office – the commute isn't one of them. I'd probably be more productive if I didn't work at home, but again, the trade off is worth it.

Agree with Chris – commuting is a metaphor for giving up control of your own life. My commute was on a plane – crossing half the country early each Monday, returning each Friday evening, and on the rest of the days in a car. All commuting stopped in April, when I took an early retirement package (I call is “cash for clunkers”) and started working from home. After nearly 25 years of the corporate commuting life I luxuriate in choosing my own geography.

I gave up commuting 25 years ago and have been working mostly from home ever since. When I have to drive someplace to teach or speak or meet, I make sure it isn't during rush hour. A couple of years ago, I accepted a temporary (two-month) position that required me to commute 15 miles each way every day. Although it was a very lucrative gig, the commute made it almost unbearable.

I dove out on my own a little over 10 years ago. Started with an office because I “thought” you had to have an office to be “professional” etc. Nice space in a nice office park. Had 2 employees to start and eventually took it up several more. Hated the commute and the times when I was home and needed something from the office. Hated the overhead of the employees too.

After a while I decided that the timing was not right to continue on that same path (my priorities changed) so I dropped the employees and took my office into our home. Haven't looked back since. Now I have a small staff and also utilize several gifted freelancers who specialize in different areas. We all work remote but get together often via group tele-calls and for those who are local, we meet up physically.

This option affords me great flexibility and the priority choice that I have decided upon for now (until my kids are older). Also enables me to utilize talent on particular projects that I could not afford to retain and pay on a regular basis. It's the best of both worlds for me. It's my escape velocity. I've learned how to maximize it and be effective with it.

Chris – I just finished up your Social Media 101 and now subscribed to your blog. Where have you been all my life? LOL. This video sums up what I've been experiencing and grow to understand about the life style choices we have.

This Escape Velocity philosophy or concept is perfect, after having read all of Zen Habits by Leo, REWork and now I'm reading the Simplify Life chapter in ” The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything by James Martin, SJ.

Thanks for being you!

- RAS

Couldn't agree with ya more, Chris. And I'm not sure if that's how bad Boston traffic is usually, but Chicago is lots worse! And at all times of the day. I joke with friends and family (well, not joking I suppose) that the only time you're guaranteed no traffic is at noon or in the middle of the night. Except I've ran into traffic at 12:30am before!!

Definitely share your sentiment on choosing your lifestyle to avoid commuting. Something I've done for myself and am continuing to work to maintain and sustain.

I don't necessarily condone you filming while driving. Seems as equally dangerous as texting while driving! But I suppose you know your skillset :) As the sign outside some church on my way home from the dentist last week proclaimed, “Honk if you like Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him.”

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Hi Chris, worried about you filming and driving at the same time.

Genesis huh? ok moving on.

I spent many many hours on Route 80 in NJ and also 287. I would read a full newspaper as certain areas was dead stop parking lot like, memorize the license plates of those around me each morning and, as expected, wave to them as we were all the same time in the same traffic. I did not mind so much in the morning as all I was doing was going to is work and sometimes enjoyed the time to think but the way home, I was pretty much done thinking and just wanted to be home.In Vegas we have the traffic reader boards that tell how many minutes you will sit on the freeways. Now, I loathe traffic. I pretty much know the “long” lights and also the light patterns for the surface streets nearby. Work Shifting is what works but it also staggers an economy. Less gas (of course less pollution so that is a win), less office space leases, less interaction with people but it enhances productivity. Less time in car = more time working and also more time with family. But at the same time, the office is always there. The urge to pull mega hours is a walk across the room or down the stairs.

Thanks for the glimpse of the east … if even only for a few minutes.

Very Nice….. I know that everyone get irritate due to the traffic problem. that's why I prefer the Bike rather then Car.

It is very important to create a life we want, we can still achieve our goals and to meet the to-do list, but also have the opportunity to live and spend time enjoying life.