Making use of The Fake Commute.
Sometimes while designing a purposeful life, we realize that we don’t have to start over completely. Instead could look square in the face at the things in our life right now, in this moment, and gift them a different name. A name with more meaning perhaps, maybe something that aligns with a new way of thinking or something you need in your life...
Which takes me to this idea of a Fake Commute that I read about recently while flipping through some interesting articles on life after the pandemic. It’s actually something that clearly began while in the throes of the Pandemic, but maybe wasn’t named until recently. While it’s clearly not over, we are starting to see some of the changes that were forced upon us, now taking shape in a way that we are choosing and even embracing.
What will you do with the commute time you no longer have?
The Fake Commute. Let’s just say that before the Pandemic hit, you were happily or resentfully commuting to work. Either way, it wasn’t optional. Maybe you had to take a train and a bus, maybe you walked a bit and then hopped in a cab, or maybe you just drove yourself to work. No matter which transportation you used, short or long distance, there was a period of time that was exclusively for your “commute”. You couldn’t choose to skip it, unless you were sick or on vacation, you simply made it part of your daily routine. Now, if you were one of those people that chose to embrace your
30-minute commute by catching up, then good for you! You are officially half way there to the good I’m about to share with you.
I used to have a very short commute since my office was only 5 miles from my house. But still...it was my commute and it was never just five minutes. The whole process, from start to finish, was probably close to 45 minutes. Which does seem crazy to say out loud now, but it’s true. And since those that know me also know that I enjoy being early and organized with my time, I was never one to be running out of the house to make it on time.
I would work backwards by planning when I wanted or needed to arrive at work. If I needed to be at my desk by 9am, I would plan to be in commuting mode by 8:20. That meant that at 8:20 I would have the dog upstairs with a treat, I would be getting my shoes on, gathering my lunch, my work bag and my keys, and then in the car by 8:30. I would begin what always seemed like well-needed quiet and if my favorite song came on when I was too close to work, I would drive around the block just to hear the entire thing. The goal was to be in the parking lot by 8:45, giving me just the time I needed to sign in at the office, greet friends along the hallway, be prepared to say several hello’s and at least one longer how are you doing and then successfully be sitting down at my desk by 9am, ready to start the day.
Until today I never really thought about that commute because it was almost too short to be called a commute. But now I see that even with only 5 miles to drive, from start to finish it was 45 minutes of every morning I worked, 5 days a week.
So what, you say...
The so what is for everyone I know that has spent over a year with zero commute due to the pandemic and working from home. The dream of WFH somehow transforming into the dread of still working from home. Personally, I LOVE working from home, but it would be unfair to mention that of our four children, only one is still living at home and that she is in 10th grade, also doesn’t mind working from home and is about as easy going as possible.
I am clear this would be a completely different story and blog/podcast if I still had small children at home. However, small children or not, this Fake Commute may be just what you need right now.
Since this year has started and many are still working from home, zero commute at either end of the day, people are still complaining that they don’t have time for anything they want to do. No time to read, meditate, workout, enjoy favorite hobbies. No time. No. time. No time.
It’s a real wonder, isn’t it?
I mean, let’s say you only had a 5 mile commute like I did...and I am guessing that most people do not have that! But let’s just pretend for a minute that I wasn’t the only one. That means that even with only a 5-minute drive, now gone from the daily to-do list, I...and let’s just say, you, have been gifted with 90-minutes of extra time. Literally 90-minutes that every day you used to spend commuting...is all freed-up!
So what have you been doing to fill it up? Do you get to your home office desk at 8am instead 9am? Are you sleeping an extra hour in the morning, finishing your day later at night? Where did that time go?
Whether you know or you don’t, now is the time to do some math and figure out just how much time you used to spend commuting for real. Now take that amount of time and be intentional in the way you fill it. Create some activities that will help you regroup. Things to do that help you transition from work mode to home mode, just like you were able to do on the train or car ride home from work before the Pandemic.
What are you missing most right now? Is it a nap in the middle of the day? Set your alarm and take it. Is it a daily workout of some sort? Go for it. I’ve read about local co-workers meeting first thing in the morning for an early bike ride, still giving themselves the ability to be at their desk and poised by their appropriate work time. Are you working late, just to work late? When did you used to leave the office in order to be home for dinner and family time? Were you always home by 6pm and now are in your upstairs office until then?
Regroup, rename, restart. Shut down from the day when you would normally begin your commute and add an extra something your life really needs right now! Take that Fake Commute and make it work for you. You surely deserve it!
Remember, if you change one thing, it can change everything!