{"id":60470,"date":"2014-02-11T14:00:51","date_gmt":"2014-02-11T19:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=60470"},"modified":"2014-02-04T16:32:03","modified_gmt":"2014-02-04T21:32:03","slug":"the-unexpected-benefits-of-commuting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=60470","title":{"rendered":"The Unexpected Benefits of Commuting"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Unexpected Benefits of Commuting<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Katherine<\/a>Imagine that you have a job, but it isn’t as challenging or exciting as it used to be. \u00a0You recently finished your master’s degree, but you don’t have enough seniority to be promoted. \u00a0Then you find a position online that sounds intriguing in a city 50 miles away. \u00a0This would increase your commute from 15 minutes to 2 hours round-trip. \u00a0What do you do next?<\/p>\n

I was in this position 3 years ago. \u00a0In exchange for a fantastic job that continually inspires me, I now drive 100 miles a day most weekdays. \u00a0Evidence<\/a> indicates that extended commutes are hazardous to your health, but I’m convinced that leaving a boring, repetitive, stressful job added years to my life.<\/p>\n

Adjusting to the new commute was difficult. \u00a0The first few months were exhausting, and I missed perks I had taken for granted, like running home during my lunch hour. \u00a0However, I did discover a few unexpected benefits.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Experiencing the changing seasons<\/b>. \u00a0Being on the road at the same time every day means I’m much more aware of the lengthening days in the summer and the darkening days of winter. \u00a0I also experience skunk and deer season in new and visceral ways.<\/li>\n
  2. Arriving ready to tackle the important issues<\/b>. \u00a0After 3 years, I know the highway like the back of my hand, giving me time to mentally review my priorities for the day. \u00a0Also, evidence<\/a> suggests that we\u2019re at our most creative when the mind has a chance to wander. \u00a0The initial idea for a successful statewide training I organized last fall came to me on the road.<\/li>\n
  3. Getting to know your coworkers<\/b>! \u00a0I ride share with another person in my division twice a week. \u00a0This gives me another sounding board and a place to discuss issues off the record. \u00a0We also joked that we gave each other a raise by sharing the cost of gas. \u00a0Your local transit system may have vanpools and other options available for frequently-traveled commutes. \u00a0This option was not the best one for me since I frequently travel around the state. \u00a0It\u2019s amazing how well you get to know a person when you spend 4 hours a week with them!<\/li>\n
  4. Making productive use of that time. I eagerly await the day I can clear out my Inbox on the way to work<\/b>. \u00a0However, until Google cars<\/a> become ubiquitous, working on the way to work will remain difficult for car commuters. \u00a0While I wait, I follow current events by listening to the news, catch up on reading by listening to an audiobook, or practice a foreign language (an empty car is a great place to work on pronunciation).<\/li>\n
  5. Working from home<\/b>! \u00a0My employer generously allows me to work from home on Fridays. \u00a0Telecommuting has enabled me to refine discipline and communication skills that are transferable to any job, including the volunteer position of INALJ Head Editor. \u00a0Working from home has lead to a more mindful approach to balancing the responsibilities of work and home.<\/li>\n
  6. My car has never been better maintained<\/b>. \u00a0Driving 400-500 miles a week means I never miss an oil change. \u00a0I\u2019m looking forward to claiming these expenses on income tax return.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    My commute time increased by nearly 90%, but it was a sacrifice worth making for an awesome job. Through a combination of ride sharing, occasional telecommuting, and embracing the possibilities, I’ve made my commute work for me.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Imagine that you have a job, but it isn’t as challenging or exciting as it used to be. \u00a0You recently finished your master’s degree, but you don’t have enough seniority to be promoted. \u00a0Then you find a position online that sounds intriguing in a city 50 miles away. \u00a0This would increase your commute from 15 minutes to 2 hours round-trip. \u00a0What do you do next?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I was in this position 3 years ago. \u00a0In exchange for a fantastic job that continually inspires me, I now drive 100 miles a day most weekdays. \u00a0<\/span>Evidence<\/span><\/a> indicates that extended commutes are hazardous to your health, but I’m convinced that leaving a boring, repetitive, stressful job added years to my life. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Adjusting to the new commute was difficult. \u00a0The first few months were exhausting, and I missed perks I had taken for granted, like running home during my lunch hour. \u00a0However, I did discover a few unexpected benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Experiencing the changing seasons<\/span><\/b>. \u00a0Being on the road at the same time every day means I’m much more aware of the lengthening days in the summer and the darkening days of winter. \u00a0I also experience skunk and deer season in new and visceral ways. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Arriving ready to tackle the important issues<\/span><\/b>. \u00a0After 3 years, I know the highway like the back of my hand, giving me time to mentally review my priorities for the day. \u00a0Also, <\/span>evidence<\/span><\/a><\/span> suggests that we\u2019re at our most creative when the mind has a chance to wander. \u00a0The initial idea for a successful statewide training I organized last fall came to me on the road.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Getting to know your coworkers<\/span><\/b>! \u00a0I ride share with another person in my division twice a week. \u00a0This gives me another sounding board and a place to discuss issues off the record. \u00a0We also joked that we gave each other a raise by sharing the cost of gas. \u00a0Your local transit system may have vanpools and other options available for frequently-traveled commutes. \u00a0This option was not the best one for me since I frequently travel around the state. \u00a0It\u2019s amazing how well you get to know a person when you spend 4 hours a week with them!<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Making productive use of that time. I eagerly await the day I can clear out my Inbox on the way to work<\/span><\/b>. \u00a0However, until <\/span>Google cars<\/span><\/a><\/span> become ubiquitous, working on the way to work will remain difficult for car commuters. \u00a0While I wait, I follow current events by listening to the news, catch up on reading by listening to an audiobook, or practice a foreign language (an empty car is a great place to work on pronunciation).<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Working from home<\/span><\/b>! \u00a0My employer generously allows me to work from home on Fridays. \u00a0Telecommuting has enabled me to refine discipline and communication skills that are transferable to any job, including the volunteer position of INALJ Head Editor. \u00a0Working from home has lead to a more mindful approach to balancing the responsibilities of work and home.<\/span><\/li>\n
    6. My car has never been better maintained<\/span><\/b>. \u00a0Driving 400-500 miles a week means I never miss an oil change. \u00a0I\u2019m looking forward to claiming these expenses on income tax return.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      My commute time increased by nearly 90%, but it was a sacrifice worth making for an awesome job. Through a combination of ride sharing, occasional telecommuting, and embracing the possibilities, I’ve made my commute work for me.<\/span>

      <\/span><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      by Katherine Kimball Adelberg, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan The Unexpected Benefits of Commuting Imagine that you have a job, but it isn’t as challenging or exciting as it used to be. \u00a0You recently finished your master’s degree, but you don’t have enough seniority to be promoted. \u00a0Then you find a position online that sounds intriguing…<\/p>\n

      Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,5572,3638,5921],"class_list":["post-60470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-commuting","tag-inalj-michigan","tag-katherine-kimball-adelberg"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Katherine-Kimball-Adelberg.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-fJk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}