The linked articles on commutes are long and I’m not sure how to search for my specific question: what were the typical happiness-costs of, say, a half hour commute on a subway, vs a two hours commute in car vs a two hour commute on a train.
I used to commute 1.5 hours on a train to my job in NYC. It was definitely stressful—I had a hard time maintaining any social life. Now I have a half hour subway commute which is definitely better, but I wonder if it’d be worth the money to move a more expensive place closer to my job.
The big difference between the two is that commuting is isolating whereas trains/subways put you around other human beings. Also, having to focus on other slow moving vehicles is mentally taxing with no obvious benefit. Being able to read, or sometimes nap, is liberating.
If you are commuting downtown during rush hour, being with other human beings is a downside—it’s quite oppressive, actually. And you probably won’t get a seat, which means napping is out, and reading is more of a hassle.
I’m in somewhat of an ideal situation, commute-wise—I work just outside the city and live inside, so I commute in the opposite direction of traffic. But I’ve had to commute downtown occasionally and it’s way more exhausting.
For me, what counts is the amount of free time I have left in a day between getting home and going to bed. A long commute really eats into that time. But when the commute time is quite short, it becomes much a much smaller proportion of my working day, and below a certain point, it’s insignificant next to the hours I am working anyway.
You might not find that shaving 10 minutes off your 30 minute commute makes enough difference to pay more for it.
One of the best ways to cut out commute time is make an arrangement to work from home a few days a month, if your job allows for it.
More relevant is that if I want to go out, meet with friends, go to Less Wrong meetups, etc, on a weekday, I won’t get home till rather late. I’d only be shaving 10 minutes off a “regular” commute, but I could get getting home half an hour earlier from certain things I attend regularly.
In New York a commute is basically inevitable, so I think it is important to choose happiness during the trip. Can you listen to books on tape? Can you meditate? Can you call your cousin in Seattle? Can you workout (for example, take the stairs, flex, kegel)? Can you get some sun and enjoy the weather (80F is way more pleasant than 105F; leaves changing colors are pretty; snow is fun!)?
The linked articles on commutes are long and I’m not sure how to search for my specific question: what were the typical happiness-costs of, say, a half hour commute on a subway, vs a two hours commute in car vs a two hour commute on a train.
I used to commute 1.5 hours on a train to my job in NYC. It was definitely stressful—I had a hard time maintaining any social life. Now I have a half hour subway commute which is definitely better, but I wonder if it’d be worth the money to move a more expensive place closer to my job.
The big difference between the two is that commuting is isolating whereas trains/subways put you around other human beings. Also, having to focus on other slow moving vehicles is mentally taxing with no obvious benefit. Being able to read, or sometimes nap, is liberating.
If you are commuting downtown during rush hour, being with other human beings is a downside—it’s quite oppressive, actually. And you probably won’t get a seat, which means napping is out, and reading is more of a hassle.
I’m in somewhat of an ideal situation, commute-wise—I work just outside the city and live inside, so I commute in the opposite direction of traffic. But I’ve had to commute downtown occasionally and it’s way more exhausting.
For me, what counts is the amount of free time I have left in a day between getting home and going to bed. A long commute really eats into that time. But when the commute time is quite short, it becomes much a much smaller proportion of my working day, and below a certain point, it’s insignificant next to the hours I am working anyway.
You might not find that shaving 10 minutes off your 30 minute commute makes enough difference to pay more for it.
One of the best ways to cut out commute time is make an arrangement to work from home a few days a month, if your job allows for it.
More relevant is that if I want to go out, meet with friends, go to Less Wrong meetups, etc, on a weekday, I won’t get home till rather late. I’d only be shaving 10 minutes off a “regular” commute, but I could get getting home half an hour earlier from certain things I attend regularly.
In New York a commute is basically inevitable, so I think it is important to choose happiness during the trip. Can you listen to books on tape? Can you meditate? Can you call your cousin in Seattle? Can you workout (for example, take the stairs, flex, kegel)? Can you get some sun and enjoy the weather (80F is way more pleasant than 105F; leaves changing colors are pretty; snow is fun!)?