As people are beginning to get back to the office, the daily work commute becomes a topic of much debate. In the pre-pandemic world, the daily commute was a source of frustration and annoyance. However, when the pandemic hit the breaks on the daily commute for many people, something was amiss.
My work situation is complex; I belong to the group of determined people known as cross-border workers. I live in Belgium and work in the Netherlands. My commute consists of a 10-min walk to the train station, two trains, half an hour each, with a 20-min layover in between, and an additional 30-min bike ride to the office. The total duration of my one-way, 78 km, commute is 2 hours. Then, I do all of it in reverse to get back home.
Like most people, during the pandemic, I was working from home. I’m an engineer whose work primarily involves sitting in front of a computer, doing calculations and dreaming up solutions to problems that don’t exist yet. Working from home provided the perfect environment to do exactly that. Is there any value could be derived from the long, grueling hours that were spent transporting myself from one location to another? As I felt the crisp air on my face while walking to the train station, I think I’ve discovered what I loved about my daily commute.
I have come to appreciate the 2-hour head start to my day but it wasn’t always this way. In the interest of complete honesty, a 2-hour commute, twice a day can be brutal. During the early months of this commute, my body felt like it had been beaten with a pipe by a Hong Kong street gang. My back hurt, my knees hurt, and my whole body was physically sore. I was exhausted and walked with a slight limp. It’s true what they say though, time heals all wounds.
Over time, the train has become a familiar environment. The predictability of the journey is reassuring. I watch the train as it pulls into the platform, and wait for it to stop. I walk towards the last carriage and relax into the second seat on my right, my preferred seat. It’s always available at 6:44 in the morning. There are a few people who get on the same train at the same time everyday and we mutually acknowledge each other’s presence with a brief smile and without a word. No one wants to break the stillness of the morning with inane chatter.
Time is one’s most precious asset and the time spent on the train is never wasted. The commute ensures that I have 2 hours to myself, 2 hours to spend in my own head, thinking, learning, creating, building, planning, or whatever else my brain can come up with.
Building a habit
Commuting has helped me to build habits that I would have otherwise struggled to establish. When faced with the prospect of an unmovable stretch of time, an avid reader will use that time to read. That is exactly what I did; book after book after book. The morning is also one of the best time to meditate. A main chunk of my time is spent learning a language. In my opinion, the best way to learn a language is through language immersion. I watch videos and listen to podcasts in my target language. Finally, writing, I actually wrote this while on the train.
Letting the mind wander
The world that we live in today finds value in the busy-ness of life. There is no appreciation for the act of not doing anything. Some might argue that this is 2 hours wasted. However, I would disagree. Having the mind explore ideas without interruption is a not a waste of time. It allows for creative thinking, and finding new solutions to old problems or find new problems that need new solutions.
Preparing to deal with a conflict at work
There are times when I’m forced to have a particularly difficult conversation with a colleague at work, or with my manager. For someone like me, someone who struggles with understanding social cues, having time to formulate and mentally rehearse a conversation is valuable. I can conjure up different scenarios in my head and assess which one is the best to get my point across. I take notes not to forget.
Physical exercise
Sitting for hours on a train… Is that really physical exercise? Okay. you got me there. This might be something that is unique to the Netherlands. After an hour and a half on the train, I have a 30 min bike ride to the office. This means 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the afternoon, everyday. The best part, I don’t have to force myself to workout. My physical fitness is built into my commute.
Costs and standard of living
The examples so far, are related to making the best use of the time that we have. There is one other advantage of a long commute that is related to the reason for the long commute in the first place. Why not live closer to where you work? the answer, better standard of living. More often than not, the cost of living outside the city center is lower. I can afford a bigger space for a lower price. The inner city has smaller apartments, noisier streets, and a higher cost of living.
I’ve been doing this commute for about a year. It comes with ups and downs like most things in life. In my case, there are more ups than downs and that is all that matters.
