Thoughts on Commuting

More and more people are able to telecommute as technology improves and employers come round to the idea, but chances are you’ll have to spend at least some of your career travelling to and from work. At first it may seem best just to rent near the workplace, but over time that may become less practical - it costs a lot of money to rent a large house with a garden near a good school in London, for example, so if you want those things you may have to look elsewhere.

Lots of studies have been done on the disastrous impact of commuting on mental health, but they tend to be US-based works where ‘commute’ is synonymous with ‘driving’. It doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s my tips:

1. Don’t drive to work. Really, don’t. I tried it. You’re at the mercy of traffic, so can never consistently arrive on time. You’ll always hit congestion on the day when it’s really important you arrive on time. You have the illusion of control without really being in control, which sends the blood pressure through the roof.
2. Trains are also out of your control, but you know that in advance and can be at peace with it. They are also more consistent, despite the hysteria about declining standards. Furthermore, since you aren’t driving you can just get your head in a book and the time flies.
3. Check out the train service where you want to live. In 2014 the c2c service through Laindon is great - punctual, comfortable, not too crowded, not too expensive. The line through Billericay, on the other hand, is an overpriced uncomfortable sack of crap.
4. Live near a station where a service starts and get a seat. It makes a world of difference - an overcrowded rush hour train seems remarkably civilised when you have a nice window seat.
5. Don’t sit next to the aisle - you’ll get jostled to hell. Don’t sit in the priority seating if you have a choice. If you have no choice, don’t be an asshole about it. Give it to someone that needs it.
6. Try variations to your journey that minimise changes, or that make changes easy. It’s better to have a 60 minute commute with one change than a 50 minute commute with three changes. The less disruption the better - keep your seat, read your book.
7. Personally, I find commuting more tolerable in the morning. Try to get to work early and leave early, if you can.