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Comment by gregd | Hacker News Reader

I used to live and work in Portland, Oregon. My commute in the mornings was, at it's worst, 30 mins to my campus. That same commute back home took 2-3 hours.

I've been working remotely off and on for the past 10-15 years and I cannot even tell you how much my quality of life has improved to not have to commute anymore.

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My total commute was ~3 hours a day. My quality of life has drastically improved since the quarantine started as well.

My total commute was ~45 minutes in the morning and maybe 1 hour in the evening. I really miss that drive. It used to be a good relaxing time for me. I used to listen to podcasts and felt refreshed after reaching home.

Now I have no such transition. I wake up, drink coffee, and I'm at my desk working. In the evening I get up from my desk, go to the kitchen and cook and then eat. It's very boring and monotonous.

I feel the same, with approximately the same commute time, except that I took public transportation. It was great having a little reading time before work, and that defined transition time really helped. I hate being 12 feet from work when I wake up in the morning.

Have you considered taking 45 minute walks at the times you used to commute? Audiobooks/podcasts are just as good while walking, and the light cardio might be more stimulating and enjoyable than the driving was. Or do something else with that time. Just because you’re no longer forced to drive for nearly 2 hours a day doesn’t mean you need to work an extra 2 hours.

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