Okay so this happens to everyone…
Perhaps you a daily commuter or maybe you have to go somewhere at the most inopportune time and before you know it you are stuck in traffic!
This happened to me twice this week.
I normally never get stuck in traffic because I work from home and can pick my spots but as luck would have it I had a some appointments that forced me into the world of the car maze!
First I must say I have the up-most respect for anyone who has to brave the car maze world day in and day out. When I was in the corporate rat race I had to deal with it daily. The reality is that its crazy how much time the average person invests on the road daily.
These average travel times do not reflect the experience of all commuters. For some, travel times are considerably longer. In Canada, 17.2% of commuters usually took 45 minutes or more to get to work. Commuters who lived in the area surrounding the Toronto CMA were the most likely to be in this group. In 2011, 29.9% of commuters in Oshawa, 28.4% of those in Toronto and 26.6% of those in Barrie spent 45 minutes or more travelling to work (Statistics Canada)
In the US it is even more crazy!
The most wearisome statistics in the Census Bureau’s latest batch of numbers are those attributed to “mega-commuters.” Do you travel more than 90 minutes and 50 miles each way to get to work every day? Our sincerest apologies; you’re a mega-commuter. According to the Bureau’s report, there are 600,000 mega-commuters in America. When you include people who travel at least an hour each way, that number jumps to 10.8 million — a little over 8% of U.S. workers. (US Census Bureau)
My thoughts on discussing this today is the huge amount of collateral damage in pursuit of a paycheck.
If a person invests 45 minutes a day each way then that is 1.5 hours. Multiply this by a 5 day week and you have 7.5 hours a week. Now take this over the course of a year with 3 weeks vacation and its a whopping 367.5 hours.
What can someone do with an extra 367.5 hours a year?
Here is what it costs.
Get up in the morning and stop at a drive through for your favorite coffee and bagel.
Arrive to work frazzled and grab another coffee.
Lunch! Grab a fast food meal and then back to work.
End of day… hop in the car and grab a red bull, or a giant slurpee for the ride home.
Dinner and no one is home because your spouse has taken the kids to their school events, sports, etc. Maybe you get to Johnny’s soccer game in time to see the game…maybe not.
Get the kids to bed. Exhausted. Spouse wants to debrief the day and all you can think is a glass of wine and sleep.
Relationship becomes less complete, children see you on the weekends, exercise is only an after thought, diet takes a back seat to convenience, and on and on.
All this for the chance to move up the corporate ladder and bring home a paycheck!
Hey its time for a REALITY CHECK and not just a paycheck.
What can be gained with the extra time not used for commuting?
Improved relationships with your spouse, children. A balanced diet, an exercise program, a feeling of a life well lived instead of a life forced.
If you give too much of your time to the commuter world take a step back and evaluate. Perhaps it is the right decision for you and your family and maybe it is not. Chances are you will see that you have been missing out…on the things that really matter in life.
Have an amazing day where ever you are!
Your OneHipGuy
John