Why Do We Pretend Commutes Aren't Work?

The Great Time Heist, 10 Days of Your Life Stolen Each Year (And How to Get Them Back)

Nov 02, 2024

🌸 ikigai 生き甲斐 is a reason for being, your purpose in life - from the Japanese iki 生き meaning life and gai 甲斐 meaning worth 🌸

The 8-hour workday is a relic of the industrial age.

I wrote in “Hatarakigai = work worth doing” that the adage of having 8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep and 8 hours for ourselves is a complete nonsense. In that essay I was arguing from the perspective of work being our biggest time sink therefore super important to our wellbeing, so why not strive for it to be some or all of our ikigai?

The more I think about this though, the 8 hours thing, the more I see it as completely unfair.

In reality, most of us dedicate 9-10 hours daily to work when you include getting ready, eating lunch and of course commuting.

Isn’t this theft of our most precious resource, time?

A radical proposition; “Commute Compensation Act”

We could encourage organisations to report their "Average Worker Time Investment" (AWTI).

I’ve been noodling in my mind about how it can be made fair to all parties, and take into account anomalies like some people being prepared to drive an hour or more! (Encouraging more people to live nearer their place of work if possible is better for the planet mind.) If stats looked at combining total numbers of workers and their commute times to come up with an average figure like this, then org owners could also be incentivised to try reducing it, say for example by letting people have days with little to no commute, in working from home or at a local community working hub.

We could phase this in rather than a complete swap out for all commute time to be classed as work. For example every hour of commuting, could lead to workers getting half, 30 minutes credited to their workday.

Why? Because in 2024, any time spent getting to work is time invested in work.

Let's be crystal clear, this isn't just another perk for laptop-wielding office workers. The Commute Compensation Act would be transformative for EVERYONE, perhaps most significantly for those currently the most constrained by rigid work patterns.

Retail staff working shifts when public transport is sparse, healthcare heroes managing night rotations, rural workers facing two-hour bus journeys or single parents juggling school drop-offs. These workers often face a triple whammy of stricter clock-in times, longer or more complex commutes and transport costs that bite a bigger chunk from their wages.

By making organisations factor in commute time, they’d be incentivised to create local work hubs, arrange shared transport or adjust shift patterns.

Everyone's time has value, regardless of their job type or postcode. Time is the one thing we all have exactly the same amount of in a day, so shouldn't we strive to make it fair for everyone?

The numbers don't lie

Have you thought about the impact of all this?

Average commute: 1 hour daily (30 mins each way)

Annual time cost of this extra hour at an average of 240 working days = 10 FULL DAYS!!

Shouldn’t we aspire to 6.5 hours work + 30 minute lunch + 1 hour commute = 8 hours total?

While we push for systemic change, we can also help ourselves by revolutionising how we use our time right now.

Introducing TimeStack™ the art of purpose-stacking

We need to change how we think about time. Enter TimeStack™ *grin*, the practice of layering multiple purposes into single time blocks.

1. CommutePlus > Transform travel time into productive time

- Audio learning during drives

- Email triage on public transport

2. WorkFit > Blend work and wellness

- Walking meetings

- Exercise-desk options

3. SocialStack > Combine social and professional development

- Mentor while walking

- Community building during lunch breaks

While this is a helpful coping mechanism, it shouldn't be seen as a replacement for systemic change. I don’t see it as an excuse to avoid implementing commute compensation "Well, you can just be productive during your commute!".

It should go without saying that while we *can* try to optimise our time, we shouldn't compromise on rest.

Sleep should be non-negotiable

Dr. Matthew Walker, Professor of Neuroscience at UC Berkeley and author of "Why We Sleep", presents compelling evidence that our current work schedules actively fight against our biology. "Nearly two-thirds of adults in developed nations fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep," he notes. "The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life."

Dr. Walker has frequently addressed how modern lifestyles and work demands contribute to sleep deprivation, which contradicts our fundamental human biological needs.

Our circadian rhythms, which evolved over millions of years, are being ignored by the industrial-age concept of fixed 9-5 working. Some people are natural "larks" who peak in the morning, while others are "night owls" who perform best later in the day. Yet we still want to force everyone into the same rigid schedule.

A biological approach to purposeful productivity

Some ideas for working with our natural rhythms and energy levels;

1. Energy Mapping

- Track your natural energy peaks and troughs throughout the day

- Schedule high-focus work during your peak energy times

- Use lower energy periods for administrative tasks or physical movement

2. CommutePlus+ Strategies

- Morning commute (typically higher energy):

* Creative thinking and planning

* Professional development via audiobooks/podcasts

* Light exercise (cycling/walking where possible)

- Evening commute (typically lower energy):

* Gentle decompression activities

* Social calls to friends/family

* Mindfulness practices

3. WorkFit Integration

- Start with 10-minute walking meetings

- Progress to standing desk sessions

- Graduate to treadmill desk intervals

- Schedule movement breaks aligned with natural attention spans (typically 90-minute cycles)

4. SocialStack Enhancement

- Combine team building with wellness activities

- Schedule "walk and talk" one-to-ones

- Create "learning lunches" that blend nutrition and development

- Organise community service activities that include physical movement

5. Digital Stack Management

- Use voice-to-text for emails during walks

- Utilise AI tools for basic task completion during movement periods

The business case and beyond

As Cal Newport, author of "Deep Work", suggests;

"The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive."

Newport's central thesis is that in an age of constant distraction, the ability to focus deeply on cognitively demanding tasks is both rare and highly sought after. Those who can cultivate this skill will find themselves at a distinct advantage in the workforce.

Organisations implementing these principles will see multiple benefits;

Financial Impact

- Reduced office space requirements and associated costs

- Lower employee turnover and recruitment costs

- Increased productivity through optimised energy management

Environmental Impact

- Reduced carbon footprint from decreased commuting

- Lower office energy consumption

- Smaller real estate footprint

Human Impact

- Improved employee satisfaction and retention

- Enhanced creativity and problem-solving

- Better work-life integration

- Increased ability to attract top talent

The future of work is about liberation

The question is "why aren't we working smarter?"

This isn't just work-life balance, it’s about the betterment of society and humanity in the digital age. Lots of our societies are struggling to pay for our healthcare systems, let’s help relieve some of that pressure by making us all happier and healthier. Surely that shouldn’t be a radical position?

The 8-hour workday was revolutionary in 1817. In 2024, it's time for a new revolution.

Are you ready to join the Commute Compensation and TimeStack Revolution?

Sarah, seeking ikigai xxx

PS - If any of this resonated with you I’d love to get a heart, comment or restack on this post, it helps me be discovered but more importantly it makes my heart sing *grin*

PPS - Here are some ideas to start small;

📊 Track Your True Time Investment - Create a spread in your bullet journal to monitor this, perhaps across a week or month, measuring;