Family

Average Commute Time

In trying to find a school for my children and therefore a neighborhood in which to live, I’m effectively choosing how we will live. Education is, to my husband and me, of paramount importance. The school is after all, where my children will spend much of every day. But this isn’t a post about choosing schools or education in France. It’s about seeking the best balance when you have a commute time of any length.

On the topic of the neighborhood. Factors for me include proximity to: a good grocery store; a gym; a park; a good restaurant or two; friends; public transportation (if in a big city) and nature. Also to be considered are how easy is it to walk from your house; how hard is it to park; how lively (or quiet) is it? Ok, so once you have all those things nicely prioritized and you find the PERFECT place to live – you have to add the additional wrinkle of how long it takes to get from your utopia to your office. Train travel is a nice idea – I mean, you can read or work… unwind from the day or prepare for it, right? The subway or bus is kind of cool – more time to chill. You also get to see what’s around you. Sitting in a car isn’t bad if you can listen to a good radio station, music or carpool with a friend. I think though, despite some of the positives, that there is a tipping point (sorry to use the term-de-jour) where the travel-to-and-from simply isn’t worth it. Here is my new formula:

<15: Anything 15 minutes or less is negligible and people who complain about a commute of this time should put a cork in it. I was recently one of those people (bemoaning on occasion my 15 min drive through the WOODS). My friends thought I lived so far away… Ha!

15-20: This is the sweet spot. Usually long enough to get you something nice where you live and to “decompress” or think about the day if you are on public transportation. Caveat: If you’re sitting in traffic or stop-and-go, any amount of time sucks.

20-30: The place you live has something special that cannot be found closer to your work. It may be less expensive. You love it. It is worth the hour a day it takes to get to and fro. If you have children, you also have help with them, a flexible schedule or a spouse at home. This starts to be impossible for working parents without a nanny.

30-45: The air is cleaner, the parks nicer, the people friendly and/or you love your home. Your rent/mortgage is significantly different than if you lived closer. In short, living close to your work couldn’t compare. Here you start to see things like education and community start to be exceptional. Again, you have help if you have kids.

45-60: Ooo, here it really starts to get tricky. I’m not in this category and probably never would be (I say this now but…). What happens at this level? Are basics like food and water better? I can’t quite imagine how this would be justified except that the differences between locations are really becoming polarized. There must be something unique about the place – a special school… family. I suppose that with this commute time you would ideally also work from home at times. At least I would have to - but then, I’m a wimp when it comes to this.

60-90: You live in Southern California or Connecticut.

So after I find my dream home/apartment/school/community, if I look at the commute factors and it doesn’t measure up – I get to start all over again.

© 2009 Work Life Balance.