How I Gained Back 2H and 45M Of My Life
I work from an office in Downtown Toronto. I live in the town of Ajax. My commute has three phases: a bus, a train, and a walk. The bus takes 15 minutes. The train takes 35 minutes. The walk takes 20 minutes. There is some added waiting time in the middle, as well.
In the mornings, my SO drives me to the train station so I can catch my train. This ride takes 10 minutes. Due to this (and the fact that the train never stops early in the morning), I’m able to reach my final destination in one hour and 10 minutes.
This is not the case in the afternoons.
I leave work at 3:35pm. I get home at 5:10. That’s an extra 25 minutes from the morning.
In all, I spend 2 hours and 45 minutes commuting. That’s one third of my work day. That’s time largely wasted.
Except... no longer.
There are things I can do to reclaim my time.
Due to the way the trains run, and due to the fact that my SO needs to take me at the exact time I go, it actually makes no different in my free time.
I could gain back some free time by arranging some other ride from the station. I could Uber it, for example, however that would not save much time and would incur unnecessary added cost.
I work in downtown Toronto, meaning traffic is horrendous. I could get a car and cut down my total commute time by a considerable amount (probably down to 45 minutes each way, even at 3:30). However, that is actually not that efficient when other things come into play.
I am able to work on the train. I can generate income, I can produce content, I can take phone calls, I can text, I can do so much during my train ride. In fact, I’m writing this on the train.
I have earned money on the train, and can continue to do so. I can log billable hours of content creation on the train.
I could even do tasks that help me promote my newsletter business, or get new clients.
So this is what I do. During my 1 hour and 10 minutes that I’m on the train, I work. Or read. Or jot down thoughts.
Most of my waiting time, I cannot work. However, there is a chunk of time that does allow me to work with only one interruption: the wait at the train station in the afternoon for my 15 minute long bus ride.
What else should I add? Audiobooks during my walking time. I can learn while I’m unable to work or read.
Why should I walk, anyway? My walk need not be a walk. It can be a jog. I can then cut the walking time in half while also getting in some much needed cardio exercise, twice per day. Hell, I could do sprints during short bursts while on the commute (I won’t, though).
I may not even cut the time in half. I might just do a single 20 minute jog and get a more effective workout. Or two of them, and get twice the cardio! I don’t know. For some that’s not enough cardio, but it’s probably good enough for someone like me who really doesn’t care about their ability to do a 5k. I could improve my 3k time and that’s all I’d need for my own life.
I could talk on my walks. But it’s not enough time to do a full on consulting call.
Thing is... if I simply drive both ways, I might be able to free up to 1 hour and 15 minutes of my time. However, it’s also the added expense of parking and gas (plus the fact that I don’t even have a car of my own, I’m on my SO’s insurance, so all relevant costs associated with ownership alone!)
So, a BIG problem in my life (a 2.75 hour time suck!) has no longer become a big problem. It has now become an opportunity to do uninterrupted work, improve my cardiovascular health, and learn whatever I want.
What kind of problems do you have that you can reframe into opportunities?