[timthorn]

I have regularly had 2-3h (each way) commutes. It's not because I couldn't change, but because I actively enjoyed the travel each day. Dedicated, no interruption thinking space, and a clear buffer between the stress of work and my home life.

[caskstrength]

Wouldn't that 3 hours per day be better spent on meditating/yoga/woodcarving (or any other relaxing activity) instead? I mean driving doesn't appear to me like most relaxing activity, but maybe it is just my perspective.

[whywhywhywhy]

I'd suspect the results would be different, the fact a commute is forced puts your brain into the mode where you solve creative problems in the background without thinking about them. There are good reasons ideas come out of nowhere to you in the shower or on a bus.

That said I'd never ever have a 1+ hour commutes, 30 minutes is plenty but I have noticed a difference in inspiration this year and I put it down to this.

[saalweachter]

Once you throw mass transit into the mix, a long commute also becomes dedicated reading/napping/web-surfing/project-management/side-project time.

I was doing 90 minutes each way, four days a week, before; I'm currently not worried about going back to three days a week, although I'm a little curious if I'll feel differently once it happens.

[andrewzah]

"a commute is forced puts your brain into the mode where you solve creative problems in the background without thinking about them"

I don't think about work outside of work, which includes commuting. I may have an epiphany while showering or talking a walk, but in the car I listen to music or podcasts. That is Me Time, not Employer Time.

[whywhywhywhy]

My point is creativity works by connections happening while your doing autonomous tasks like showering, spacing out on a train or bus.

You might not be thinking about work, but your brain is.

Maybe I care about this more because I'm a designer so, creativity is what I'm judged on.

[andrewzah]

"You might not be thinking about work, but your brain is."

This is definitely true after work sometimes, but a commute is not necessary for this. Walking helps similarly and is healthier, too. For me personally, I tune everything out and listen to music most of the time while commuting, or simply meditate (specifically not dwelling on any thoughts).

"Maybe I care about this more because I'm a designer so, creativity is what I'm judged on."

I'm not sure if you intended this, but this could be read that you're implying that programming is not a creative profession. Which is wholly false.

Part of tackling hard problems is coming up with creative solutions. One absolutely needs creativity and vision to architect larger applications and coordinated services.

I've met accountants that are more creative than some jazz musicians, but the creative work they do is much more abstract and not as intrinsically understandable as a musician that's improvising on a tune.

[nullsense]

This is why I like my bus ride. I lose valuable time when I work from home.

[cblconfederate]

Seems like an odd thing to do for that. I take a short drive each morning to get my coffee and then come back home. It's my meditation/alone time/change of scenery and i get to continue my day working uninterrupted at home.

People think that the things they do at the office (beyond work) are impossible to replace in "real life". They are, office is the actual virtual life

[nullsense]

I study on the bus because it's the perfect environment for it to me. I'm on the bus, so I can't do anything else. I'm on the bus so there isn't any expectation that I'm working nor can I change when I get to get to work. My mind is just at ease that there is this naturally occurring block of time with the perfect conditions to help me accomplish an important goal of the day without impinging on any other part of my day and that is solidly baked into the routine in a very stable way that doesn't require me to exercise any executive function to ensure it happens.

My bus ride is very valuable to me for this reason.

Try as I might, on the WFH days I virtually always wind up doing this same block of study after 10pm which is my free time.

I also get interrupted just as much regardless of whether I'm at home or in the office, so that's kind of a moot point in my particular case.

[cblconfederate]

Have you tried taking the bus while WFH?