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The Myth of the Productive Commute
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The Myth of the Productive Commute

Anne Helen Petersen
Culture Study, 2019
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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

Commuting to work can be a soul-destroying waste of time. Nevertheless, as COVID-19 forced many employees to work from home, many knowledge workers found that forgoing their commute equated to lost personal time during the day. Journalist Anne Helen Petersen analyzes this paradox. She encourages you to replace your physical commute with a “mental commute” to bookend your day and to prevent your work encroaching on your leisure time.

Take-Aways

  • If you don’t need to be physically present in the office, commuting to work is a waste of time.
  • Despite its drawbacks, commuting offers a buffer to prevent your work life bleeding into your home life, and vice versa.
  • Employment laws protect laborers, but knowledge workers remain vulnerable.

About the Author

Journalist Anne Helen Petersen is the author of the newsletter Culture Study, as well as several books that explore culture. She is a former senior culture writer with BuzzFeed.

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