Why I am going to miss my 4 hour commute

For those of you that don’t know me, for the past 6 months, I have been driving about 1.5-2 hrs every day to work. So I usually spend about 4 hours in the car. At first, it was brutally painful. I couldn’t stand it. It made me a little crazy. And now I can’t live without it.

1.       It gives me down time. 

 Some days after work, I am just spent. I am emotionally, physically, & creatively tapped. I don’t want to talk. I do not want to be around people. So, I listen to some Stern or Oprah or NPR..and by the time I get home I am ready to start again. I am no longer tapped. I can make some business calls, do a little research, knock out some work. Without the built in down time, I probably would never get around to it at night.

2.       It gives me family time.

I have always talked to my mother a lot on the phone. In fact, sometimes it seems like it would be more convenient if we just had a constant stream of contact. However, since I hardly ever spoke to my dad. Now we talk at least once a week. While this doesn’t have direct affect on my business, having me being more centered, more focused on work at work is never a bad thing.

3.       It gives me reflective time.

A lot has happened in the past five years. I graduated college. Started graduate school.  Got diagnosed with a major illness. Got an MBA. Bought a house. Started a business. Got married. Got a Ph.D. Started another Business. Changed Careers.  Got well. Needless to say, there is a lot to think about.  A lot to process. The quietness of my drive has forced me to reflect in an unprecedented way. While occasionally painful, this has been very therapeutic. It has helped me realize some personal & some business mistakes that I have made along the way. Without this reflection period, I might have very well have made the same mistakes again.

4.       It gives me dream time.

This may sound a little teenage-girl-ish…but in order to accomplish anything in life, you first have to dream it. The reflective time has provided me the ability to see the past 5 years in a new way so that I can envision where I want my life & business to go and how I want to get there.

5.       It gives me planning time.

This is perhaps the biggest benefit. I have the time to make a game plan. Not just for the day, but for the week, month, year, next 5 years, etc. It is an invaluable gift. I plan everything from phone calls, to presentations, to charting the flow of business. Without a plan, you can almost never succeed.

When we finally move, it will be difficult to make the transition. The one thing I know is how important it is to make time for me & my thoughts.  I would love to get your thoughts. You can contact me at Jdanner@peoplelease.com