Leaving Early May Cost You Time 678
markmcb writes "OmniNerd has an interesting traffic article demonstrating how leaving early for work may cost you time. Brandon Hansen uses a year's worth of data collected on his urban drive to and from work along with statistical analysis to show the effects of varying departure times and considering external factors like nearby school districts' schedules. In the end, a minor shift in his departure time results in saving driving hours equivalent to over a third of the vacation time given annually by his employer."
well... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:well... (Score:4, Funny)
Usually, that's resolved with a gentle kick to the butts of my two dogs to move out of the way.
Re:well... (Score:3, Funny)
OK, go on then, if you don't live at home, where do you live?
Re:well... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:well... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not funny because it's true.
Re:well... (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course I'm in the middle of africa, so having internet at all is a bonus.
Re:well... (Score:3, Informative)
It's a common trend, my employer said before he hired me that he wanted me to "rather work 2 hours at home instead of standing 2 hours in traffic each day."
I haven't seen the office customers interface with, but I'm their main programmer working remotely on virtual machines on our serverfarm and having meetings occasionally wherever is most convenient for everyone needing to be present. (depends where my employer is networking with customers or wherever my collegues at the he
Leaving Differently (Score:5, Insightful)
However, your employer will always notice if you leave early, so the idea situation is to leave late.
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:5, Funny)
Rule of 13 (Score:3, Funny)
The rule is that your work start time and end time should add up to 13.
Re:Rule of 13 (Score:4, Funny)
I'd hate to be the guy who worked from 8:00 until 5:00 the next morning. But if I rolled in at 13:00, I wouldn't have to work at all... possibly get fired, I guess.
Re:Rule of 13 (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Rule of 13 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Rule of 13 (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Rule of 13 (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:5, Interesting)
I tried big time to find the windows of opportunity to make it in to and out of detroit without sitting stopped for 30-60 minutes because some idiot creamed himself all over the 696.
I found there are several windows, in the morning, any time from 6:00am until 7:39am you MUST be past Novi and heading into detroit or you will be screwed and late to work by a minimum of 1/2 hour because of the above mentioned idiot. Leaving for home has some very strange windows of opportunity. at 4:00pm to 5:00pm you are as screwed as if you left at 5:00pm. BUT, 5:15-5:30 is a window that will give you a clear drive. after 5:30 it's a parking lot again until 6:15 and then 7:00pm-7:00am finally, construction completely thorws everything off and those guys at the State love to screw with traffic. HOV lanes usually will not work well because big time congestion will spill over into the HOV lanes (Detroit does not believe in HOV lanes, I'm waiting for Hummer and other vehicles that get less than 7mpg and less than 2 passenger lanes in the state)
Anyone with a simple logbook and about 30 days of driving the same route modifying departure times by 10 minutes each day will get the data they need.
When school is out, things change so re-run the data collection... same for construction that takes 1+ years.
It is not hard to get the data. But it is fun to give a smug wave to the ass that blew past you at 90mph about 20-30 minutes ago as you pass him stopped in traffic because you chosae the correct lane to stay in while he keeps switching lane to lane. (speeding get's you nothing in metro highway driving, anyone that pays attention knows this.)
The only real solution is to work for an employer that is not moronic and allows work times to be shifted and also allows Telecommuting. IT blows my mind how many managers are so low IQ that they can comprehend that shifting 1/2 your IT department's schedule by 1 hour will make a huge difference in morale and even gives the department an advantage in serving the rest of the company..
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, that is one of great pleasures of life. More often than not, I even beat these guys to the same destination.
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:5, Insightful)
One simple reason is they have to keep changing lanes to keep this up (at least that seems to be thier thinking) and eventually get stuck behind the guy going 20 under and CANT go around him without getting nailed by everyone else driving at a normal speed.
I put about 40-50k miles (65000+KM) a year on the road and see these idiots all the time. They run up at +20kph till thier 1/2 car length or less behind someone, who of course slows down (would you rather get in an accident at high speeds or lower speeds?) and spend forever behind the guy they are tailgating. Since they often have just switched to that lane because the other lane was marginally slower at the moment they are now locked behind two cars untill the person thier behind slows enough they think switching lanes AGAIN will help, only to repeat the same mistake of tailgating so bad the other guy slows down.
The fastest way is to get the lane that typically goes fastest on average and stay there at a reasonable distance till you get where your going. This of course assumes you've planned your route out intelligently and left with plenty of time, fail those and you might as well sit in the slow lane behind the 95 year old who thinks 45mph is scary.
It's not going faster that gets you there quicker, it's avoiding the delays, and speeding is more likely to cause a delay. (as above, getting pulled over, getting in a wreck, missing your turn because you tried to go around the 'slowpoke' and got shut out of the turn lane, etc.)
Mycroft
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:4, Insightful)
Aggressive/stupid does as you desribe. They tend to evaluate lanes greedily, tailgate massively. I think their general assumption is that if they tailgate enough, the person will move. They constantly thrash lanes. They never "drop back and punt" when it's clear that reducing speed, losing 2-3 car lengths, and passing through another lane to get to an empty lane is the right course course of action. (The latter I've seen so many times, and it amuses me
Aggressive/smart people tend to change lanes, but they also tend to watch the overall flow of traffic. I generally don't bother changing lanes once the traffic gets thick enough, but I do keep a watch out for which lanes seem to be better in particular stretches of road. But that sort of lane complacance is something I only do when it's stop and go. When the traffic is thick but moving at highway speeds, I will be much more aggressive. I don't tail, but I do find the clumps of cars moving faster, or I find empty pockets that will get me around slower clumps, etc. I will beat a complacent driver almost every day of the week. Believe me, I've left work for a lunch location the same time as coworkers many times and been several minutes earlier.
Some of the difference here might be what person A and person B consider heavy traffic, though. If the traffic is moving at highway speeds, I don't consider it heavy. There's a "thick and chunky" mode on highways where things are moving, and aggressive drivers can actually make progress there. Stop and go and it's a slightly different matter. (Unless, of course, you're one of those asshats who uses the shoulder as a lane in stop and go traffic. I have no respect for those people. I break speeding laws all the time, but using the shoulder is against "the rules".) You can make gains in stop and go traffic by careful lane choice, but yeah, it's usually marginal, or they're strategic gains by knowing the right overall lanes.
Re:LIVING Differently (Score:3, Insightful)
Kids are lots better off with fenced backyards (sandbox, garden, treehouse...) and quiet dead-end streets.
Nobody needs a lawn, though it can be useful for sports. Plant your yard with trees.
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:3, Interesting)
Being a driver of a small car with only two seats, I'd like to see this concept flipped on it's head, and offer a lane to people who have fewer than a certain number of empty seats! This might keep the massive vehicles, like people-carriers, with just Mum + baby Tarquin or Jocaster, out of the way!
Route is also important (Score:5, Insightful)
I first started by avoiding the city entirely... hitting 237 to 880 and up. But the milpitas junction was always such a crawl that it took far longer than just driving through the city. Then I took 101 up, which would slow to a predictable crawl and take a very long time. Then I started taking the secret route: 280 up through the foothills. Speeds are always in the 90's and there is never a jam unless someone flipped their porche. It still dumps you out in the city, but you avoid the 101 SF traffic jam.
Going back, that route is a nightmare of drunk drivers and morning traffic. Ironically, coming up 580 to 880 to 237 gets you in at ludicrous speeds... I've been going 110 and getting passed by cops on a fully empty 5-lane road.
A three hour commute chopped down to just one hour by judicious exploration of possible routes.
The same has been true in Boston. I used to drive my girlfriend to work from Porter Square to the Cambridgeside Galleria. After experimenting with Mass Ave, Memorial Drive, and a few other routes, it became clear that the fastest way to get there was by taking Somerville to McGrath Highway... both underutilized throughfares that nobody needs to commute on in the morning. A 1 hour commute chopped down to 1/2 hour.
I guess what I'm saying is experiment with your drive. Every place I've lived, from Boston to LA to the silicon valley, has had alternate routes that (once discovered) chopped commute time down tremendously.
Re:Leaving Differently (Score:3, Funny)
Not to mention stagger to your driving ... thing.
unfortunately (Score:5, Funny)
Re:unfortunately (Score:4, Funny)
Mind you, he probably counts the time to do the analysis as an enjoyable use, a sort of intellectual hobby. Hobbies (not to mention the OSS movement) resoundingly demonstrate the Tom Sawyer principle: what some would do only for money, others will do for fun.
(Apparently Alan Greenspan solves partial differential equations in his head to clear his mind in the morning. What a guy...)
Who would have thought (Score:5, Funny)
Late April (Score:5, Funny)
What rush hour? (Score:3, Informative)
I work in IT, and a specialized form, around a metro area. Rush hour is typically from 8-10AM, and 3:30-6PM. I live 45 miles from my work, and have tried for years to find the best time. The best solution I found was getting up at 5, leaving by 5:30, and cutting my 1-hour commute to half an hour. And, it works great! I get in by 6:00AM, and have nearly two hours of quiet with a few coworkers before the loud masses come in with their whining and requests for help.
I just wish that coming in earlier meant leaving earlier.
mirror (Score:2, Informative)
Re:What rush hour? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What rush hour? (Score:2)
Re:What rush hour? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What rush hour? (Score:3, Interesting)
Is his schedule any worse than the boss that is out for weeks at a time on business trips?
If having a wonky schedule is the worst thing a "shitty" boss has done for you, then I think you're doing pretty well. Try one that:
- berates you in front of other people
- takes credit for your good work
- blames you when explaining to their superiors why something they were tasked with didn't happen
- actively works to undercut any chance of advancement into other departments
Re:What rush hour? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What rush hour? (Score:5, Interesting)
That's the entire reason (sleepcycle not withstanding) that I prefer the "later" strategy. A co-worker of mine gets in early (because he gets up early due to his wife's work schedule) He constantly bemoans the fact that he doesn't get recognition for the extra time, and has to stay to normal end-of-work because no managers are there nearly so early.
As the "doctor" says... "well stop doing that then..."
I don't consider it a time savings if my employer is the sole benificiary... I'd rather spend a few hours doing things around the house and go in AFTER rush hour if I got up that early anyhow. That way my saved time is MINE.
Re:What rush hour? (Score:5, Insightful)
I hate cubes.
not driving at all better (Score:5, Insightful)
with the price of fuel and maintenance, and time with kids that wont be kids long, it was worth it to really make an effort.
Re:not driving at all better (Score:5, Insightful)
My commute to work is about 30 minutes by bike (plus 5-10 minutes to change clothes) and 20 minutes by car. While I would love to live closer, I can't complain too much. One thing I really love about biking is that I don't have to put up with traffic. Thankfully, the way to and from work is fairly well covered by bike paths. I find driving very frustrating just due to small things like waiting at stop lights and stop signs and getting stuck behind another driver. My biking speed is so slow compared to my driving that the change in speeds for stop signs and lights doesn't feel as frustrating, and I'm never stuck behind anyone.
Re:not driving at all better (Score:4, Interesting)
Doing the math... (Score:5, Funny)
In France, this means you would gain 2 additional months of free time.
Re:Doing the math... (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, Sweden, Norway, Canada, etc., have been doing this for a while, and they seem to do quite well. Sure, they might not have the strongest economies in the world, but I bet you they wouldn't change their social rights for the US system. Heck, even in Spain we have a much better health system than the US with twice th
Re:Doing the math... QWZX (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm with you there.
without social security (which is screwed up) for a reasonable comparison of federal government services
Uh, sorry, you lost me. How can you ignore social security??? It's over 7% out of your paycheck, for Christ's sake! If "it's screwed up" is a valid reason for ignoring a tax, then let's just ignore federal taxes too because they're "screwed up" too. I'm with you on ignoring the employer's portion of FICA, because that doesn't really c
Re:Doing the math... (Score:4, Insightful)
Let's see:
US has highest health care costs in the world, yet quality is not among the top 20 industrialized countries. (CNN...YESTERDAY!) Life expectancy trails a similar number of the same countries and even Cuba!
US does have among the highest production per worker, but NOT per worker per hour. Diminishing returns and all that. (Economist 11/05)
US vacation time and real compensation have been shrinking since the 60s with a few temporary exceptions.
Retirement age continues to increase, while retirement benefits decrease.
Minimum wages have not been raised in more than a decade (check how many times congress has voted themselves raises in the same period....)
Have you read a single article about the French riots? The issue centers on the fact that the revised labor laws basically allow the majority of young workers to basically be fired without cause up to age 27 anytime somebody younger (=cheaper) comes along.
"Most people in the US don't believe in the government coming in and telling everyone how to run their business." BWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAA!!! Stop it, you're killing me!
I don't understand the mentality that says working a bit less and enjoying more vacation and retirement are bad things. Do you really have that little meaning in your life outside of the office? I'm truly sorry if you do.
With every passing decade, capitalism looks more and more like slavery, and I NEVER thought I would say that.
Re:Doing the math... (Score:5, Insightful)
We are not slaves to capitalism. We are slaves to greed. We are one of the most overworked [familiesandwork.org] nations in the world. It is not so much that our employers or our government are demanding this from us. It is that we demand it from ourselves. We want that new boat. We want that bigger house. We want that bigger/better car -- and it better be new! We want that new entertainment center. We want that new computer/flat panel monitor/video card. We want the lifestyle we see our parents having, but instead of working and saving for it over a lifetime, we want it now. We are so driven by our desire for more stuff that we have become enslaved to it -- even to the point of racking up personal debt we can never hope to pay off. It drives every moment of everyday of our lives.
As we scurry around trying to get more stuff, we are missing the very moments and those important relationships that make life on this planet have any meaning. When was the last time you invited someone over for dinner just to hang out? When was the last time you were invited for dinner? When was the last time you visited your neighbor? When was the last time you actually sat down and did nothing but watch a sunrise? Or looked at the stars?
Purhaps this is the inevitable result of capitalism. It relies upon our own greed to drive us to work and succeed, but it also gives us the freedom to make our lives the way we want to. But when one is given greater freedom, one is given greater responsibility. No one is forcing us to work overtime (you have the freedom to pursue another job/career). No one is forcing us to go into debt so we have to work more(you can always say no to that new luxury). While there are exceptions to this (victims of disasters, diseases, etc.), I think most of us would agree that we have placed a lot of our burdens upon ourselves. We don't really need a newer car. We don't really need a bigger house. We don't really need and 60 inch DLP HDTV flat panel television set. We don't really need a new computer (let's face it, a Pentium III will still run most of today's software and it would be better to spend quality time with family and friends than another few hours playing the latest FPS). We buy these things not because we need them, but because we want them. And we overwork ourselves to get them or to pay off the debt we accrued while buying them.
We are the ones who allowed "the system" to destroy us. We are the ones who fell hook-line-and-sinker for the marketing pitches and hype -- who believed in our hearts that newer is always better. We are the ones who felt that we just had to keep with the Joneses or we would -- what? Have less stuff? We have no one to blame but ourselves.
Re:Doing the math... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Doing the math... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Doing the math... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:US productivity per hour higher than EU (Score:3, Interesting)
The French argue that their productivity is lower only because they spend less off their lives in the work place, and there is some truth to that. If you look at the productivity per hour worked, instead of productivity per real-time year, France comes out ahead of the United States. In effect, it's "work hard, play hard", as opposed to "work endlessly".
Re:Doing the math... (Score:3, Insightful)
As for understanding why anybody would need six weeks of vacation time, I'd love it. Right now I have three. I usually take a two
Re:Doing the math... (Score:3, Insightful)
I would like to point out that I'm not completely disagreeing. Just the fact that economically I don't believe the US could handle less than 1% annual growth. Our spending habits & savin
Europe isn't one country; bits grow faster than US (Score:3, Insightful)
You're picking your figures to match your argument. Sure, the US economic system grows very quickly compared to some European nations - but others do better. The UK annual growth rate [statistics.gov.uk] for Q4 2005 was 1.8% - faster than the US annual growth rate for Q4 2005 at 1.7%.
I work for a company in
Missing the Point (Score:4, Informative)
It's not leaving later that saves you time, it's not driving when everyone else is driving. Not only does this ignore anyone who doesn't drive to work -- my subway commute is a lot faster during rush hour -- but it totally misses the point.
At a previous job, leaving 15 minutes early would save me 30 minutes of commute time, since I would get in before rush hour traffic.
Re:Missing the Point (Score:2, Informative)
I save a HUGE amount of time by going to and from work after rush hour. Fortunately my employer permits this (within reason). As an added bonus, I get to sleep late. For whatever reason, sleep between 6 AM and 8 AM seems to be the most "productive" for me, regardless of when I go to bed.
Granted, I now live close enough that when the temperature and weather are reasonable (mean
80 hours vacation? (Score:2, Informative)
Now I'm always hearing how "good" we have it in Europe, what with 25 days (187.5 hours) holiday each year plus 8-10 bank holidays.
Finally something us Brits do better than the Yanks (even the US version of our Office is better).
Re:80 hours vacation? (Score:3, Insightful)
After ten years at one of the companies I worked for, I would have gotten double the leave/year. Heck, right now I get a whole month a year, plus bank holidays.
Like many things in america, there are published 'minimums' in many states, but that doesn't mean that the companies can't offer more if they choose to do so.
Re:80 hours vacation? (Score:5, Insightful)
A lot of Europeans complain that Americans are sheltered and don't know anything about the rest of the world. And why should we? We're hard pressed to find any time to travel. If you travel for just one week out of an entire year, that leaves you with just five available vacation days to plan for friends' weddings, a visit from family, a camping trip, etc.
Most of us burn our sick days for short-term time off like that, but that's hardly a good solution. Oh wait -- you have heard about the American healthcare system, haven't you?
Companies in the U.S. are fond of management philosophies that emphasize effective "human capital management." Say that ten times fast. Sounds a lot like "human cattle management," doesn't it? Coincidence?
Re:80 hours vacation? (Score:2)
Re:80 hours vacation? (Score:5, Informative)
Google for distribution of wealth [google.com] and you'll get tons of links, such as this one [fairfield.edu], which includes such nifty statistics for the US as:
Careening back on topic... for what it's worth, I tend to telecommute in the morning and show up after lunch. I then drive home after the dinner rush--around 7PM. That usually works out pretty well.
--JoeRe:80 hours vacation? (Score:5, Insightful)
Um.
Wow.
You TOTALLY missed the point.
The "poor people" you're talking about... I don't know how to break this to you, but they don't HAVE 200k mortgages. They tend to not even own. (Since owning takes capital.) They don't HAVE DVDs. They can afford the INTEREST on their loans, if they're lucky. And where do they get these loans? It's not from flat panel TV purchases. It's from things like medical problems when you don't have insurance. Whoops, you got sick? That's gonna cost you. And of course, it will cost you even more, since if you don't have insurance, you don't go in unless it's REALLY BAD (since you know it will cost you) so preventative medicine doesn't really happen much...
The problem isn't that "poor people don't know how to save". The problem is that the people that set the minimum wage don't seem to think that working at a job full time should at least earn you enough money to purchase both food AND shelter.
Step away from your OWN flat panel TV and DVD rack long enough to go look outside your window for a moment. See that? That's the "real world". And it extends a bit beyond the middle-class suburban skyline that no doubt graces your view.
The view "Poor people are there because they are lazy/don't want to work/lack motivation/can't plan well" is almost always exclusively found in.. wait for it... people who AREN'T POOR. Try it yourself sometime before you make broad, sweeping, generalizations.
Re:80 hours vacation? (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, shouldn't people be taxed on their ability to pay? Those that are the most wealthy are the ones most able to pay.
Re:80 hours vacation? (Score:3, Funny)
And thanks to the better welfare system there, still get paid more ;)
great (Score:2, Interesting)
thanks a lot, guys.
This is Completely True (Score:2)
However, I'm lucky in that my job has very flexible hours. If I wanted to, I could go in at noon and leave at 9pm. MOST people do not have such a liberty, either becaus
Choose wisely... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Choose wisely... (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately, there usually isn't a choice, and no, it's not a situation that is always one's own fault.
Traffic patterns change. Where I live now, in five short years, places that weren't congested before are now locked up tight every single workday. Am I supposed to move every five years? Also, some of us kind of like the idea of being able to someday pay off our house, but we work in an idustry where people shuffle around every six months to a year. (Thank you, outsourcing!) If I moved every time
Re:Choose wisely... (Score:3, Insightful)
I bought a house 10 minutes away from where I work. A year and a half later, the company decided to relocate their headquarters to a location that is 25 minutes farther away. It is not really practical to change where you live based on where you are working at any given moment, unless you are renting. And even then...
Err... no (Score:2)
leaving *really* early for work. (Score:5, Funny)
cycling (Score:5, Insightful)
The other plus, is that finding parking for a bicycle is always easy. No more hunting/paying for car parking. My fiance and I both cycle, and this means that we only run one car. A big economic saving. I highly recommend it.
Re:cycling (Score:3, Informative)
Much of the spring and fall, frequent rain is likewise a problem; I'm told (though I haven't counted 'em myself) that we have fewer sunny days annually here than Seattle. I don't have a problem getting wet, but we have no shower or locker room facilities where I work, and a poncho/raincoat/whateve
This is not a scientific study (Score:2)
1) Where you live has a huge influence - if you live on one side of the river or the other, the bridge may be the limiting factor
2) The time of year makes a big difference and has a huge impact on traffic - during the summer, you can leave later, but during the school year, you have to beat the school buses, because they determine when parents leave for work (mom/dad can't leave until the bus picks up the kids)
3) Traffic
Seattle data is kind of messed up (Score:2)
Varies from 45 minutes to 2 hours. 15 minutes difference in start time makes a HUGE difference in how long it takes to get there.
What really sucks is that this summer I have an internship at Boeing lined up, for their Everett plant.
That is a 90 minute or so commute each way. 3 hours a day, bleck.
And this guy complains about his 20 some minute commute! Sounds lovely to me!
What affects my commute time (Score:3, Funny)
my experience (Score:2)
Mass Transit? (Score:2)
Efficient mass transit, unfortunately, requires that we all work in a dense downtown area where a critical mass of people shows up. I don't think that's true of most of Houston. Mass transit is also unpleasant to use and generally very slow. Despite billions being thrown at it, mass transit still has an average market share of around 3%. More and bigger roads,
Hope I have waited long enough (Score:2, Funny)
Arriving Early Can Cost Time As Well (sort of) (Score:3, Insightful)
The math is good, the application is bad (Score:5, Insightful)
800 million gallons wasted daily...?! (Score:3, Informative)
Coming in late can cost you your job (Score:4, Funny)
Traffic lights (Score:3, Insightful)
Fortunately, I now work at a place that is only about 3.5 miles from where I live, and I can get doorstop-to-doorstop in just over ten minutes and only deal with one traffic light. I'm moving soon, and my commute will be even shorter.
everybody avoids the rush hour (Score:3, Interesting)
maybe there should be a way where offices are opened and closed gradually. maybe like schools be open at 7, government offices at 7:30, manufacturing at 8:00, others at 8:30. (i am not sure about the volume of traffic for each segment but you get the idea.) closing time will be graduated too. i guess the problem is with the peak loads. distribute the surge and it will be better for everyone.
employers should try to consider telecommuting as much as possible in this case.
Using sleep as a tool (Score:3, Interesting)
When I go back home, I usually bite the bullet and take the hour long (hopefully) trip back home. I have a lot of advantage over the other drivers because I only go through rush hour once. They have these desperate faces, and I am just relaxed with my iPod-iTrip combo, listening to some tunes while I get home.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Impossible (Score:3, Interesting)
Damn. I knew it. (Score:5, Funny)
Time gained: catch a train if you can. (Score:3, Interesting)
Neat, and agrees with my rough observations (Score:5, Insightful)
1) Friday mornings are usually pretty smooth. Mondays are often smooth too.
2) Evenings are always terrible. It doesn't matter the day of the week, they're just consistently awful.
3) Days/weeks without school are lighter.
4) Leaving at 8:40 gives a pretty consistent 30 minute commute. Leaving an hour earlier guarantees bad traffic.
The author did miss one key point though, which I call the Nielson Law of Traffic Dynamics (named for my carpool buddy who discovered it):
Traffic on the evening of October 31st is unquestionably always the worst traffic of the year, every year.
Every year we forget about this law, and every year we curse the thousands of parents who *have* *to* *be* *home* *before* *sunset*.
Neil
No, Leaving LATE Costs You Time (Score:5, Interesting)
The primary goal isn't to minimize the time spent driving (though that would be nice). The goal is to maximize time with your friends, family, hobby, etc. Staying late to avoid rush hour is pointless if you have somewhere you want to get to.
Re:No, Leaving LATE Costs You Time (Score:3, Interesting)
Amen. Winning the traffic game is silly if the only one benefitting from it is your employer.
Time shifting (Score:3, Insightful)
I think the point of the article is that you can use your time more efficiently if you pay attention to how your commute duration correlates with departure tim
Ethnocentrism and commute times (Score:3, Informative)
Not personally really relevant, but generally interesting, but what made me laught was the conclusion at the end.
30% increase in hollydays ? hum, even ignoring the fact that 7minutes in the evening is not the same as 7minutes on the beach during a hollyday, reality hit home when I read that it is 30hours in addition to the 80hours of "normal hollydays", that is 10 days ?
In continental europe the normal number of hollydays for IT people is at least 25 days, and typically 30
Therefore the result is not only that since there are less work days the 30 hours gain would be about 10% lower, but it would have to be compared to a much higher number of hours.
In europe (where the typical worker productivity is higher than in the US) the news would be:
By careful planning of your commute hours you can gain about 10% of additional "free time minutes", wich would of course be a great conversation piece in front of the coffe machine.
---------
Work less, work smarter
Can he really count? (Score:3, Insightful)
Temporal Psychology (Score:3, Funny)
Now the interesting thing, which I have noticed is that when I throw the usual routine on its head and add some mutation to my search, everything works completely differently. You wake up at an insane hour of the morning and drink coffee. You then get on one of the first few trains to depart, these are invariably on time; I suppose the train drivers responsible enough to get up early are the most competent and the least likely to end up in Scotland by accident. This train is empty and free of smelly arm-pits. It is also fast and direct, requiring no further changes. Why this is not the case with the later trains, is beyond me.
The general spirit at this time of the morning, is one of champions. "I woke up before the world, therefore I am a man of power, ambition and lots of loud alarm clocks." You then stroll at leisure from station to work place with a trendy coffee in hand. The work done on the train is then casually uploaded onto workstation and you continue on a roll, glancing at those lazy sods strolling in at 9am. Your spirits are on top of the world. Come mid-afternoon, you're tired, but you've been there since the early hours. If you can't cope you can responsibly excuse yourself due to hard work and head home, stating that your work will be continued on the train. This is then valued, given that the announcement is made up front.
Somehow leaving early gives you a buzz. One should be warned, however, that insanely early starts for more than two days in a row can be hazardous to your health and lead to death by foolishly strolling in front of an old granny's very slow push bike.
[1]( George Michael lives there, and obviously never takes the train. )
My advice: Get a bike! (Score:4, Insightful)
In a green city like mine (Munich, Germany) it does not only make driving to work fun, its healty, I am just as fast as with a car in a urabn environment and since I own a smart roadster [smart.com] it doesnt make much difference on what I can carry with me.
An additional plus: you can take shortcuts through parks and industrial sites where no car can get through wich cuts the distance even further.
Astronomical Commute (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Title (Score:3, Funny)
This is such a half baked study and conclusion that I wonder why the hell it's on /.
You must be new here.
Re:Pledge (Score:3)
1. I promise not to slam people who have done interesting work just to self-aggrandize.
2. Even if I disagree with the article I will not behave like a petulant 4th grader.
3. In pointing out errors, omissions or other faults I will not call anyone an idiot but will rather offer constructive criticism.
4. I will count to ten before posting anything
I expect there will be additions to this list, but it would really be nice if they were civil. A fella can dream....
Re:cost time?? (Score:2)
To necessitate or involve the expenditure of (time, [emphasis added] trouble, or the like), loss or sacrifice of (some valued possession), suffering of (some penalty, etc.).
It goes on to quote some of those lousy hack writers -- you know, people like Gower, Shakespeare, Milton, De Foe, Huxl