Slacker Method for Trimming Your Commute.

Posted by Jacques - November 25, 2008

How many times have you asked yourself what the extra 10 minutes to study, 10 minutes to prepare for that interview would’ve cost you. Slackers usually don’t like to waste time on the road, we’d rather waste it at home or with friends. So, if there’s a place you commute to on a daily basis it’s likely that your typical route isn’t always the most efficient. For example, I personally had a commute that I brought down from 30 minutes to 20 minutes by trying 10 different routes. Some of the routes shared part of the same road, but from point A to B there were 10 different ones.

Now, you may be asking what’s the big deal of saving a few minutes? Well, I had another colleague of mine taking the same commute to work but instead of 30 minutes it took her two hours! Yes, she lives farther away, but it only takes me a half hour to get to where she lives, so, somewhere in her route she’s losing an extra hour each way. That’s 520 hours a year gone! Also, folks, I wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t easy to do and extremely useful.

I wouldn’t rely on your GPS or even online programs like Google Maps to find the best path, as they can’t take into account issues such as signal timing, average speed, congestion, and silly little things like schools and their buses. However, they are useful tools in finding all possible routes. Many newer GPS units have capabilities to avoid left turns, toll roads, u-turns, etc. Try changing these settings to see if this results in a new route. The most complete method is to use a map, for example, Google Maps. Scan the map for possible paths and try dragging the route to create different waypoints and print out multiple versions. Don’t forget to keep track of your time otherwise you’ll have to redo the routes all over again.

FYI As I’ve always said before, ask others who’ve already taken the time to find out. If you know someone in your neighborhood who goes to similar places, see what little tricks they’ve discovered.

Anything you like? Please share!

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November 25, 2008 | In All Slacker Methods |

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Some GPS have real-time traffic

Comment by Jason — November 29, 2008 #
[...] car filled up and park it backwards. Kind of like a getaway car. Also, cutting time on your commute will help [...]

Pingback by Slacker Method for Getting Ready for Work Faster | The Slacker Method — January 25, 2009 #

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