Reading time: About one minute
This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world for material to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about a fake morning commute….
My morning commute takes me all of 10 seconds.
I get out of bed, turn right, and then walk up a set of stairs to my office in our loft. (Yes, I work from 6 to 6:30 am in my PJs.)
I’ve been doing this for more than 25 years now, and I’d have a really hard time ever returning to a conventional office. Not because I don’t like offices! But because I’d resent the commute too much.
Imagine my surprise then, when I read a jaunty little post from productivity expert Chris Bailey, singing the praise of his fake morning commute.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
“I’ve started a “fake active commute” each morning. To my surprise, the ritual has stuck, and gives me everything I used to love about this morning routine—without any of the annoying bits of actually commuting.
Here’s what it looks like. After getting ready in the morning, I dress for the outdoors as though I’m walking to the office; bundling up in a thick coat to steel my way through the Canadian winter in Ottawa. Stepping out of the house, I walk in whatever direction I feel like. I set a 15-minute timer so I know when to turn around and head home—that way, my “commute” is 30 minutes. That’s all there is to it.”
Chris says the ritual gives him a lot more than some extra exercise. It also gives him:
- The chance to transition into “work mode”
- Time to reflect on what he wants to accomplish during the day
- An opportunity to generate new ideas
- Fresh air before sitting indoors all day
- A chance to see and say hello to people who aren’t on the other side of a webcam
- An opportunity to listen to an audiobook
Wow! What a smart idea! (If you want to read the whole post, you can see it here.)
