“It’s almost a given,” Giza, a pediatric neurologist in Los Angeles, says of her morning biking routine. “Everything is good and no real inconvenience. It helps you think better, it’s good for your mental health, it’s good for your physical health, and it’s good for your social health.
Of all the things that home-based workers might miss about pre-pandemic life, commuting wouldn’t seem to receive special attention. But nearly a year after being fired from home office, some employees, like Giza, found that wasting that time in the car – or on the bus, train, or the street – had some drawbacks.
Jon Jachimowicz, assistant professor of business administration in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School, says commuting provides “a separation of time and space between all the different roles we play.” It’s a buffer that eases the transition from one identity to another, a constant dose of intermediate time to reflect and reset.
Before the pandemic, the average commute was 38 minutes each way, according to Jachimowicz research. Not only did the employees lose this tampon, they also took on more work – about 48 extra minutes per day. According to results released by the National Bureau of Economic Research in July, they also deal with more meetings and communications that extend into off-peak hours.
When we don’t detach from work psychologically, we risk becoming exhausted and exhausted, says Samantha Pieknik, a licensed clinical psychologist in Phoenix. “We wasted the time to sit down with ourselves and shake it up all day,” she says. “We work at home and we sleep at work, and it’s really confusing for our brains.”
A false commute, however, can help you reclaim that precious transition time and restore the boundaries that have been blurred by working from home, which Giza has learned. He now “commutes” about 100 miles a week. Before adopting the practice, “I didn’t have the usual time to clear my head,” he says, which made it difficult to concentrate when in work mode or fully present when in home mode. .
Of course, a wrong ride doesn’t necessarily require you to ride a bike. You can walk, meditate, stretch, or listen to an audiobook, although Jachimowicz notes that the practice is a “luxury” and might not be possible for everyone, such as parents of young children.
Pieknik, who now offers telehealth services from her home rather than going to her private practice for 10 minutes, added a fake commute to her mornings: she goes out for coffee. She recommends this habit to others. “It doesn’t have to be very elaborate,” she says. “It’s just about getting your brain to start a new routine.”
Here are tips on how to fit a bogus commute into your work from home day:
Find the ritual that’s right for you. There are many ways to reap the benefits of a bogus ride. Like so many other things, the important thing is to choose which method you stick with.
Robin Gibson, a social work administrator in Oklahoma City, started working from home on March 16 and quickly realized that this was not a short-term situation. So she resumed her old commuting routine: listening to news podcasts, such as “Up First” by NPR and “The Daily” by the New York Times. “It’s about an hour and a half of listening that I start when I take the shower,” she says. In the evenings, she decompresses by tidying up, listening to more podcasts, and jotting down her plans for the next day. “I missed this moment to get in tune with the world,” she says. “I kind of have my little commute in mind to take care of myself.
Be strategic about timing – and look for consistency. It’s best to engage in your chosen ritual as you walk in and out of the workday, Jachimowicz says. He suggests workers set up fake trips that last at least five to 10 minutes each way and repeat as many days of the work week as possible.
Block uninterrupted time on your calendar to make it a priority. Some companies are embracing this idea: Microsoft, for example, recently announced the launch of a “virtual ride” feature that allows employees using its Teams software to plan commute time at the start and end of the day. In a press release, the company said it hopes to help improve the well-being of workers by encouraging them to take breaks to reflect and recharge.
Leave the house if you can. Debbie Plotnick, vice president of mental health and systems advocacy at Mental Health America, believes those who get the most out of bogus trips are those who physically leave their home turned office. But that doesn’t mean you have to go far: doing yoga in the yard or jogging around the block would be enough. Plotnick, who is based in Colorado, enjoys spending time in the nature that surrounds his home. “I live in the mountains and it’s spectacular,” she says. “I go out and revel in how fabulous it is.” Your commute time doesn’t have to be lonely, she adds: Use some of it to call a friend or family member, which helps foster vital social bonds.
Consider including your family. Children who are practically learning miss out on their own commute time, Plotnick says. This means that they lost opportunities to socialize by walking, taking the school bus, or having a one-on-one chat with the dropping parent. “It’s really hard for young people who feel so isolated now,” she says, and a false commute can help. “So maybe there is a moment of rest that families spend together. Maybe it’s a bit of a family meditation or a gentle family yoga practice.
Practice prospecting for role clarification. Daily work is an opportunity to reflect and plan for the role in which we operate, such as the shift from supervisor to parent, Jachimowicz says. Let go of work at the end of the day by devoting part of your faux commute to thinking about your next role: what you want to cook for dinner, what to do, what you are going to watch on TV. Likewise, on a Sunday night, get out of weekend mode by making a list of what you would like to accomplish in the week ahead.
Be serious about disconnecting. False journeys can help us transition between our roles, but it’s up to us to stay put, rather than letting our mind drift off to other times of the day. “It’s not just, ‘Great, all I have to do is go for a walk after work,’” says Jachimowicz. “How many of us, after the transition, continue to check email or text? We’re like, “Oh, this isn’t working.” Of course, it works! We continually activate our professional roles. He suggests turning off your phone or turning off notifications in the name of better physical, mental and emotional health.
Angela Haupt is a District-based writer and editor. Follow her on Twitter @angelahaupt.
