1hr 15 mins Commute - Do-able?

boredatwork82

Hi there,
I am thinking of moving back home.
Is a 1hr 15 mins door to door each way do able.
Will I be too tired to function and jaded.

It would involve, up at 7, out the door 7.15, arrive work at 8.30 start time.
Leave work @ 5 o'clock, arrive home at 6.20

Do many people do it?

Cuddlesworth

Sounds about normal. I've done a four hour commute with no obvious side effects.

Cookie_Monster

Its doable, what kind of transport: driving or public. If driving I imagine you'd end up quite tired whereas at least with bus.train you can switch off and relax.

It would also be head wrecking I'd imagine. Used to work with a guy who commuted from Ballinasloe to Dun Laoghaire daily, something I couldn't do. I'm lucky enough to be only 15 mins from work and will do anything to keep it that way, even move.

boredatwork82

I'd be driving. Big comfortable diesel car, somewhat ecnomical (mid 40's mpg) It would be 1/3 motorway, 2/3 good straight road with loads of over taking oppourtunities.
I have been doing it once or twice a week for the last year or so, and never had any traffic or congestion.

I would be training in the evenings after it. I finish an hour earlier one day a week, so that would be one day home by 5.20

Just not sure how i'd feel by Friday evening.

Thanks

edit. I have always lived within a few minutes of work, thats why I have no idea of what it'd be like. There is only so much you can handle of living in absolute dives of towns. Damn recession! I could move midway between the places to a decent town, but will still be up and down 2-3 times a week which would mean i would be saving one journey a week.

topper75

I tried a 1hr 15 min driving commute before but not every day. I was up Monday and back Friday, with a midweek trip back on Tue night and return Wed morning. So only 4 trips a week.

It was fine at first but I got gradually tired and packed in the midweek trip. This wouldn't bode well for ten-trip commute. I would vote against. You might feel fine for a few weeks, but there is cumulative fatigue.

Look into to cheap basic accomodation (box room) for midweek. The money you fork out would be justified by quality of life. What else matters?

Edit: just saw your response OP, I was training too (athletics) and the commuting didn't exactly help with this. Give it a shot if you want but life becomes a bitch when you are tired - you enjoy little and every task is twice as difficult.

Stubs

Thats sounds pretty reasonable. Although it does depend on the type of road your travelling on; Motorway, natioanl primary, national secondary and the volumes of traffic.

I did a similar commute last year for 2 months between Boyle and Mullingar on the N4 (pretty good road). Generally left at 6:45am and left work at 7:00-8:00pm so heavy traffic was generally avoided. Didn't mind it at all.

I could imagine it getting a bit annoying over time though.

Cookie_Monster

well an hours driving like that is infinity more enjoyable than an hour sitting in a line on the M50 or in the middle of town so not as bad as it could be.

the real question you have to look at is the money saved from being at home greater than the cost of commuting and the cost of your "lost" 2 hours a day in your opinion (Obviously its up to you how you value your free time in this regard). If it is then go for it.

boredatwork82

Ok, My time spent in the evenings, go to the gym after work, back home watching TV from 6.30 onwards as nothing else to do in the town, and I know nobody. Has to be the worst towns ever. So its not like I will be eating into leisure time!

I drive up and down 2-3 days a week as present so I will be adding 2-3 days journey

Stay living here.
rent €250
Misc Bills €70
Fuel €200 ( a month)
Food bills €120

Total cost €620

Commuting
Household Contribution €120
Misc bills €0
Fuel €400
Increased Tyre/car maintainace costs.

As far as I can see it will be a tad cheaper commuting (living with the mammY, till I can afford my own gaff).

angel01

it is doable.

I am up at 5.40am every morning for my 6.35ambus and don't get home till at least 6.30pm every evening. So used to it now.

Cookie_Monster

seem reasonable, the only other thing I'd be wary of it the tiredness factor after the gym/training, on a long(ish) drive you may be liable to switch off

boredatwork82

During the summe rit would only be gym, but come august it'll be fairly tough high enough standard rugby training.
Thanks for your advice folks, I think I will try it out starting in May and see how it goes, I can always get a gaff near work. No shortage of them.

Heroditas

boredatwork82 wrote: »

Hi there,
I am thinking of moving back home.
Is a 1hr 15 mins door to door each way do able.
Will I be too tired to function and jaded.

It would involve, up at 7, out the door 7.15, arrive work at 8.30 start time.
Leave work @ 5 o'clock, arrive home at 6.20

Do many people do it?

Doesn't sound too bad. You could spend just as long in the car driving from one side of Dublin to another.
It's certainly less stressful if you're continually moving and not concentrating on inching forward in 1st an 2nd gear all the time.

boredatwork82

Yeah its grand that way, would average around 60 miles an hour on the journey.

KevR

Definitely do-able.

I used to do Galway-Athlone everyday and it took 1hr 30mins each way (before the M6 opened). Didn't feel too tired in the evenings and went to the gym 2 or 3 evenings per week.

The first couple of days that I did the Galway-Athlone commute I was wrecked in the evening after it, I thought I would never stick it. But I quickly got used to it and it was fine; it becomes part of your routine. Actually loved the 3hrs driving everyday.

The only thing is, you need to go to bed at a reasonable time so you aren't too tired driving to work in the morning. And obviously you can't go out and drink loads of alcohol during the week as you'll still be over the limit the next morning.

slimjimmc

How are you calculating the 1hr 15min commute, is it based on quiet midday traffic or have you done a couple of peak-time trips? There is often a huge difference between the two. Also factor in delays caused by accidents (there are plenty of those) and traffic usually moves slower in bad weather.

Joey the lips

I did it on public transport. It was tireing but perhaps in your own car it would be ok...

muboop1

meh, done more then that a day for years attending college

Completely do-able

JHMEG

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Its doable, what kind of transport: driving or public. If driving I imagine you'd end up quite tired whereas at least with bus.train you can switch off and relax.

The cram on inner commuter services makes for uncomfortable commuting. If I could choose I'd pick a nicely loaded train with no-one standing, followed by driving, followed by anything else as it doesn't really matter.

Nice thing a comfortable train has over driving is you can sleep/read/watch a movie while you travel.

boredatwork82

Hey Slim, I am calculating the 1hr 15 mins from experience on doing the journey once or twice a week over the last year at that time of the morning. I have never commuted 5 days a week, so wondering what it will be like.

My big question is will I still have energy to do stuff in the evenings, and will be absolutely shattered at the weekends?

I presume hitting the hay around 10.30 every night religiously is a given if I want a quality of life

monument

boredatwork82 wrote: »

Hi there,
I am thinking of moving back home.
Is a 1hr 15 mins door to door each way do able.
Will I be too tired to function and jaded.

It would involve, up at 7, out the door 7.15, arrive work at 8.30 start time.
Leave work @ 5 o'clock, arrive home at 6.20

Do many people do it?

It depends on you.

It would drive a lot of people mad very quickly, while others can do it long term (with or without side-affects is another story).

The best advice is try doing for a few days or a week if you can.

The last census showed around 154,500 people (of a total of 2,674,000) commute between an hour and an hour and a half.

boredatwork82 wrote: »

My big question is will I still have energy to do stuff in the evenings, and will be absolutely shattered at the weekends?

I presume hitting the hay around 10.30 every night religiously is a given if I want a quality of life

The energy bit depends on [A] how draining doing this non-stop will be for you and what else you have to do or want to do. Remember how you will be at your best and worst, not just one or the other.

And I guess, going to bed at 10.30pm would limited what you can do in your spare time.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

seem reasonable

Stubs wrote: »

Thats sounds pretty reasonable.

2 and 1/2 hours a day commuting might be doable, but reasonable?

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Sounds about normal. I've done a four hour commute with no obvious side effects.

It's not that normal. It might be for a limited segment of the population, but overall it is not.

According to Census data the average journey time to work was 27.5mins (27.9mins urban compared with 26.8mins for rural workers). Dublin's average is just under 36mins, other cities and counties are lower, in the 20-25mins range.

The vast, vast majority of commuters spend less than an hour each way. The largest bracket by far is the under 15min one (the second largest is between 15mins and 30mins, the third is between 30mins and 45mins).

bigdogbarking

i used to have a commute from dundalk to kildare for quite some time, an hour and 20 mins in the morning but over 2 hours coming home, got a pain in my hole with that pretty quickly, moved to working in dublin, 1hour ten in the mornings and an hour and a half in the evenings give or take, still a massive pain in the hole.
Ask yourself is it really necessary for you to do? early mornings and late evenings? time could be better spent training or with loved ones or doing whatever/whoever floats your boat!

Maldini2706

75 minutes is probably about average these days, where are you commuting to and from? With the new road improvements it may take you less time than you'd think.

angel01

boredatwork82 wrote: »

Hey Slim, I am calculating the 1hr 15 mins from experience on doing the journey once or twice a week over the last year at that time of the morning. I have never commuted 5 days a week, so wondering what it will be like.

My big question is will I still have energy to do stuff in the evenings, and will be absolutely shattered at the weekends?

I presume hitting the hay around 10.30 every night religiously is a given if I want a quality of life

I find that I do get quite tired during the week, am fine at weekends.

topper75

Maldini2706 wrote: »

75 minutes is probably about average these days

Average? So for each ten minute trip I make, some other bugger is doing 2hrs 20mins?!!

Sorry couldn't resist the pedantary. You could claim that 75 mins is becoming more prevalent these days.

DubDani

I have been doing Newry - Sandyford 3 times a week for the last 3 years, and it is def. doable.

It takes me about 1 hour 15 minutes in the morning and about 1 hour 20 minutes in the evenings, but said that I leave early both ways (at 5.45 in the Morning and leave the office at 3.30 sharp), which mean I am usually home at around 4.50. Def.a massive improvement on the M50 in the last few years.

Just make sure you have a comfy car. I drive a big comfy Diesel barge, and really enjoy the drive. It gives me the chance to listen to music and news and to clear my head before i get home.

For some of my coll. it takes longer to get home by bus within Dublin.

old_aussie

Left home 4.50am travelled 55 miles part way by car and then by train from Wollongong to Sydney and then back again arriving home at 4.30pm(bit later sometimes if the train was late) for 20 years.

Yeah it's doable if you have the will and stamina.

Maldini2706

topper75 wrote: »

Average? So for each ten minute trip I make, some other bugger is doing 2hrs 20mins?!!

Sorry couldn't resist the pedantary. You could claim that 75 mins is becoming more prevalent these days.

You know what I mean, with more and more people commuting to cities (Dublin especially) from rural areas 75 minutes is fairly standard. Plenty of people commute to Dublin from as far afield as Laois, Athlone, Mullingar, Navan, even places as far away as Gorey are now considered within the commuter belt!

topper75

Maldini2706 wrote: »

You know what I mean, with more and more people commuting to cities (Dublin especially) from rural areas 75 minutes is fairly standard. Plenty of people commute to Dublin from as far afield as Laois, Athlone, Mullingar, Navan, even places as far away as Gorey are now considered within the commuter belt!

Yeh you are right sadly. It's crazy. I was just being pedantic about the term 'average'.

Cookie_Monster

monument wrote: »

2 and 1/2 hours a day commuting might be doable, but reasonable?

I set out the downsides, he responded what he thought of that and gave details and made a case.

it is reasonable for him to do under the circumstances

ToxicPaddy

Yes it should be do-able especially if you've got decent roads, a comfy car and cruise control.. I'm planning on doing the same in the next year or two.. but it will be closer to 1hr 30 mins each way.. but again, all motorway..

By doing it I will be saving approx €850 a month on rent/bills..even if I spend €400 on diesel/car maintenance per month if driving 5 days a week, its still a big saving.. The good thing being that I can drive to the outskirts of the city and jump on the Luas which drops me at the office door..

I'm already talking about me being able to work 1-2 days a week at home which means basically 3 days in the office so can drive up Tues morning, stay Tues and Wed night and head home Thurs evening.. fingers crossed..

sinequanon

I commute 3 hours round trip, Killarney to Cork every day. I get up at ten to seven, leave around ten past, quarter past and Im in work usually for about 8.30/8.40 a.m. Home by 7/7.10 p.m. I have been doing it since last summer. It's fine in the summer months, but with the winter gone by, it was extremely hard. You will be tired in the evenings op, the only things I find I have energy for are eating my dinner, watching a bit of tv, having a bit of a natter and perhaps a bit of reading. Im usually in bed by 10/max 10.30 p.m. as Im shattered...the road isn't too good, so that could have a bearing..even in the summer time, while conditions are better, Im too tired when I get home to go out for a walk or enjoy the long evenings...hope not to be doing it for too much longer...didn't think I would find it as hard as I did..but it is! Good luck with it, if you are doing it!

W.B. Yeats

I do 1.15 each way 4 days a week
Up at 6.50 gone by 7.25, in work around 8.40 leave work at 6 and home for 7.10
I'm don't go to bet too early, around 11.30 but can be tired by the weekend.
Its very doable but I would prefer a shorter commute
Having said that I took this job with its commute over another job with a 10 min commute.....
Its all about balance between happiness in work, in commuting and at home.

slimjimmc

boredatwork82 wrote: »

Hey Slim, I am calculating the 1hr 15 mins from experience on doing the journey once or twice a week over the last year at that time of the morning. I have never commuted 5 days a week, so wondering what it will be like.

My big question is will I still have energy to do stuff in the evenings, and will be absolutely shattered at the weekends?

I presume hitting the hay around 10.30 every night religiously is a given if I want a quality of life

I know a few guys who do about the same journey time every day on a mix of R-road and M-way and they seem to lead a normal life. It can be tiring especially when there are delays on the road but you get used to it after a while.
It also depends on your attitude, if you easily get frustrated at not making the progress you'd like or at other drivers then you'll come home shattered. But if you relax and don't let others wind you up you'll be the better for it. Night time driving can be particularily draining, especially in long dark winter evenings.

I suggest you try it for a few weeks and see how you get on. If possible keep paying the rent so you can fall back if it doesn't work out.

boredatwork82

Thanks for all your comments folks. Have been up and down a good bit since I first posted. I will keep doing it.
I have added about 7-10 minutes onto the commute to acheive an extra 15 mpg on my driving.
I don't annoyed, or wound up. I am pretty laid back.
I was moving out of my rented accomadation anyway as my housemate was so messy, and the landlord was an idiot.
So I will start my full-time commute on Tuesday, and we'll se how it goes. If it doesn't work well after a few weeks, I will move to a better town near my job.
Thanks again folks.

workstoomuch

Hi - this is very doable, I am up every day at 6.15am, get bus at 7, at desk for 8 (altho start time is at 9) and get bus at 6pm arriving at home at 7oclock approx. I do be tired, but I have gotten into a routine now where i sleep on the bus to and from work so i get an extra hour or 2 sleep a day:p

angel01

workstoomuch wrote: »

Hi - this is very doable, I am up every day at 6.15am, get bus at 7, at desk for 8 (altho start time is at 9) and get bus at 6pm arriving at home at 7oclock approx. I do be tired, but I have gotten into a routine now where i sleep on the bus to and from work so i get an extra hour or 2 sleep a day:p

lol, I do that too

boredatwork82

workstoomuch wrote: »

Hi - this is very doable, I am up every day at 6.15am, get bus at 7, at desk for 8 (altho start time is at 9) and get bus at 6pm arriving at home at 7oclock approx. I do be tired, but I have gotten into a routine now where i sleep on the bus to and from work so i get an extra hour or 2 sleep a day:p

Thanks, but I think I'll hold off on trying to sleep on my commute :P I don't have cruise control so it might be a bit of a problem!