Long distance commute

Declan1965

I have been commuting now from south kildare to Dublin airport now for last 10 years, recently it’s starting to take its toll on my physical and mental health.
I work shifts at the airport early 5 am finish at 2 , mid shift 7 until 4 and late 3 til midnight.
I don’t get shift allowance etc just basic and commissions on sales , recently I found I was suffering mental heath problems and slipping into drepression mainly through sleep and eating pattern. I have now been diagnosed with under active thyroid and gp wants me to work a normal life.
I have asked for 3 day week which my employer has said yes to but means but less money, I want to look for a job closer to home .
My commute is 1 to 1 hour 20 mins each way driving or sometimes bus ,I feel I have no life or time for anything just work eat sleep repeat.
Anyone else have same issues ...

_Kaiser_

Yup did it for a decade. Comfortable car is essential, and flexible start/finish times helped a bit as did working from home a day or two per week, but ultimately it's not something you could do indefinitely.

The one thing the last year of full time WFH made me realise though is how much it was taking out of me. No energy, eating badly, 12 hour days, no life during the week.. It's not something I will be returning to anyway.

jelly&icecream

Get that underactive thyroid under control. Educate yourself on what optimal blood test results should be and double check them yourself after your GP gets blood tests results. GPs can under treat it to air on side of caution.

As with a lot of health things stress makes it worse so definitely do whatever you can to minimise that even if it means less money or changing jobs.

Wishbone Ash

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

.. 12 hour days, no life during the week..

Just curious but wouldn't working a 12 hour day give you plenty of time off and reduce commuting as you'd have less days to work?

I've been working 13 hour days for 34 years. I think it's great as I only work 7 days per fortnight. My wife and friends think that I'm always off. I also regularly do overtime.

I was asked to work Monday to Friday for 3 months about 3 years ago. It nearly killed me. I felt that i was always at work and had a lot less money.

Declan1965

Thanks for the replies , I am lucky that my mortgage is nearly paid off and I have the opportunity now to work a 3 day week , I have been tearing myself apart wondering if I am doing the right thing but deep down I know I can’t continue forever to work long hours and commute.
As more and more people now can work from home I will look for something closer even if it’s less money, at least I have a job and can work from there to see if I can get another full time job closer.
I would say to anyone thinking of moving out of Dublin to commute long distance, don’t do it long term , if you can work from home 2 or 3 days per week then it’s fantastic,bigger house etc .
Anyway I am taking the decision to put myself first ,should have done it years ago

_Kaiser_

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Just curious but wouldn't working a 12 hour day give you plenty of time off and reduce commuting as you'd have less days to work?

I've been working 13 hour days for 34 years. I think it's great as I only work 7 days per fortnight. My wife and friends think that I'm always off. I also regularly do overtime.

I was asked to work Monday to Friday for 3 months about 3 years ago. It nearly killed me. I felt that i was always at work and had a lot less money.

Probably didn't explain it right

At one point my working day started at 8am checking in with my team in Asia. I'd then leave home around 9 and drive to the office in Dublin and get there around 10/10:30. As I also had guys in the US (and the fun of the M50 in the evening), I didn't usually leave again until 7pm, and got home around 8pm. This was Mon-Fri but I managed to cut it back to 4 days (although my boss at the time wasn't overly supportive of the idea).

Moved to another job then that avoided the M50 but still involved an hour each way most days so I retained my day WFH and then was able to extend that to 2 days a week at home - but the days I was in the office were still long enough (home at 7pm rather than 8)

For the last year though I'm getting more done, eating better at normal hours, finishing at 5:30 and actually being done then, have more energy and even getting more fresh air and exercise.

I'll never go back to those earlier sorts of jobs. I regularly turned down roles that were in (Dublin) city centre because the commute/time lost just wouldn't have been worth it no matter how well it paid (but yet not enough to rent an equivalent place anywhere close to it)

road_high

Have you thought about changing jobs and getting something closer? There are actually plenty of jobs around Carlow, Kilkenny and of course Kildare itself that would make your life infinitely easier. Companies are constantly looking for good staff, especially the likes of Glanbia and MSD. Tons of office/finance roles too in Kilkenny.
From what you describe the job is not any great shakes so i don't see you would not consider a move?

Strumms

I know somebody who did a similar commute, a south Kildare to airport commute. Just outside of Athy in fact, Depending on shift time it was a 45-55 minute journey...

So you are traveling 90-110 minutes per day...driving, concentrating....

That with your work itself is going to make you tired... you’ve put a big ask on yourself.. but I guess that’s apparent.

Would there be any sort of public transport option you could utilize ? Even a couple of days a week to take the stress off ?

Thelonious Monk

I don't know how people do it. Like I have a friend who commutes from Cavan to Dublin Airport for work for years now, they could have afforded something in parts of Dublin but took the option of the much bigger dethatched house in the country instead.
You have to weigh these things up, but for me I'd rather a small place in a dodgy estate in Dublin than 3 hours commuting every day.

Declan1965

Thanks for the advice I have taken 3 days a week for now and I am looking for another job closer to home.
I need work/life balance so that's my plan

zell12

This guy

Mr Gallagher lives in Cashel, Achill Island, Co Mayo, and travels up and down to his work in Dublin.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/25000-for-builder-38-who-hadto-quit-football-after-shampoo-dispenser-crushed-toe-40550342.html

JimmyVik

When you see what you pay in tolls and fuel alone with a long commute it is eye opening. And then add in wear and tear and depreciation on your car.
I know people who could get a second mortgage easily with the cost of their commute

L1011

zell12 wrote: »

This guy

Going to be a 5/2 or 4/3 split with digs or indeed hotel accom for the Dublin days. I know lads who did NW Donegal to London weekly commutes for the drill stage of Crossrail! Fly vis Derry or Belfast International for it.

Tony O'Reilly Senior did it Dublin to Pittsburgh for years, back each weekend

AndrewJRenko

L1011 wrote: »

Tony O'Reilly Senior did it Dublin to Pittsburgh for years, back each weekend

That's hard to believe, unless it was a private jet. Even with that, the jet lag would be a killer, you'd only just be getting over it when it would be kicking back in again.

wonski

If you live in Kildare and work at the airport I would prefer green bus. Get in, have a nap. Sure you lose one hour or so each way, but you can either sleep or read or something. So it isn't all lost like it is when yiu drive yourself.

I would try it even now when working 3 days a week.

Public transport has few advantages and the above is a big one when you just get into one bus all the way to the final stop.

_Kaiser_

wonski wrote: »

If you live in Kildare and work at the airport I would prefer green bus. Get in, have a nap. Sure you lose one hour or so each way, but you can either sleep or read or something. So it isn't all lost like it is when yiu drive yourself.

I would try it even now when working 3 days a week.

Public transport has few advantages and the above is a big one when you just get into one bus all the way to the final stop.

Dublin Coach (the green bus) are notoriously unreliable though as they use buses that are falling apart in many cases, and their driving standards are questionable to say the least in many cases.

Wishbone Ash

zell12 wrote: »

This guy

If he's having a shower in a Dublin hotel, it's unlikely he commuting daily.

Wishbone Ash

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

That's hard to believe, unless it was a private jet. Even with that, the jet lag would be a killer, you'd only just be getting over it when it would be kicking back in again.

He did it for years. Ran Irish Independent and a few other companies here as a 'nixer' at the weekends. I think it was a private jet but I can't recall now. His biography "The Player" by Ivan Fallon from the 1990's is a great read.

wonski

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Dublin Coach (the green bus) are notoriously unreliable though as they use buses that are falling apart in many cases, and their driving standards are questionable to say the least in many cases.

Forgot about that aspect. Haven't used one in a while.

L1011

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

That's hard to believe, unless it was a private jet. Even with that, the jet lag would be a killer, you'd only just be getting over it when it would be kicking back in again.

Bizjet to JFK, run across the tarmac to the Aer Lingus flight and arrive early Saturday morning having slept on the flight, as far as I remember.

Longer distance bizjets cost insane amounts to operate back then

AndrewJRenko

L1011 wrote: »

Bizjet to JFK, run across the tarmac to the Aer Lingus flight and arrive early Saturday morning having slept on the flight, as far as I remember.

Longer distance bizjets cost insane amounts to operate back then

All possible, but when you get one disturbed night's sleep, and then have to leave on Sunday afternoon to make the evening flight to JFK, and connect back to Pittsburgh early Monday morning, that is going to take a huge toll on the human body, week after week. He'd have a decent seat for sure, but he wouldn't have a bed.

Very tough going to do that continuously.

Del.Monte

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

All possible, but when you get one disturbed night's sleep, and then have to leave on Sunday afternoon to make the evening flight to JFK, and connect back to Pittsburgh early Monday morning, that is going to take a huge toll on the human body, week after week. He'd have a decent seat for sure, but he wouldn't have a bed.

Very tough going to do that continuously.

Look at the end result in the case of the 'bean baron'.