I work from home, so my regular commute from the dining room, where I eat my breakfast, to the office is about four steps. Nine steps if I pass through the kitchen to get me a bottle of water.
I have always thought that not having to waste precious time on a commute was one of the perks of working from home.
But lately I found that there are some benefits that I am missing out on.
Last autumn I experimented with what I call an ‘extended commute’ and really liked it, but I did not make it into a habit. And today I decided that I wanted to try it again.
So what exactly is an ‘extended morning commute’?
Very simple: my extended commute means that I take a detour and instead of walking the shortest route from the dining room to the office I pass through some outside space.
My aim is to walk about 2 kilometres on my detour, but I will allow myself a shorter commute to our patio or balcony in case of rain or lack of time. Of course, I am may also decide to extend my commute even more if I feel like. After all, I am my own boss.
I try to accomplish several things by extending my morning commute. The main benefit is an increase in energy during the morning because I activated my body. Then there are the positive effects of light exposure early in the morning and the clear transition ritual telling my brain exactly when it is time to switch to ‘work mode’.
A final benefit is the opportunity to explore my neighbourhood. I use the eRoutes app to generate three random walking routes with the length I specify and today it already surprised me by passing through a street I haven’t traversed for many years.
