Not very long ago I worked in a job where it only took 15 minutes by car each way to and from work, door to door (and not just on a good day – I go against the traffic). Recently, I’ve been working in the city, and the commute is 45 minutes each way, door to door (and that’s if there isn’t some delay with the trains).

In essence I’ve lost about an hour each day, an hour where I would previously have done my gardening or made dinner. That one extra hour per day, considering your average 8 hour work day, works out to be 12.5% more time that you’re spend as you “go about your business” so to speak, even if it’s unproductive (reading or playing games while on public transport notwithstanding).

Think about that if you’re looking for work, and consider whether it might be worthwhile finding a job closer to home, even if it pays 12.5% less. You might find that the personal dividends well worth the sacrifice in monetary terms.