Technology

The 2021 Commuting Challenge

What are employed people going to do in 2021 with all the extra time and money they will have because they won’t have to commute to the office with the same regularity?

By  
on

Welcome to 2021, what we all hope will be a year of healing from the traumas of 2020. While each of us experienced 2020’s challenges differently, my personal end-of-the-year journey left me plenty of time to reflect on the blessings of good health. Despite my best efforts — the same efforts that had allowed me to elude the virus despite living in a Brooklyn neighborhood that saw at least two distinct infection waves — I had a positive test for COVID-19 just a few days before New Year’s. I was thankfully spared the fever and coughing that usually accompanies COVID-19 infection, but was also forced to acknowledge that the intermittent muscle pain and fatigue I experienced before testing was the actual start of my symptoms. It is hard not to feel guilty for walking around as usual (with masks and social distancing in any public spaces, of course), even though there was no way of knowing it was COVID-19 before getting the positive test result. Either way, the experience does nothing other than to make me thankful for a return to health, as well as deeply empathetic with those whose experience with this dreadful disease was not as favorable in the end.

While in isolation, I had plenty of time to contemplate an extremely varied list of topics, from the existential (e.g., the fragility of good health in the face of a tiny microbe) to the mundane (e.g., will I still need to get a vaccine when they open up access to people in my age group sometime in 2022-23). One of the things I kept coming back to, however, was “what are employed people going to do in 2021 with all the extra time and money they will have because they won’t have to commute to the office with the same regularity?” Considering that I have been working remotely for some time myself, my mind’s continued return to the topic was a bit puzzling. But then I would imagine myself as a younger lawyer, in my Biglaw days, where the already-long hours in the office were supplemented by significant commuting time. Soon enough, I realized that my former experience as a commuter still weighed on my subconscious somehow. Metapsychology aside, I do recognize that prior to the pandemic, commuting was a big part of the daily routine for many IP lawyers. And that in many cases 2021 promises adjusted commuting schedules — or continued elimination of commuting altogether — for those fortunate enough to remain employed.

If 2020 was a shock to our working lives, 2021 offers the opportunity to proactively reconfigure things for the better. For some, the lack of a need to commute to an office daily presents an opportunity to flee the urban environment for somewhere cheaper and less stressful. For others, it presents more chances for family time, whether that be for family dinners closer to the end of the school day or the ability to help out with household chores. At bottom, not needing to commute every day will result in a net gain — for most IP lawyers — of two precious resources, time and money. Which begs the question of how best to use that extra time and money. The answer of course will depend on each person’s circumstances, personality, and values. But here are some ideas to get your personal thinking started.

There are a lot of great things you can do with the money saved from not commuting as often. Calculating the amount saved could rightfully include not only your gas and tolls or train/bus tickets, but all the extra expenditures — morning coffee, donut(s), afternoon snack, whatever — associated with trying to make the commute more livable. Whatever your personal savings add up to, consider applying at least some of the money saved to investing in your remote workspace. (First, however, try and get your employer to pay for as much of the home office outfitting as possible.) You will be spending more time than ever working from home, so make sure your workspace is as good as it can be ergonomically, technologically, and in terms of presenting a professional backdrop for video calls. Next, consider using some of the savings toward charity — we all know the needs are great all around us. Finally, set aside some of the savings on an ongoing basis toward your hoped-for return to leisure travel at some as-yet undetermined point. Yes, everyone is already desperately in need for a vacation. Start saving toward one.

As important as the financial savings is the excess time many will have as their liberation from the daily commuting grind is solidified in 2021. Try and apply some of that newfound time in socially beneficial ways. Get on that pro bono project you always wanted to start. Or set some time each day for outdoor exercise of some kind — more important than ever when the comforts of working all day from home can stealthily reduce time spent outdoors. Don’t forget to replace the social interactions inherent in the commuting lifestyle as well. Use some of the time for late afternoon post-work Zoom social events with friends or colleagues, or even former commuting buddies. The ideas are endless. What matters most is doing something productive in response to 2021’s commuting challenge.

Please feel free to send comments or questions to me at gkroub@kskiplaw.com or via Twitter: @gkroub. Any topic suggestions or thoughts are most welcome.

Sponsored

Gaston Kroub lives in Brooklyn and is a founding partner of Kroub, Silbersher & Kolmykov PLLC, an intellectual property litigation boutique, and Markman Advisors LLC, a leading consultancy on patent issues for the investment community. Gaston’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation and related counseling, with a strong focus on patent matters. You can reach him at gkroub@kskiplaw.com or follow him on Twitter: @gkroub.

Sponsored

CRM Banner

Topics

, , , ,