Consider Starting and Ending Your Day With a Fake Commute.
One of the first parts of teleworking that really got people excited (besides being able to wear soft clothes all the time) was avoiding the daily commute. Whether it’s driving a car with traffic jams or constantly being late on public transport, the idea of just getting out of bed and walking to another room in the house (or staying in the same room) seemed like a dream come true.
But now some people actually miss the commute to work before the pandemic. Not only has it provided precious lonely time for those currently in quarantine with other people in their family, but it has also provided a clear distinction between your workday and your private time at home. Now it can be hard to tell when “work hours” ends (or at least it seems). This is why you might be considering a bogus commute. Here’s how to add it to your daily routine.
What is a fake trip to work?
The purpose of the fake trip to work is to recreate what is best described by the German word “Feierabend”, which means the time between the end of work and the start of leisure and / or recreation. In an interview with the BBC, Christoph Stengel, a 41-year-old Berliner who works as a software developer, said that there are actually two meanings of the word Feierabend: “First, this is the moment you stop working for the rest of the day – of course then [ it is] a good feeling. Second, it’s part of the day between work and sleep. ”
And while it can certainly be a form of self-care, Feyerabend’s origins are also deeply rooted in capitalism : if people are given the opportunity to relax at the end of the day, the idea is that they will be more productive the next day at work. “You have to rest right after work, you can’t do double the next day, ” Niels Backhaus, a 34-year-old research and policy adviser from Germany, told the BBC . “Stress and recovery go hand in hand. It’s like a bodily rhythm. “
How to include a fake commute on your day
The hardest part of starting (and keeping up with) a fake trip to work is making time to do it in the morning and evening (or whenever you start and end your work day) – especially since that means you, you may have to wake up a little earlier. Then choose an activity (or several) that will replace your commute to work. This can be anything from taking a walk while listening to music or a podcast (or just enjoying the silence), taking a 10-15 minute yoga class or stretching a YouTube video, or reading a book (and no, social media and news don’t), etc. ). Use this as a way to make your day easier and get out of it, as well as go into free time (if you have one).