If you’re a business owner, then it can feel like you have enough of your plate, what with all the admin tasks and other responsibilities that you have, including managing the company’s finances. As such, you don’t want to make things any more difficult than they need to be. Yet many of us do, albeit unwittingly. For some of us, our commute takes up far too much time and money. We could put both these things to much better use, with a little bit of thinking. Below, we take a look at a number of ways you can make getting to work more time and cost-efficient.
Pick the Office Sensibly
First thing’s first, if you’re the company owner, then you get to decide where your office is based. It makes little sense choosing a location that’s a couple of hours away from where you live! Pick somewhere that’s easily accessible; you’ll be thankful for it when you get in your in the morning. Of course, sometimes things like being based in “the right area” will need to be considered. While you should try to find a convenient location, you shouldn’t compromise the success of your business if it’s going to rely on being in a certain area.
Your Own Schedule
Here’s something that few people consider but more (though not too many) should: there’s no law that says you need to arrive at the office at 9am and work until 5pm. This is only a smart idea if it works for you, but in many cases, it won’t. Consider this scenario: to arrive at 9am, you need to leave your home at 8, purely because the traffic will be so bad. On the other hand, if you agree to arrive at 9:30 or 10, your drive might just only take you half the time, because there are so many fewer cars on the road.
Work From Home
Similarly, who says that you need to visit the office every single day anyway? You’ll save a lot of money – and also avoid falling into a routine, which can make mess with your creativity – if you work a day or two from your home office. You’ll be slashing your fuel bill by 40% if you take the two days from home option. In order to do this successfully, however, you’ll want to ensure you have the infrastructure that allows you to work from your home as if you were in the office, such as cloud storage.
Efficient Driving
Did you know that you might be paying far more for your commute than you need to be? Two cars could make the same journey, and one would end up paying much more than the other. It’s all about how the driver operates the vehicle, and also the car itself. For starters, look at taking your vehicle to a garage for a car emissions test; they’ll be able to tell you if your car’s exhaust and emissions system are working as they’re supposed to. If it’s not, you’ll be burning through more gas than necessary, which hits your bottom line. Second, take a look at your driving. If you’re accelerating quickly and braking harshly, then it’s possible that you have a low MPG. You want as high a number as possible, as this will mean you’ll have to wait longer amounts of time between trips to the pump.
Car Sharing
If you live near to one of your employees, why not consider riding in together? This is a simple way to instantly half the amount of money you spend on your travels, and it’ll also free up some time for you to work on your tasks (on the days when the employee is driving, of course; you’ll alternate each week). Some bosses might raise eyebrows at the idea of sharing a ride with an employee, but it’s the wrong attitude. You’ll have some bonding time, and the positives greatly outweigh the potential downsides.
Public Transport
But who says that you need to get behind the wheel at all? If you live in an urban area with good public transport links, then this isn’t only “an option”; it’s probably the smartest decision you could make. Driving in urban areas is stressful, wastes time, and you have to pay for parking. If you take the bus or the train, then you’ll arrive at the office in double quick time (especially if you go via train), and won’t need to concern yourself with parking your vehicle. This is the normal way of reaching work for millions of people who live in big cities, and they all choose it for a reason.
The Healthy Option
There’s an increasing number of people who are deciding to cycle to work, and you can understand why. For starters, once you’ve paid for the bike, there are no costs involved. Second, it’s good for everyone: society, the planet, and you. A thirty-minute cycle to work will get your brain firing in a way that a car journey never could. So you’ll arrive at work raring and ready to go, and you’ll have already gotten your day’s fill of exercise. It’s win-win (well, it is if there’s a shower located at your office).
Getting Work Done
If you have no choice other than to spend an hour or so in the vehicle, then you may as well get something for your time. There are plenty of things you can do to move your company forward, though there are more options if you take public transport. Phone calls, memos, dictating emails can all be done hands-free if you’re driving, though.
Or Switch Off
On the other hand, remember that sometimes there’s power in switching off, especially at the end of the day. Any good idea that you have will be forgotten by tomorrow, so use your commute as a chance to disconnect from work and focus on your personal time. Listen to music, call friends, listen to a podcast will all help you relax.