I'll be honest with you all since we're friends... We are, right? The main reason I resigned from my first job after four years was because the daily commute had gotten so bad. That's why one Urban Pinoy Day I chose to take almost the same position but in a night shift. I had to adjust my sleep pattern but the commute was less stressful. Voila! I started experiencing success in my career.
This is coming from the perspective of someone who lives in Cainta and used to work at a Bank's headquarters in the Makati CBD. If you have decided to rent a room (or a bed, I'm not judging) near your office good for you. If you're bringing your car everyday through that congested traffic? Well good luck to you.
Commuting to work
1. Wake up early (like really early)
 |
| lauravirginia.me |
That's a gimme. In my case I used to wake up at 4:30 am and be on my way around 5:30 am. That was during the early part of my career, when I still cared. Right before I resigned I was leaving our home at 6:30 am. And you know what? There will be times when I would not make it on time at 8:30 am, more often when I was leaving home at 6:30 am. The frustration of waking up early and still being late was part of the stress I had to go through.
That was about 8 years ago (as of this writing). Now I've heard that it gets so bad you have to leave Cainta at 4:30 am to make sure. Okay, that's exaggerating. 5 am would be ideal, if you can.
2. Eat breakfast
I admit that I did not follow this advice and would regret it. It was just that I had to wake up early that no one else was awake to make me breakfast. I also had no time to prepare my breakfast myself because I had to rush to get ready. I would be so famished when I got to the office that I would spend some time to eat. If I arrived late, I would have to wait until lunch to get my first meal of the day.
I am now telling you, you must eat breakfast before leaving home. You'll need the energy for the commute itself and you will be more or else ready to work when you get to the office. If it was a really good breakfast you can even talk about it with your office mates.
It's inevitable. Drivers pack a UV express full to maximize profits. People will be standing in the aisle of buses all the way up to the door. I have rode the MRT and I was literally pressed to the door. I have also experienced sharing a taxi with three other people. I have never tried Uber or Grab for this purpose (because it didn't exist yet) and I think surge pricing would be off the charts.
With everyone desperate needing to get to work on time, you'll have to learn to share your ride with strangers in close proximity to you. If this makes you squeamish, I really have no advice to deal with that. Some people just get used to it I guess. I play basketball as a forward. I really have no issue getting close to people.
4. Don't take it personally
 |
| definitelyfilipino.com |
I also remember back in my time we had to run after a UV Express going to Ayala. This was where my basketball playing came into good use. I could run, even in dress shoes (destroyed pairs quicker than usual), and push people to get my way. It was nothing personal, we just needed to get to work on-time. Don't hate the people, hate the system.
5. Get ready to ask (beg) for forgiveness from your boss
Going back to no. 1, there will be times that despite waking up early you'll still arrive late for work. You will now need to ask for forgiveness from your boss. Some companies require you to send a message to your boss at least 30 minutes before the start of your shift.
Either way, don't just sashay into the office like you were supposed to be late. Kanye's "you should be honored by my lateness" does not apply here, or anywhere for that matter. Personally, I don't care what time you report for work, just make sure you finish your job at the end of the day. However, if your company's rules include punctuality then you need to follow it.
Commuting from work
1. Stay a while in the area (not saying do overtime work, unless you have to of course)
 |
| memegenerator.net |
If you're going to have to stand in line anyway, I suggest you just stay around in the are for an hour or two, then try to get a ride home. Get a quick dinner (remember "eat breakfast" from the previous section?), you'll need the energy for the travel. I found that after doing this I would have unwinded from the long work day and there will be virtually no more lines at the terminal. Traffic would have also lessened by this time as well. Some people hit the gym by this time or get a quick run in at the Ayala Triangle (can you still do that now?)
2. Make sure you don't stay too late that it's closing time at the malls
 |
| thatgingerdoll.wordpress.com/ via giphy.com |
Why? You'll have to contend with other people who waited for the mall to close and the mall staff. Combine this with the fact that there are less public transportation left on the streets. Around 7 pm to 8 pm is ideal. Save the drinking for the weekends.
3. Get a decent mobile device
 |
| comicskingdom.com/ via globalnerdy.com |
There's a reason why I included this in "Commuting from Work" only. Part of this is because of no. 3 and 4 in the previous section. I have also noticed that people tend to try to catch up on sleep during the morning and generally stay awake in the evening commute. Also, if you can, don't whip out an expensive device. Be wary of some potential hold-ups.
4. Totally forget the concept of personal space
I mean, despite waiting for about an hour, chances are the vehicle will still be pretty full. Don't expect that you would have a reunion with your personal space this soon.
You've got the weekend for that. Something to look forward to, eh?
You'll have to sacrifice some of the popular telenovelas now that you're working. But hey, you're still getting to eat some home cooking. Be happy with what you've got.
Now go to sleep. You'll have to wake up really early.
Hope this helps!
No comments:
Post a Comment