Work From Home
Work from home
GiphyWorking from home is the best way to avoid commuting during peak hours. If you work at a company that is flexible and offers the option of telecommuting, sometimes taking advantage of it can save you a considerable amount of stress, fuel, and wear and tear on your poor brakes. Some employers may not offer for you to work from home every day or you may have meetings that you need to attend. In this case, if your employer is flexible on the time you arrive, consider working from home during peak hours, then driving in slightly later than usual. Coming in 30 minutes later, relatively stress-free, sets the tone for the day and you can take care of all of your meetings in person!
Be Patient
Be patient
When in traffic, time seems to slow to a crawl - much like the speed of your vehicle. Waiting in traffic is the last thing you want to do when driving to work or going home after a long day. Each day I watch other commuters in traffic and can't help but shake my head. I used to be one of these drivers. Before I adopted my new driving behaviors, I would be that guy. I was "That Guy" who would brake very late and get unreasonably close to people who were going "too slow" in the passing lane. I would be in my truck with my lights on, shining directly into every rear-facing mirror they had and wait for them to move over. I want to extend an apology to those commuters that were subjected to this every single day for many years. I would count to three, and if I could, I would pass them on the right and go on my way. I aggressively weaved my 19' truck through traffic, and then I realized something. All of this aggressive driving was causing me to be more frustrated. I found my mood getting worse, and worse, and worse. Speeding up to cars, braking hard, speeding up, braking hard, and on and on got old, and fast. If you can relate to this paragraph at all, I have a suggestion. Sit back and try to relax! No matter how much commotion you cause on the highway, you will get to your destination eventually. Your rushing does nothing but make you more frustrated and put other people's safety at risk.
Make Your Time Productive
Productive
So you're in traffic and you are getting frustrated because you don't have enough hours in the day to make sure that you take care of all of your responsibilities, take care of yourself, and you're sitting there doing nothing but stewing in the bubbling frustration of stop-and-go. When I was working in telecommunications, I would have to drive relatively far distances to get to sites. Sometimes 20 minutes, some times 10 hours one way. I learned that after doing this for a while, that I felt as though I was wasting my time driving. I needed to do something to keep me occupied, but not distracted. This is when I fell in love with audio-books. I originally scoffed at the idea because up until this particular time, my limiting belief was that I couldn't learn as well by listening. I always classified myself as a "kinetic learner" or one who learns by doing. Though this was and still is accurate, with practice I became skilled at listening comprehension. Audio-books became my best friend. I went on a downloading spree and quickly built a library of 45 or so titles. Listening to audio-books helps defuse your frustration and direct the focus on the book rather than the seemingly endless slinky of walking speed traffic, and makes the commute almost seem shorter. Give it a try!
Go Hands-free
With modern technologies being integrated into our cars like AndroidAuto, Apple CarPlay, and other phone emulating platforms, going hands-free is getting easier and more accessible. Though it is getting easier, there are still drivers who can't put their phone down, and it is pretty terrifying to be on the road with some of them. According to the US Department of Safety Traffic Safety Facts, in the year 2017, 37,133 people were killed in traffic accidents, 3,166 of those fatalities were caused by distracted driving. If you can't put your phone down to keep you safe, then please for the sake of other people, put it away. Set your music, podcast, or audiobook before you take off and let it be. The text, Facebook notification, or email can change your life and someone else's in an instant. I don't know about you, but I truly would not want to live with the guilt of taking someone's life due to my own negligence.
Use Science
GiphyI know, in traffic leaving a gap is one of the worst things imaginable. It leaves you vulnerable to being cut off; it allows other pesky drivers to merge, and doesn't give you the gratification of blocking the driver that you have been mentally racing for the last 6 miles. Though that little victory feels good, leaving a gap and forfeiting the win feels much better. Now, bear with me as we dip our toes into some science. It shouldn't be too painful. I recently researched constructive and destructive interference. According to the Swinburne University of Technology, destructive interference is " when the maxima of two waves are 180 degrees out of phase: a positive displacement of one wave is canceled exactly by a negative displacement of the other wave. The amplitude of the resulting wave is zero." Constructive interference is "when the maxima of two waves add together (the two waves are in phase) so that the amplitude of the resulting wave is equal to the sum of the individual amplitudes. Equivalently, the minima of the waves would be aligned."
You might be thinking, "How does this apply to traffic?" I'll tell you!
If you imagine the accordion-like flow of traffic as a frequency, it may help. As you are going through traffic, there are spots where you are moving and places where you are at a standstill. Imagine the frequency being the speed that you are traveling, the highest amplitude is when you're driving, and the lowest amplitude when traffic is stopped. If you apply the ideas of constructive and destructive interference, something cool happens. When you and your car are the destructive interference, you move for longer and more steady because every time the traffic stops, you are far enough away and moving slow enough, that by the time you reach the slowed traffic, it is already moving again!
HOW TO:
1. Leave a reasonable distance between you and the car in front of you.
2. Look as far ahead of you as possible and see how many times the traffic slows down or stops, and for how long. Do this quickly, it's not an exact science because there are too many variables to list.
3. Widen the gap between you and the car in front of you depending on how many braking events you see.
4. Try to maintain a speed that is slightly slower than those in front of you.
5. Sit back and enjoy the crawl to freedom.
On top of being less frustrating, your brakes, fuel economy, and wallet will appreciate it too!
Be Courteous
GiphyFinally, be courteous! I think that if we all exercised some common courtesy on the roadways, our commutes would be much less like a stampede and more like an organized flow of vehicles. I get it, you want to get home and sit on the couch and watch the next episode of your favorite show, or shower off the dirt and cobwebs, or take your boots, shoes, or pants off, and breathe that sigh of relief of being home. So does everyone else. Try to keep in mind that everyone around you is also longing for that and you being an asshole on the road is making everything worse. So here are some tips!
1. Allow people to change lanes, and don't speed up to block them out.
2. If you're coming up to an on-ramp, move over, or welcome those people to the party by leaving them a gap to merge in.
3. Use your blinker.
4. If someone is using their blinker, let them go where they want to go.
5. Don't take out your aggression and stress on strangers that just want to get home.
6. Don't give people the finger.
7. Try to understand that people are people and some are having a much worse day than you are.
8. Stay calm.
Virgo - Rabbit
GiphyYou're quiet and don't take center stage, just like rabbits. You're neither depended, or independent.
Aquarius - Pig
GiphyYou're quiet and shy, and meeting new people makes you uncomfortable, but once you get to know them - you are the energy machine.
Taurus - Bear
GiphyJust like bears, you like a schedule and aren't afraid to work for what you want.
Shoes on beds and couches.
GiphyTake off your shoes before getting into bed or putting your feet on furniture! Think about everything you walked through, are you really okay with that in your bed and on your couch?
Use a paper towel to exit public restroom.
GiphyUse a paper towel to exit the public bathroom because there are people who do not wash their hands after using the restroom.
Wash hands after handling money.
GiphyWhile in college you may not have as much money as Donald in the gif above... but you should wash your hands after counting all of your nickles and dimes.
Don't try on random hats.
GiphyYou never know if someone with bedbugs or lice were trying on those hats before you did. I also actively avoid trying out pillows and other things that kids would enjoy reaching for and rubbing their faces against it (and therefore their hair).
Don't place raw food with other foods in my grocery store bag!
GiphyYes, I really do want my bloody meat in a separate bag from my salad.
I also leave my raw meats in the grocery bag when placing in the fridge. This creates a barrier between raw foods and other cooked foods in the surrounding area.
Wash hands AFTER CRACKING EGGS.
GiphyDo I really need to say anything here? I thought this was common sense.
If it isn't common sense please read into, salmonella.
I don't wear clothes two days in a row.
GiphyGranted, I know this is more of personal preference. I tend to have oily skin, I never wear clothes two days in a row to feel comfortable.
It is hard for me to understand though when people wear clothes SEVERAL days in a row. Take it off and wash it for goodness sake!
"Day clothes" do NOT go on the bed.
GiphyWhat are "day clothes", you ask? "Day clothes" are what I call pieces of clothing you are wearing when you exit your place of residence. While getting groceries and coming right back home doesn't exactly make the clothes "filthy", there are other reasons why I do not put these clothes on the bed.
Being a college student, I frequent places that are high traffic, where other people are, were, or will be. I don't know who sat in that chair last, I don't know who sat at that desk last, etc. You just don't know how filthy the last person was who was sitting there.
While people think I am a freak, I HIGHLY recommend this for when you go to see your family doctor, or walk-in clinic. People see doctors for reasons ranging from getting a physical, to explosive diarrhea. Do you really want to sit/lay on your bed after sitting in the waiting area at the doctor's office? NO THANK YOU.
Sharing hair brush and other hair accessories.
Can't find your hair brush?
Well, you're out of luck, because I'm not sharing mine!
I don't care who you are, or how clean you think you are, I am NOT sharing my hairbrush with you.
Keep your hair to yourself.
GiphyPlease keep your hair to yourself. If you get in my personal space bubble, I don't want your hair to touch me. If I give you a hug, don't lean your head to touch my head. Please respect my boundaries.
Actually, don't touch my hair either. We clear?
Clean up your prepping area after handling raw food.
GiphyDon't be an idiot sandwich, clean your utensils and prepping area after handling raw food. Don't let questionable juices sit on the counter for days, it isn't going to clean itself!
Cross contamination is also a huge issue concerning raw foods. Before handling raw foods, make sure you are knowledgeable on how to handle these foods before making someone extremely ill or kill them.
Wash hands before and after handling your pets.
GiphyWhile this is a little different for dogs and cats, I am talking primarily about animals who are in cages.
For example I have a guinea pig. He is a very sweet boy, and like all of his relatives and ancestors before him, he has a weak immune system. I do my best to limit the amount of germs he comes into contact.
Likewise, for those who own pets in the reptile family, ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING YOUR PET. Please, for your sake, and every person you come into contact with, thoroughly wash your hands. These guys carry salmonella!
Wash hands or hand sanitize before eating, especially in public.
GiphyYes, it is a really good habit to get into when eating outside of your house to wash your hands or hand sanitize before eating.
Fast food, you handle your money before eating your food, so wash or hand sanitize!
At a restaurant, you touch door handles to enter, and flip through the menu to figure out what you want. Menus are the filthiest thing in a restaurant. Please see this article: The Dirtiest Thing on a Restaurant Table.
Wash hands or hand sanitize after using the public computer lab.
GiphyWhat is that on the keyboard? I hope it is just food...
I don't even want to know what could possibly be on the public computer's keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc. we are going to move to the next point.
Cough and sneeze into your arm.
GiphyPlease don't sneeze into the air to let those germs fly and travel where no germ has gone before. Also, don't sneeze or cough into your hand, you're just going to touch other things to spread the germs around.
Sneezing and coughing into your arm/elbow area is the best way to limit germs from spreading and being respectful to those around you who do not want to get sick.
Do not place book bag on bed.
It's inevitable that your book bag, purse, gym bag, or any other type of bag will sit on the floor. Some floors are cleaner than others.
Since bags are often sat on the ground, they follow the same logic as shoes. I do not place my book bag or purse on my bed! To me it is the same thing as shoes, it has been on the ground, therefore it does not belong on my bed!
Please don't be offended if I avoid you when you're sick.
GiphyIf you have the sniffles, I'll still hang out with you, I'll just be sure not to touch any of your things.
However, if you or a family are sick with the flu and/or vomiting, or worse DO NOT invite me to your house, and DO NOT come over to my house. I'm absolutely disgusted when I go over to someone's house and then they tell me that a relative is puking their guts out. Ummmm, what? Thanks for inviting me into your abode of horrors? Nasty!
1. "Soo .. what friends of mine do you actually like?"
You know how your Mom always spots the fake friends, imagine how good your dog could be at this.
2. "Do you get tired of eating the same food all of the time?"
Could you imagine.. the same food... the same treats... every day
3. "How long does one day feel to you?"
I mean for us, a day can feel as quick as ten minutes or as long as ten years. But more importantly, how long does it feel for the puppies?
4. "What are you favorite spots to get pet?"
Do they just wag their tail to be polite? Or are they actually enjoying their pets?
5. "Do you have anyone over when we leave?"
Humans out, puppy party started
6. "Who are your besties on the block?"
What is good with the dog drama, spill the tea.
7. "Do you just pretend to sleep when we walk into the room?"
Just like when we were little and did not want to walk inside after falling asleep in the car, so we pretended to be asleep to get carried inside.
8. "Who is your favorite family member?"
I mean... obviously you have to have favorites, right?
3. "There is a parking spo- oh never mind."
GiphyWhen someone steals your spot or you can't park there because of the zone color. *major eye roll*
8. "Wait, its over? I can leave?"
https://giphy.com/gifs/friends-excited-31lPv5L3aIvTiWhen it's syllabus day and you get out super early.
9. "I can't find my class. I'm going to be late and they're going to kick me out."
Giphy10. "I made it through my first day, go me."
GiphyOkay, look, its a big deal! College is no playground and is WAY different than high school.
