Another reverse commute post. Commuting all the way to Libertyville from the city, what should I do?
I’m 30M living in Lincoln Park and recently started a job in Libertyville. The commute is brutal: 45–60 minutes in the morning (leaving at 6:00 AM), but often 2 hours getting back (leaving at 3:30 PM). I've read enough posts on here to know that this commute pretty much sucks no matter what, but the thought of moving out of the city has me so depressed.
I’m currently required to be in-office every day. This should eventually scale back to a hybrid or remote setup, but the timeline is unclear and could be 5+ months away (probably more). By the time I get home, I’m too exhausted for the gym or a social life. I don't have a partner, but want one, and this commute feels like it's eating all my energy.
My questions:
- Is there a better neighborhood to bridge the gap that doesn't feel like moving to the deep suburbs? I know Evanston could work, but honestly it doesn't save that much time, most of the traffic is before then anyways.
- Are there any strategies to make this drive more productive or less draining? I already listen to podcasts and audio books but still, I feel like I'm getting fat uptight sitting in that fuckin car all of the time.
- Should I just tough it out until the office requirement lightens up? This seems like the obvious choice, but I guess the fact that the timeline is vague has me freaked out that this will be the rest of my life lol.
Open to any suggestions on locations or sanity-saving tips.