Commuting to work is for suckers

Guys, if you commute to work, then you are a sucker. I'm sorry to tell you

that. Studies show that your happiness level is inversely proportional to the length of your commute. And furthermore,

that. Studies show that your happiness level is inversely proportional to the length of your commute. And furthermore,

the same studies show that if you have a 1-hour long commute, then you have to be making 40% more to be equally happy as someone with a short walking commute.

Let that sink in. You know, when you try to measure your happiness in a holistic way, a lot of nerds get way too caught up on purely the total comp number. You know, they'll get in

number. You know, they'll get in your face and be like, "How much do you make? 400. I made 450. Beat you." And

number. You know, they'll get in your face and be like, "How much do you make? 400. I made 450. Beat you." And

make? 400. I made 450. Beat you." And

it's like, it isn't about just the total comp number. You know, they get so caught up in this dick-measuring contest. It's about holistically the

comp number. You know, they get so caught up in this dick-measuring contest. It's about holistically the

contest. It's about holistically the whole equation for happiness, which includes things like cost of living and quality of life. And so I'm going to show you how to weigh all that together

contest. It's about holistically the whole equation for happiness, which includes things like cost of living and quality of life. And so I'm going to show you how to weigh all that together

to get a more holistic number that you want to be measuring. So in this video I'm going to cover the full spectrum from working remotely, which is ideal, to having to have a commute and how to

optimize it to be short, and then the opposite extreme, which is living at work, which can work as well. Let's get into it. So one of the hidden blessings in

it. So one of the hidden blessings in disguise of COVID is that it's made remote jobs way more acceptable. And so given the studies I cited, you should be

it. So one of the hidden blessings in disguise of COVID is that it's made remote jobs way more acceptable. And so given the studies I cited, you should be

willing to take almost a 40% pay cut if your boss lets you work from home.

Obviously, don't show your hand and tell them this, but that's what the statistics show. That's how much more happiness you buy by getting to work from home. Now, if you manage to work

statistics show. That's how much more happiness you buy by getting to work from home. Now, if you manage to work

from home. Now, if you manage to work from home, ideally, you want to move to a state with no state tax. So, the

from home. Now, if you manage to work from home, ideally, you want to move to a state with no state tax. So, the

cooler states without state tax, I would say, are Texas and Florida. So getting

to work for a job in say New York City or San Francisco, but working remotely from Texas or Florida would be ideal. If

you can move to a lower cost of living state, that's still pretty cool. That's

really the balance you're looking for. So to give you an idea of how

for. So to give you an idea of how one of my friends pulled this off, one of my friends worked at this investment bank in New York City and he was really good at his job. He asked his manager if he could work from home one day a week.

for. So to give you an idea of how one of my friends pulled this off, one of my friends worked at this investment bank in New York City and he was really good at his job. He asked his manager if he could work from home one day a week.

His pace of productivity remained unchanged for that period. So then he slowly asked if he could make it 2 days a week and then 3 days a week and he managed to do this over like a year. By

the end of the year he was fully remote.

So from there he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee with his family, which is like this big remote working town. He's

paying like $500 a month to live in this huge house. That's like an optimal huge house. That's like an optimal situation as far as geo arbitrage. Now

huge house. That's like an optimal situation as far as geo arbitrage. Now

there's a lot of different ways to pull this off. I have another friend who this off. I have another friend who works at a company in Boston. She knows

this off. I have another friend who works at a company in Boston. She knows

the partners well and has been there for a long time. So through COVID, she got to work from Costa Rica and be doing kite surfing and things like that, spear fishing. After COVID ended, she just asked

fishing. After COVID ended, she just asked if she could spend winters in Costa Rica and summers in Boston. So she's

fishing. After COVID ended, she just asked if she could spend winters in Costa Rica and summers in Boston. So she's

basically doing like the whole snowbird thing, and they were okay with it. So a

lot of times you just have to build good relationships with the partners or owners and build a reputation for being productive even when you're working from home. And once you build that trust, they don't really have an issue with you doing that because what

does it matter to them? They get extra office space. Now what's even more ideal

office space. Now what's even more ideal in my opinion is geo arbitrageing abroad, but a lot of finance firms and bigger firms tend to not allow this

office space. Now what's even more ideal in my opinion is geo arbitrageing abroad, but a lot of finance firms and bigger firms tend to not allow this

because there's all these legal complications when you're technically working from another country, but there are firms that allow this, especially startups, which are more lax on regulations and things like this, and so

there's a lot of dudes who work out of Mexico City because it's roughly in the same time zone as most firms in the United States and the geo arb is insane cuz the cost of living is so much better.

Dating life is better. Just everything

about it. Quality of life, cost of living are getting max stats. You should

be willing to take a lower salary if you could do such a geo. Now, because this geo arb is so desirable, there's a lot of people who try to do this under the

radar by using VPNs and being really sneaky. And some people do get away with sneaky. And some people do get away with it for a long time, but other people get caught eventually. So, you know, if

sneaky. And some people do get away with it for a long time, but other people get caught eventually. So, you know, if

caught eventually. So, you know, if you're going to attempt to do this, do it at your own risk and know that you could get fired instantly if you get caught because it

caught eventually. So, you know, if you're going to attempt to do this, do it at your own risk and know that you could get fired instantly if you get caught because it

is usually in the employee handbook that you're not allowed to work from outside of the country. And just like legal liability wise, they pretty much have to fire you immediately and plead ignorance cuz they don't want to get sued by

clients by having an employee that's working outside of the country. So, if

you are one of these people that is attempting to fraud your way into acting like you live in one city while you're technically working from another city, before you log in every morning, definitely check the weather at the city

you're pretending to be in. Cuz you

don't want to get caught flatfooted when they're like, "Oh boy, how are you surviving that snowstorm?" Or, you know, like, "Oh, you guys are having that hurricane there, right? How are you working from home right now? Didn't

they do like a mandatory evacuation?"

you know, so you want to look that stuff up so that your narrative is consistent with the weather of your area and you know they don't grow suspicious cuz I actually had a

friend who was working at the same hedge fund as me. Him and I were both working from Miami while our hedge fund was in Chicago. At some point they asked us

Chicago. At some point they asked us after COVID to come back to Chicago. So I

Chicago. At some point they asked us after COVID to come back to Chicago. So I

just came back because you know I want to follow the rules but he was like no they're just not going to notice. He

came back for like a week or two and then just went back to Miami and he eventually got caught. You know, people just figured it out. He would be dressed in this like tropical weather. Those

like Hawaiian t-shirts with like leaves and flowers on them and in his Zoom calls while there's like a snowstorm going on in Chicago. And I don't know, people just eventually

figured it out. So if you're going to attempt to do that, just like you got to stay on top of it. You got to be careful cuz he basically got fired the moment they figured that out. All right. So, if

you can't get your boss to let you work remotely, let's talk about commuting.

So, one of the main reasons why commuting makes people so unhappy is because of the stress. You know, if you have a driving commute, you have to pay attention to the road the whole time.

You know, just like watching to see that you're between the lines and you know, in the winter when there's snowstorms, it's like super stressful.

There could be patches of black ice and you lose traction. And you know, speaking of that, a lot of people don't realize this, but the number one cause of death for people under the age of 44 is car accidents. So, you're taking

incredible risk every time you have a driving commute, especially when, you know, driving is the first thing you do in the morning. You know, a lot of times you're a little foggy in the head and you're rushing to work and it's easier to get into a car accident. But, let's

say you have a public transportation commute. That's stressful, too. You

commute. That's stressful, too. You

know, you get squished up into these little buses or subways like sardines and you know, you got to deal with like people's bad breath or like some people smell bad and people are coughing and spreading

viruses, especially in the winter.

Sometimes you get the homeless people who are just like peeing on themselves and just drooling and you know, god forbid you get even like dudes who will just straight up stab you, right? Like there's a lot

of violence on the subway. So public

transportation commutes are not ideal either. Now, let's talk about costs.

either. Now, let's talk about costs.

When you have a car, you have to pay gas, tolls, parking, repairs, and other maintenance. And your car is a

maintenance. And your car is a depreciating asset, oil changes, and so on. And when you have a public

maintenance. And your car is a depreciating asset, oil changes, and so on. And when you have a public

on. And when you have a public transportation commute, you have to pay for your train or bus fees. So, you're

on. And when you have a public transportation commute, you have to pay for your train or bus fees. So, you're

going to eat costs no matter what. So

once you understand the stress, the costs, the risks of having a commute, you understand quickly why the studies show that the length of your commute is inversely proportional with your happiness levels. And you should be

happiness levels. And you should be doing everything you can to reduce the length of your commute. So when you ask yourself at least for single people who don't have a wife and a kid who they

happiness levels. And you should be doing everything you can to reduce the length of your commute. So when you ask yourself at least for single people who don't have a wife and a kid who they

want to you know be able to go to a good school district for like a single person who lives in a city for example it's like why do you have such a long commute from some trendy neighborhood to your job that is suboptimal it just isn't

very strategic it's negative EV the optimal way to commute is to live as close as possible to work and I'll tell you why there's just a lot of propaganda

from realtors and that whole industry as far as like how cool it is to live in some trendy neighborhood. And it's

incredibly overrated. You know, for people who live in Chicago, for example, there's this whole flex by saying you live in like Gold Coast or Lakeview or somewhere that's seen as being more expensive or ritzy. People

think it's a flex. It doesn't matter as much as you think it matters. Let's be

realistic. On weekdays after work, most people are just going home and vegetating on their couch and watching Netflix and then ordering some food through DoorDash or Uber Eats or

something. They're just too tired to

something. They're just too tired to really be that social, you know. And if

something. They're just too tired to really be that social, you know. And if

this isn't you, then by all means, you know, you don't have to apply this advice. But most people who work hard at

advice. But most people who work hard at work and have really good careers, they're pretty tired on weekdays and they just kind of do something chill at home. So, you're really only being

advice. But most people who work hard at work and have really good careers, they're pretty tired on weekdays and they just kind of do something chill at home. So, you're really only being

home. So, you're really only being social on the weekend usually. So, why

home. So, you're really only being social on the weekend usually. So, why

should you commute back and forth 30 minutes Monday through Friday when the place you're commuting from, the trendy neighborhood you live in, you're only really making use of it on the weekend? What you should be doing is

living right next to work. Even if it's in some uncool downtown neighborhood that's like an office environment, it doesn't matter. Then your commute from

living right next to work. Even if it's in some uncool downtown neighborhood that's like an office environment, it doesn't matter. Then your commute from

doesn't matter. Then your commute from Monday through Friday will be super short. It'll be like a short 5-minute

doesn't matter. Then your commute from Monday through Friday will be super short. It'll be like a short 5-minute walk. It'll be like a short 5-minute walk-in commute. And then on the

walk. It'll be like a short 5-minute walk-in commute. And then on the weekend, if you want to do a reverse commute to the trendy neighborhood to meet your friends, that's when you can do it. You save hours and hours a week,

walk-in commute. And then on the weekend, if you want to do a reverse commute to the trendy neighborhood to meet your friends, that's when you can do it. You save hours and hours a week,

do it. You save hours and hours a week, which becomes hundreds of hours over a year. You save time, money, and stress.

do it. You save hours and hours a week, which becomes hundreds of hours over a year. You save time, money, and stress.

year. You save time, money, and stress.

If you can't work from home, then obviously you want as short a commute as possible. Once the commute's super

possible. Once the commute's super short, it gets you thinking, can you make it even shorter? What is the most optimal shortest commute, which is no commute, which is living at work? I've

possible. Once the commute's super short, it gets you thinking, can you make it even shorter? What is the most optimal shortest commute, which is no commute, which is living at work? I've

actually done this before, so I can share my thoughts on it. When I worked at Lockheed Martin, I decided I'm just going to live out of my car in the company parking lot and utilize the gym

at the office to shower in the mornings.

And there's a growing movement of people who do this, especially in cities like San Francisco, which are stupidly expensive. There's a lot of tech bros

expensive. There's a lot of tech bros who just live out of RVs and go work for Google. They're saving stupid amounts of

expensive. There's a lot of tech bros who just live out of RVs and go work for Google. They're saving stupid amounts of

Google. They're saving stupid amounts of money because when they're deciding on your total comp number, they're factoring in the fact that rent and real estate is so expensive in that area. And

Google. They're saving stupid amounts of money because when they're deciding on your total comp number, they're factoring in the fact that rent and real estate is so expensive in that area. And

suddenly, you're removing that from your entire budget. You can find other YouTubers and people who do this.

entire budget. You can find other YouTubers and people who do this.

They sleep out of their cars or they sleep in RVs and then they just shower at the gym or they shower in the office.

You trim down the commute to zero and you trim down your rent expenses to zero. It's an insane cost savings and zero. It's an insane cost savings and it's just adventurous and fun. I mean,

zero. It's an insane cost savings and it's just adventurous and fun. I mean,

who wants to feel like some office drone and just punch in and punch out and just watch the years and the seasons go by?

Like, who wants to live like that? You

know, you're only on this earth once and it just feels more exciting to do something a little weird and, you know, off the radar. You suddenly feel alive again. Like, you

suddenly feel like the main character in the story of your life again. Like, oh

I'm really doing this. This is

crazy, you know? And it's kind of fun to like see how long you can get away with it without people noticing, you know?

Like, I'd be the first in the office a lot of times and people are like, "I didn't even see you drive in. How did

how did you get here so soon?" and

you're just like giggling in your head like, "Bro, I never left." And it's kind of fun to like mess with people like that. It's like a hack. It's a

like that. It's like a hack. It's a

life hack. So yeah, I really recommend doing something like that. It really

keeps life interesting. And you know, after you get away with doing that for like a year, you've saved like $50,000. Now, there are actually firms

$50,000. Now, there are actually firms that already encourage this like Foxconn or CluedIn. You know, there's

$50,000. Now, there are actually firms that already encourage this like Foxconn or CluedIn. You know, there's

or CluedIn. You know, there's firms where you actually sleep at work and they combine the two. It's better

or CluedIn. You know, there's firms where you actually sleep at work and they combine the two. It's better

for productivity at work if you want to be the man and just like kick ass there, but then it just eliminates the commute altogether. So, that's another way to altogether. So, that's another way to go. If you happen to work for a firm

altogether. So, that's another way to go. If you happen to work for a firm like that, then you'll just have no commute. So, I would encourage that way

go. If you happen to work for a firm like that, then you'll just have no commute. So, I would encourage that way

commute. So, I would encourage that way of thinking as well. So, yeah, guys, you know, with the channel, I really want to help people think outside of the box.

commute. So, I would encourage that way of thinking as well. So, yeah, guys, you know, with the channel, I really want to help people think outside of the box.

Don't be trapped in the comfortable rhythms of life. You're never going to be an extraordinary person or have an extraordinary life if you do things in an ordinary way, right? The extra and extraordinary. You have to go extra. You

extraordinary. You have to go extra. You

have to get out of your comfort zone and do things that are a little bit weird in order to feel alive again and to really get ahead of

your peers in terms of retiring earlier or, you know, having extra money. And so having this understanding

money. And so having this understanding of how taxing a commute is on your life, you should be attempting a more alternative lifestyle. And I hope you

money. And so having this understanding of how taxing a commute is on your life, you should be attempting a more alternative lifestyle. And I hope you

alternative lifestyle. And I hope you take some of my recommendations to heart. Here are the actual tangible

alternative lifestyle. And I hope you take some of my recommendations to heart. Here are the actual tangible action items to take away from the video. One, do anything and everything

heart. Here are the actual tangible action items to take away from the video. One, do anything and everything

video. One, do anything and everything you can to convince your boss to let you work remotely, even up to taking a 40% pay cut, because it's about looking at the holistic equation of what makes

video. One, do anything and everything you can to convince your boss to let you work remotely, even up to taking a 40% pay cut, because it's about looking at the holistic equation of what makes

you happy and cost of living and quality of life are big inputs to the equation, not just total comp. And two, if you can't work from home, try to minimize your commute as much as possible all the

way up to finding a place to live right next to the office or living out of an RV or a van from the company parking lot. You will save ridiculous amounts of

lot. You will save ridiculous amounts of money and you can just find a girlfriend that lets you sleep at her place every now and then and be a moocher like that.

lot. You will save ridiculous amounts of money and you can just find a girlfriend that lets you sleep at her place every now and then and be a moocher like that.

And it's just a way better way to live life. It's just way more fun and exciting. So, let me know if you guys

exciting. So, let me know if you guys decide to implement any of these action items in your own lives. And let me know if you disagree in the comments.

exciting. So, let me know if you guys decide to implement any of these action items in your own lives. And let me know if you disagree in the comments.

Take care.