When Commuting by Car Drives You Crazy

It's a question that plagues almost every entrepreneur and employee who works away from their home: the daily commute.

Some people obviously have the perfect commute, where they travel just far enough that they enjoy the trip. Everyone else isn't so lucky. But if you feel like you're living behind your steering wheel, or if your employees complain of the same dilemma, chances are, you probably could be doing more to make it a better, if not perfect, drive.

And so in case it helps, here are some tips that might make it a less maddening trip.

Do your traffic jam homework beforehand.

Of course, some of you already do this and are probably rolling your eyes. But for those of you who don't know or simply haven't thought much about it, national web sites like Traffic.com offer very detailed, up-to-date information on what's out there on the roads. And most metropolises have their own local traffic commuting sites, like the Houston TranStar Real-Time Traffic Map and the WSDOT Seattle Area Traffic web page. And keep in mind, some of these web sites offer the same information over your cell phone, Blackberry or whatever you carry around with you. If you're of the right mindset, you could easily always avoid traffic jams -- unless you check your cell phone too much while driving and wreck, thereby causing a traffic jam behind you.

Save gas and be happier.

With gas prices dropping, as of this writing, it may not seem as important as it did several months ago, but still, who wouldn't or shouldn't want to save more money, no matter how low or high fuel is? GasBuddy.com, FuelEconomy.gov and GasPriceWatch.com are several sites that strive to show the lowest gas prices of the moment. Depending on your company's situation, you also might want to consider shaving 20% off of everyone's gas prices—not to mention your company's electric bill -- and having everyone work four days a week, with the fifth day being a virtual office.

Or if someone has to be in the office, you could still allow each employee to pick a day to work from home, allowing everyone to keep more money from their paycheck. The office might be quieter, but chances are, your employees will be happier -- and a little more wealthy.

Ask yourself the ultimate question: Do you have to drive into work?

Public transportation is generally cheaper, and it may give you back what you hate most about your commute: lost time. On the other hand, if you aren't that far away from the office, or if you have employees who live close by, you might want to promote the idea of running or cycling to the office, especially if you have shower facilities. It might sound crazy, but if you or an employee were able to save on gas prices and get healthier simultaneously, it seems worth considering, especially if you're trying to keep your health insurance premiums low. In Chicago, there's a program that offers "transportation coaches," who will actually try to help people in the suburbs figure out the best ways to bicycle to work.

Of course, you may just start asking yourself if you can be a virtual company and save 100% of your commuting costs, but working out of your home has plenty of other problems from integrating your workspace with your family and losing that barrier where you can mentally and physically separate your work from the rest of your life. Crazy as it sounds, give up your commute, and you may actually one day miss it.