Careers Hub | Commuting – pleasure or pain?

Aug 17, 2016

Pulse Recruitment

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    Whether you commute by bus, train, bicycle, car or foot, a long commute can often be draining and exhausting. According to this Government report, Australia’s average commuting distance is 15.6 km, with the larger capital cities having relatively long commutes — Sydney’s average was 15.0 km, Melbourne’s was 14.6 km, and Brisbane’s was 14.9 km.

    So we’re curious – how do you spend your commute time? Do you use that 30, 45, or 60+ minutes as your downtime, or are you productive and efficient?

    If you’re more into the productive front, here are a few options that may pass your time a little easier.

    Option 1 – The Podcast

    We recommend Ted Talks, Stuff You Should Know, This American Life, and Freakonomics. Podcasts are such a great way of tuning out, learning something new, and relaxing all at once.

    Option 2 – Newspaper

    An obvious but classic way to pass the time, but especially important on the morning ride in to ensure you’re up to date with what’s going on in the world.

    Option 3 – Play a game

    We’d rate ‘Lumosity’. It’s a great brain-training app that claims to improve memory, attention, flexibility, speed of processing, and problem-solving.

    Option 4 – Work

    This may be a good time to get some admin done or chip away at a few emails you’ve been meaning to get through.

    Option 5 – Prioritise your tasks

    It never hurts to set your priorities straight by writing to-do lists for the day and week, whether it’s for work or personal life. This will help you feel organised and will ultimately make your crazy-busy life seem less overwhelming.

    All in all, as much as a long commute can feel like it’s dragging you down, try and use that time to your advantage. Recently, my partner and I moved closer to the city, and he now has a 9-minute cycle to work compared to his previous 45-minute train ride. Believe it or not, he says he actually misses his daily commute. That boggled my mind; never did I think people actually enjoyed spending 1-2 hours a day on public transport (or in their car). It made me realise he had a point – commuting can be a good thing if you use your time wisely.

    But if commuting just isn’t your thing…

    (We don’t blame you). However, if you’re on the hunt for a new role, definitely take this into high consideration. If the job is located further than you’re willing to commute, chances are this will lead to job dissatisfaction quicker than you know it. Everyone has a different idea of what is manageable for them – so follow your gut and choose a job that fits within your commuting comfort zone.

     

    READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR CAREER?

    Explore a vast array of IT, sales, and marketing roles spanning across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the wider Australia and Asia-Pacific and the United States regions. With Pulse Recruitment, you’ll find positions that resonate with your skills and ambitions. Embark on a transformative career journey and submit your resume of LinkedIn profile today!

    FROM OUR PULSE NEWS, EMPLOYER AND JOB SEEKER HUBS

    Featured Articles

    The Death of the Demo: Selling in the Age of Skepticism

    By the time a buyer finally decides to talk to a salesperson in 2026, the traditional sales cycle is already more than half over. In fact, the average B2B buyer has likely spent upwards of 20 hours researching their specific problem before they even consider hitting a “Book a Demo” button. They have scoured peer…
    Personalization That Actually Wins Deals

    The year is 2026, and the B2B buyer is exhausted. They are navigating a digital landscape flooded with “hyper-personalized” noise. Their LinkedIn inboxes are a graveyard of automated messages that reference their university, their latest “congratulations on the new role” notification, or some mundane detail about their hometown. For the modern buyer, these aren’t signs…
    From Manager to Architect: The New Sales Leadership

    For decades, the path to sales leadership was as predictable as a scripted cold call. The formula was simple: be the top performing “Lone Wolf” Account Executive, crush your numbers for three years, and get promoted to manage a team. The result was almost always the creation of a “Super AE” masquerading as a manager….
    The Most In-Demand Tech Sales Skills for 2026

    The tech sales landscape of 2026 is unrecognizable compared to the “growth at all costs” era of the early 2020s. We have entered the age of Sophisticated Realism. Buyers are more informed, more risk-averse, and more shielded by technology than ever before. In response, the role of the salesperson has undergone a fundamental mutation. In…
    Remote vs. Hybrid: What Australia’s Best Sales Reps are Demanding Now

    The Australian employment landscape has undergone a permanent transformation. For sales organizations, particularly those in the high growth sectors of technology, fintech, and cybersecurity, the traditional office based model is no longer the standard. It is a relic of a previous era. As we navigate the current market, a critical question faces every sales leader…
    Why B2B Sales is a Team Sport in 2026

    For decades, the “Lone Wolf” was the celebrated archetype of the sales world. This was the Account Executive (AE) who worked in a vacuum, kept their secrets close to their chest, and emerged from the shadows only to ring the bell after closing a massive deal. They were the “closers,” the individual heroes whose grit…
    The 2026 GTM Playbook: EQ, Shadow Pipelines, & Talent Gaps

    In the Go-To-Market (GTM) landscape of 2026, the noise is deafening. We were promised that AI would automate our way to infinite scale, but instead, it has created a “trust deficit.” Buyers are shielded by AI gatekeepers, their inboxes are flooded with “hyper-personalized” (yet soulless) outreach, and the old playbooks are being shredded in real-time….
    7 Red Flags to Look for During Your Tech Sales Interview

    The tech sales landscape is a high-octane world of “disruptive” SaaS products, uncapped commissions, and the promise of rapid career progression. On paper, every startup looks like the next unicorn. However, beneath the surface of free kombucha and ergonomic desks, many sales organizations are struggling with toxic cultures, unattainable quotas, and “burn and churn” philosophies…
    Why “Job Hopping” in Sales Might Be Killing Your Long-Term Earnings

    In the modern sales landscape, there is a pervasive belief that the only way to get a significant “raise” is to change companies. The logic seems sound on the surface: jump to a new startup, grab a 20% increase in base salary, vest a few more options, and repeat the cycle every 18 months. Recruiters…
    Culture vs. Quota: Why Top Billers Leave (and How to Make Them Stay)

    In the high-stakes world of professional recruitment and enterprise sales, there is a prevailing myth that “money heals all wounds.” Leadership often believes that as long as the commission checks are fat and the leaderboard is glowing, the “Top Billers”—the 5% who carry 50% of the revenue—are happy. But then, the unthinkable happens. Your star…

    Visit our blog page