The former lawyer turned time management coach Kelly Nolan suggests starting with a commute audit to assess its true impact. Begin by blocking it out on a calendar. Creating a visual representation of how much commuting takes out of your day gives an accurate picture. It's not just about how much free time you have left, it's about seeing how commuting affects other activities in your life.
Balancing work, relationships, and all that comes with life in the real world is a truly impressive feat-one that's supported greatly by simple mindfulness practices. Discovering tools that allow you to be more present throughout your day is among the quickest ways to elevate your existence, and 2025 brought some new go-to tricks that we intend to take from the present into the future.
Working from home sounds perfect on paper. No commute. Flexible hours. Taking meetings in sweatpants. But reality hits fast when you work remotely. The bed looks way more appealing than that report due in an hour. Your focus starts to drift. Your to-do list grows. And you end up clocking out way later than you would in a physical office.
Fiorella Rafael remembers feeling stiff at the end of every day in her old office job. That lack of movement would creep up and compound over the week, she says. Though standing and walking meetings were encouraged, with deadlines to meet it wasn't always tenable. It's partly what drove me to become a pilates instructor, she says. Now Rafael teaches pilates at Sydney's Scout Studios, where she meets people like me who spend far too much time sitting.
