PSA: Leaving 7 minutes later for my train in Chicago changed everything

For months I'd sprint to the 7:42 AM Metra, stressed and sweaty, only to sit on a stalled train waiting for a freight line to clear. I was always 10 minutes early for the train but 15 minutes late to work. Last Tuesday, I overslept and caught the 7:49 instead. That train goes on a slightly different route and, I swear, it just sails through. I've tested it all week. The problem was being early for the wrong schedule. The 7:49 is less crowded, moves faster, and I actually get to my desk on time now. Has anyone else found a 'worse' departure time that's secretly better for their commute?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake9865d ago

What if being late is the real life hack?

hannahsingh4d ago

Okay but @jake986 you might be onto something (seriously). Showing up late to a party means you skip the awkward empty room phase and walk right into the fun. It feels like you just unlocked a secret level everyone else had to grind for. My friend is always late to movies and swears she never sees a bad trailer anymore. Maybe we've been doing it wrong this whole time.

hart.sage4d ago

Hold up, @hannahsingh, your friend is a genius for skipping trailers. I'm stuck watching five minutes for a movie I'll never see, and she just walks into the good part. Applying that to parties is wild though. You miss the whole "where do I stand" and "is the dip safe" check. You just show up when the music is loud enough to cover bad small talk. Maybe the real pro move is to be late to everything but work.