Well

I do and I don't.

I commute to London but these days limit it to a couple of times a week. I have a role and an employer that allows (and actively enforces) work from home at least once a week.

It does depend on where you work in London but mine is fairly accessible from Liverpool Street but even then, including the drive to the station (and allowing for traffic), train to London and underground, it is about 3 hours door to door, so six hours travelling on a day return.

I generally do that twice a week. It is doable but it depends how you can use the time. I got a bumper data package, tether my laptop to my phone (don't bother with wifi on the train - useless) and I can work for about 90 minutes of the two hours on the way down. I get the first off peak train (8:30) and the first off peak back (19:00) and still get a whole day's work in. As a result of doing a couple of times a week, a season ticket doesn't work out well for me, so I just by at the gate - not check but completely flexible (outside the peak window). You get a fair percentage back if you routinely claim delay pay too.

If I need to be in London in the morning (important face to face, or all day training or conference) I stay over a few stops down the line and have a 15 minute travel in. When I do that though, I can get my whole day in before the evening peak, so I get the 16:00 back to Norwich, before the evening rush.

I am lucky that I can share to/from the station with the missus - having to factor in parking, etc. would be an additional layer of ballache.

Posted By: Jester, May 13, 18:00:44