Productivity is one of those things most of us try to optimize. Especially when it comes to the day to day work we have in architecture. As dynamic and wide-ranging as a day can be, the focus and concentration needed to compose those remaining wall details, check those door schedules, or look over that code analysis are quite demanding. There are numerous approaches and methods toward better productivity, perhaps even an endless number. But, one way to improve our performance at work, says Australian researchers, Liang Ma and Runing Ye, is in how we commute to work.

"Our research investigated how and to what extent our daily commuting can influence workplace productivity," the pair write. According to their findings, people who commute longer distances tend to have more days off, while those who commuted shorter distances, walked or cycled, tended to perform better in the workplace. Additionally, driving has also been found to be the most stressful way to commute.

Anyone living in a bustling metropolitan area like Los Angeles, for example, can probably relate to the perils of navigating in traffic. Ma and Ye bring up an important explanation in the increased absences for long commuters. "First, workers with long commutes are more likely to become ill and be absent. Second, workers with long commutes receive less net income (after deducting travel costs) and less leisure time," they say.

It makes sense. If I spend over two hours of my day commuting, it's time I could have with my family, or for some other extracurricular activity. The counter option is a short walk or bike ride to work and two extra hours of "leisure time." And there's also the benefit of physical activity on brain function and cognition.

But, as with most scientific studies, this result exists in an idealized world. Not all of us are able to live close enough to our jobs to enjoy a walk or bike ride to the office each morning. But, in the cases where shorter and more active commuting is a possibility, the research supports its rewarding impacts.