letibell

hi everybody. I read about your experience. I love you all and envy your strength and your will to keep on with your routine. I know the theory to bike commute and have all the stuff. I enjoy when I commute to work and regret when I don' t.
it is only 14 km round . how can I succeed in walking up every morning and go by bike without finding excuses?
please give me help. .advice..tricks. when I don't bike I become sad.

acidfast7

post to the how was my commute day thread as accountability.

tsl

That right there is enough for me. I have 1,568 consecutive workdays bike commuting simply because it makes me feel good. (I gave up things that make me sad a long time ago.)

The choices then become simple.

Do I want to feel good? If yes, then bike commute.

Do I want to feel sad? If no, then bike commute.

Choosing the opposite answers means it's time for a psychologist or psychiatrist.

EDIT: Please don't take my response as being flippant. For nearly two decades I was on anti-depressants, and saw a psych every week. Then I started cycling. Within a year, no more psychs, no more meds. So yes, that is indeed what keeps me cycling. Commuting is simply the best way to be certain I do it every day.

daihard 

It is fun to see my entry move up the list as I commute by bike more and more.

ratell

I don't get parking at work. The rigidity of the bus scheduling means if I'm running slow biking is the easiest way. I'm not sure I would be as motivated if sleeping in and driving were an option. Maybe finding ways to make not biking harder will help your motivation.

acidfast7

i'm kinda of sad because i did 6 months of travelling this year and haven't really had many days of work to use on the board

Mr. Hairy Legs

My situation is similar to that of tsl; before I started daily bike commuting I had major problems with migraines, road rage, moodiness, drinking after work, etc. and something had to give.

One thing that really helps is that even when I wake up feeling lazy, all I have to do is stick my head out the back door and listen to the groaning of brakes and honking of all the people stuck in miserable traffic. I'd rather die than sit in that crap every day. :-)

1nterceptor

Just hop on your bike and go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-rQNEdkJQk

daihard 

You seem to be a classic example (in a good way) of how physical activities can work effectively as anti-depressants. Sounds great!

To me, commuting by bike is fun. It may be because I just began doing that a couple of months ago. You start something new, and it's always fun for a while. I currently want to ride as much as I can, and riding to/from work gives me that opportunity.

Bluish Green

Lots of good answers here. There are many reasons I have switched to full-time commuting, including health, environment, fun, etc.

One thing that locked me in to full-time commuting was when I gave my car away to charity, and my bike became my only real daily option. A side benefit of doing that was that I have saved a lot of money by not buying gasoline, license plates, insurance on the car, maintenance of the car, etc. I have used the savings to buy a second bike and some nicer outdoor athletic gear. Having done that, I guess the continued savings are now going to general savings.

Can you eliminate a more expensive commuting method, such as car commuting? If so, perhaps the savings could be a motivating factor for you. Put the gas money you would have spent in a jar, a coffee can, your bank savings, whatever. Keep commuting and saving, and use the money you save for something you want. Perhaps a gift to someone you love, a gift to charity, a vacation trip, a new computer, whatever.

Not everybody saves a lot of money by switching, but I sure have. Perhaps this could work to motivate you?

acidfast7

In Germany, I lost money by switching as it was less than €1* from home to work and back by subway.

In the UK, it's £4.70 by bus RT*.

So, I'll easily make the money back on the new bike ... in addition there's a national bike to work scheme in the UK which reduces the cost by roughly 40% on all bikes and accessories every year (up to £1000).

*note this doesn't include the differences in taxation.

Darth Lefty 

Examine your excuses and eliminate them. Make it an easy choice. If there is something you don't like about your bike then fix or change it. If you have to move the car or clutter to get the bike out, rearrange. Ride to work in your work clothes if possible.

jeffpoulin

I simply look forward to bike commuting. It's the time of day that I get to spend doing what I love to do. It "recharges my batteries" and that's all the motivation I need.

However, if you're commuting and not feeling comfortable at least 90% of the time due to being too hot or cold, stressed about your safety, bored, or whatever, then try to fix it. For example, buy good, dependable gear. I not talking about just your bike, but clothing, convenient storage such as a good trunk bag or panniers, lights that "just work", tires that will provide traction and avoid flats, etc... It doesn't have to be super expensive, ultra light, newest tech, or anything like that. It just has to be comfortable and reliable. Once you attain that, commuting every day is easy (and fun too!).

sam21fire

I think it's like any other good habit you want to develop in that the more you practice the easier it gets. Due to other family requirements I have to drive 1-2 days per week and my coworkers can tell the difference in my mood and outlook. I have to wake up about 30 minutes earlier when I ride but I find that my body is so used to it that even on the weekends I automatically wake up at that earlier time (0415).

There are excellent reasons here for regular bike commuting, the rest is up to your own self discipline and making a solid commitment to being part of those reasons.

Papa Tom

I try to commute by bike as often as possible, but sometimes I need my car to move equipment around, pick something up after work, get to an appointment quickly after work, etc. The rest of the time, I fight laziness, just like the OP. However, every time I force myself to get on the bike, no matter how cold it is or how tired I am, I am thankful that I did. Ultimately, work has become (as another poster put it) "the thing I do in between bike rides." Force yourself and let me know if you're ever sorry.

fietsbob

Quote:

how can I succeed in walking up every morning and go by bike without finding excuses?

threat of Sacking/Job Loss is usually sufficient.. ride in fast, and leisurely, on the return home.

acidfast7

i can't even brag to my colleagues because every single one that lives 10km or less rides or walks into work (4 of us live within a 3km radius about 10km from work).

however, what i can do is get their first in the morning and take the spot closest to the door of the locked bike storage unit.

i also bought the ugliest, cheapest FGSS bike I could so that I force them to walk their expensive bikes around mine every morning



competition between colleagues can be good sometimes

wphamilton

Don't even think about it. Get up get on the bike and go, it becomes routine. I have to make up excuses to drive the car in.

When I started early on I was driving in one or two days a week because it was 10.5 miles each way and I thought I needed a rest at least one day. Then at quitting time I realized that I felt cheated having to drive home, really regretting not having the bike. I think that motivated me a lot at first, knowing that if I drove in I'd have to drive home again instead of having some fun on the bike.

letibell

that's why I love you all :-) !
it' saturday night now in Italy .10:41 pm
Monday morning still too far. I'm looking forward to a new bike ride soon .
many thanks to all of you for your words :-)

wolfchild

Make it into a game and pretend that you're in a situation where your life depends on riding a bike..

the sci guy 

i support you.

Matariki

1. I get to drink more beer!
2. I don't have to pay for parking.
3. I am awake and ready to go when I get to work.
4. The ride home provides significant decompression from the work day.
5. I get to feel the universe instead of being isolated from it.
6. I get to drink more beer!

acidfast7

#1 and #6

and it's easy to stop at the pub on the bike

caloso

Pay yourself what you would otherwise spend for fuel/parking/transit pass. Before too long you will build up a nice little balance.

wapiti

there is both a pub and a liquor store at exactly the half way point on my ride home (if I take the short route home).