Despite being written nearly a decade ago, this article is still highly relevant. – t.

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ComScore recently released statistics showing that people look for hybrid cars more as oil prices rise. I had to laugh a bit when I read it because…really, they needed surveys to figure that out?

Still, statistics do serve as irrefutable proof when you need it, and I have a post planned that shows how you can use statistics to refine your own marketing plans and activities.

The survey also made me think of how rising oil prices affect anchored authors. What we do as a day job isn’t career-oriented, because our actual career lies outside the 9-5 work world. We’re just interested in a job that pays well, and has certain conditions and benefits that suit our anchored life as published authors. Within those ideal criteria, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of day jobs to chose from.

Perhaps, with the rising oil prices, you should consider “moving” your day job closer to home (i.e., quitting the current job and finding another one), and making location one of the specific criteria your day job should meet. Think of the benefits of a day job located only a few minutes from your front door:

• You cut down on commuting time, which gives you back more disposable time to use for writing or writing-related activities.
• You cut down on gas – or cut it out altogether if the day job is within walking distance, which can save you a huge amount of money over a year, that you can put to better use promoting your real career.
• If you’re within walking or biking distance, you’ll reap the health benefits the daily commute provides, for no extra time or money spent.
• Many “local” businesses (i.e. businesses not located in fancy areas or the downtown core of your city) are always struggling to find good quality, reliable and steady employees who won’t flit on to more glamorous jobs as soon as they can arrange it.

Here’s some ideas to get your mind ticking over the possibilities of relocating.

• Is there a shopping mall close by? There’s usually a slew of professional businesses close by the mall.
• Does a train or bus route run past your door? Where does that train or bus stop, further down the line? Is there a commercial center or business along that route? A job that is one or two stops down from you would be just as convenient as one in your neighborhood. Even public transport corporations lift their prices to offset rising oil costs, but the hike would be minimal compared to the one you’ll suffer if you’re still driving your car two hours a day to get to and from work.
• If you live in a smaller town or satellite suburb and commute to a bigger center, your local commercial district can be your prime target.
• As you travel around your neighborhood, keep your eyes peeled for likely employers. Watch for help-wanted signs, professional strip malls you didn’t know existed two blocks over, schools, libraries, corner stores and gas stations. These are all potential employers

But My Day Job Suits Me Perfectly!

If you really don’t want to give up the day job, then consider relocating your home address closer to where you work. For the hassle of moving house, you get the same benefits as moving your job.

The ideal, of course, would be to live where your job and every other services and facility you might possibly access are all within walking distance, a la New York, and other big cities. Then you rarely have to get the car out at all, and you don’t have to spend hours commuting on public transport, either.

Try plugging your address into the dashboard at Walk Score, which will give you an instant layout of services and facilities within walking distance of your address. It will also score your neighborhood for its walk-friendly layout.

First appeared on Anchored Authors on July 24, 2008