The "cost" of commuting

In the present era many of us work at remote sites from from the workplace, but are connected by computer, e-mail, phone, fax, skype, and so on.
More and more people now work at home or at locations far from the work site.    There is a temptation of course, many say, to "goof off" more than in the structured workplace or to wear pajamas all day, but in the long run, perhaps one gets more done.  It may depend on the discipline of the individual.

For me, there is no danger of lounging in pjs all day.  I have always been a person who gets dressed immediately in the am.   I don't even go to breakfast in a robe except for a rare occasion when I have a dress-up event early in the day and want to avoid soiling a fancy outfit.   And yes, I do some tasks during the day like laundry but these normally take less time than a coffee break.  

On the other hand, now that I am semi-retired, I rarely go to the office except for class or special meetings.   The other day I had to go to the office to observe a class.   On the whole it took 3.5 hours.   I left at 9:30, the latest one can leave and hope to get a parking space.   I had some time in the office, and reviewed the class, then picked up my coat and supplies and drove home.  Lapsed time was 3.5 hours.  An entire morning         plus most of the noon hour taken up to observe a one hour class.  

A lot of time on the road -- About 1 hour roundtrip in the non-rush hour.  Plus the physical toll that a long drive in traffic takes cannot be understated.

I am becoming an enthusiast of working at a distance when possible.  I hold numerous conferences with colleagues and students from a distance and found them useful and productive.  Since my graduate students are working adults, most of our consultations occur while they are at their workplace and I am working at home.  It is efficient for them and for me.  If they have to come to meet me in the office, most of them also have an hour roundtrip commute and lose an hour out of their workdays.  
It is a win-win situation for us both to consult at a distance.

Efficient and less costly in terms of time and effort.