The day after Labor Day … it’s always one of the worst traffic days of the year in the greater Washington, DC area.   And, it’s one of the things I won’t have to deal with today.

I left AOL earlier this year after a wonderful 14-year run there.  I’ve written frequently about how much I enjoyed my time at AOL.  I was a proud member of the team that helped build the largest internet company in the world … one that was able to acquire the largest media company in the world, Time Warner, back in 2000.  Yes, we had many ups and downs, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there … I learned much and made so many life-long connections and friendships.

But, one of the things that was most frustrating was the daily commute – which in my case was a 26-mile ride from Rosslyn (right outside DC) to our campus in Sterling / Ashburn / Dulles.  The ride to the campus in the morning wasn’t bad but the commute home was pretty lengthy.  On a good day, it took 30 minutes, but more often, it took 45 to 90 minutes to get home (depending on the traffic on the Toll Rd or Rt 66).

So, one of the things I most enjoy about having my own business is that I’m not spending 90 to 120 minutes in my car nearly every weekday.   And, I’ve build exercise into my daily routine … so I either go to the Sports Club LA every day or hit the Precor in my house for a daily work-out.  I’m easily in the best cardio shape I’ve been in my adult life.  There has been a history of heart disease in my family so I’ll do my best to stay in good cardio shape for the coming years.

One other thing I on a daily basis is to walk to meetings / events instead of driving my car.  Whenever I’m in big cities such as New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, etc, it’s normal to walk 15 minutes or so.  I do like taking in the city in that manner.  So, I’m doing that in DC now.  When I teach at Georgetown Univ, I now take the 15-minute, 1-mile walk to campus vs being stuck in traffic on Key Bridge.  In fact, I walk almost every day across Key Bridge into Georgetown for business meetings, lunches, dinners, etc.

Off to the gym.  Peace.