“My commute is killing me!” Words we have uttered far too often.

For the vast population of people who live in the suburbs and drive to the city, there is only one adjective to describe sitting in traffic: misery. According to Robert Putnam, Harvard political scientist and author of Bowling Alone, over the last 20 years the average commuting trip grew 37% longer. He also noted that each additional ten minutes spent in daily commuting interferes with family and social activity by 10%, you know, the sort of things that make us happy. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that 40% of workers who spend 90 or more minutes commuting one-way "experienced worry for much of the previous day,” compared to the 28% who commute less than 10 minutes one-way.

The epidemic of the commute has especially affected residents of Chicago suburbs who work in the city. According to the Census Bureau, 14% of Chicago’s workers have an hour-long commute, the highest rate in the Midwest. Texas A&M Transportation Institute ranked Chicago as having “one of the nation’s most unpredictable commutes.”

So, what’s a Chicago-area suburbanite to do? Chicago is still one of the most affordable major cities in the country to both live and work. Workers with families are attracted to the picket-fence life for obvious reasons. A big house with a driveway, guest room and fireplace provide a kind of comfort that no apartment can. A sprawling living room is a great place for family gatherings and nothing beats a backyard BBQ, yet the question begs, are these surplus amenities worth it? Economists at the University of Zurich reported in their study “Stress That Doesn’t Pay: The Commuting Paradox” that “for an extra hour of commuting time, you would need to be compensated with a massive 40 percent increase in salary to make it worthwhile.”

Making things easier is the fact there is an abundance of office spaces dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses available in the surrounding Chicago suburbs. In South Barrington, there are co-working spaces that start as low as $350 per month. In Lincolnshire, executive suites come with full amenities such as secretarial support, internet, and conferences rooms and start at $750 per month. There’s ample availability at the Orrington Plaza Business Center in Evanston. In Schaumburg, there is a wide variety of office space on East Golf Road that starts at $600 per month and includes internet, conference rooms and a full kitchen.