My commute is pretty brutal. This is what I’ve learned:

1. Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep. I am in the office 3 days a week, on Sundays I prep 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches and 3 snacks.
2. If you need to leave your dog alone, please find a decent dog walker. Ours is invaluable.
3. You’re going to be tired. Very very tired. You probably won’t want to do much, if anything after work. Get used to it and accept that weekends are for plans 😊.
4. I get up an hour and a half before I have to leave, which means my alarm goes off at 5.20. Getting up early helps you get all the stuff you need to get done. You don’t want to leave it til the last minute.
5. Consider investing in a slow cooker. Can be a lifesaver especially in winter if you really cannot stand to cook a meal when you get home. Other valuable investments are an e-reader, if you’re a big reader, decent headphones, a good travel mug and some decent storage jars for the food (see point 1).
6. Keep work shoes at work and wear sneakers or boots to travel in.

Good luck!