If you have workplace parking spots and want to...

Align your parking with a flexible working culture

Kimberly believes spontaneity is the key to efficiency.

Not in all aspects of her busy life, but when it comes to parking, the ‘planned last minute’ approach works best.

“I don’t like to plan my parking ahead of time. I will set out and then when I get near my destination I will turn to my apps.”

“I love my apps. They make my life very much easier”.

“Usually, I will arrive near to where I want to be, pull over, and then get on Parkable, as that is my favourite, and see what is available.”

“I noticed the signage some time ago. There are more and more Parkable bays in Takapuna, which is great because whilst parking here is cheap, it is not very plentiful and at busy places and at busy times that can make things tricky.

“Especially if you are very last minute, but hate getting parking tickets like me.”

“I use it when I am going to appointments and at night for restaurant visits. If I can’t get a place with Parkable, I will go to the Auckland Transport App.”

“Both display what spots are available, though Parkable comes with handy photos and a description of how to find the bay and of course, with Parkable, you can reserve the spot.”

“Between the two apps, I tend to get sorted fast which helps when you are running your business and the family.”

“Like a lot of people I am incredibly busy and this ‘planned last minute’ approach and these wonderful technologies save me heaps of time in a day. Over a week that really adds up.

, a consultancy that helps bridge the male/female communication divide in businesses.

Spontaneity is the key to efficiency

Outside-the-box thinking makes it easy to earn extra money on the side

If you're interested in a new side hustle and some extra income, the sharing economy is a great place to start.

At the moment, people are looking for more affordable ways to travel and buy, while also being extra-conscious of supporting their local communities and neighbours - and that’s exactly what the sharing economy is all about.

For those open to trying new things, here are four ways to make extra income through the sharing economy.

If you want extra income with little or no effort, why not share any unused parking space on 

? This could be your driveway, a workplace parking spot, a vacant commercial property, or any other space you have where a vehicle can park. To find out how much you could make through park sharing alone, 

If you’re short on cash and have realised that you don’t need that third winter coat or second guitar, it’s the perfect time to pop it on sale. Buying second hand is rising in popularity as people want to save money and reduce consumption of new products. In New Zealand that generally means 

 is the way to go, but you can also try local second-hand stores like 

, or if you're after a declutter rather than extra income, simply donate unwanted items to your closest charity store.

So many of us own things that we only use a few times a year - if that. It might be your powertools, mountain bike, surf board, or digital camera... And chances are, someone else could use what you're keeping in a cupboard or at the back of the garage.

 to rent or lend basically anything. Australian equivalents include website 

If what you want to rent out is a car, check out 

While not part of the sharing economy, what kind of ‘making extra income’ blog would this be if it didn’t mention the work opportunities made possible nowadays by digital platforms?

Looking for online contract work can be a great way to fill in the gaps. Platforms like 

 connect people around the globe with freelance jobs, both short and long-term, and have plenty of opportunities - there are over 27,000 design jobs on Upwork alone. With categories spanning from development to writing to accounting and administration on Upwork, and jobs in hospitality, healthcare, warehousing and business support advertised on 

, there’s something for almost everyone.

If you aren’t sure how to get started or want some advice, have a search on social media for a support group or forum in your industry. For example, for women there are groups like 

, which is a great place to make connections and see what other people are doing.

If you have a spare bedroom or unused property, why not list it on 

 (AU)? While international travel is less of an option, more people are exploring their own backyard and travelling domestically. Plus, more affordable options like Airbnb are definitely attractive when people are looking to save on their holidays.

The wellbeing of our communities and the persistence of local businesses continues to be top of mind. Let’s keep supporting local, whether that means ordering our takeaways from small businesses, getting our books, clothes, and other supplies from the store down the road, or giving to local charities when we can.

For all of you who continue to support Parkable and the local hosts who share their space with us, a big thank you - we wouldn't be here without you!

Sharing economy side hustle

5 ways to supplement your income through the sharing economy

Parking with Parkable means less driving, less frustration, less time waste - and less pollution

See how your business stacks up when it comes to sustainability with our 

While we’re circling the block in town, trawling the congested streets for a parking spot and getting increasingly cranky, we’re also doing something else - polluting our environment. The ugly truth is that 

 of urban congestion in major cities is caused by people searching for a park, going in circles sometimes for five minutes, sometimes for far longer. That’s a lot of time and fuel spent on a totally joyless activity.

We did the maths,* and you can reduce your carbon footprint by 227kg of greenhouse gases every year simply by ending your search around the block. How to end the search? With 

Parkable shows you car park availability in real time

The app allows you to reserve a bay 30 minutes in advance

Plus, if you want a long-term parking spot for guaranteed parking each day, you can easily find and pay for a parking subscription through the app

All of this means you can go straight from your front door to your guaranteed parking spot with no (stressful, lengthy, unproductive and pollutant) searching for a park in between. In fact, if just 10% of Auckland’s 

 did this, that would be a GHG saving of over 4000 tonnes each year. And if 10% of Australia’s 10.7 million employees followed suit, our atmosphere would be saved from 242,523 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually.

In addition to the environmental benefits, there are a few more added bonuses to cutting down the commute:

 If you have a 25 minute commute (which is about average for New Zealanders and Australians), over the course of the year you spend 9 whole days driving to and from work. If 5 minutes each day are spent looking for parking, that’s 20 hours each year spent peering around for a parking spot. I think we can all agree… you have better things to do with your time.

 an estimated $16.5 billion in lost productivity. That cost is predicted to reach up to $37.3 billion by 2030, unless something drastic changes. And in 

 alone, congestion costs the city $2 billion per year.

“...commuting does not just take up time; it can also be stressful, tiring and expensive. Indeed, it seems that commuting to work is the daily activity that gives the least amount of enjoyment, with commuting home from work only marginally more enjoyable.”
- 

 The average commuter certainly doesn’t need the OECD to tell them that driving to work is the worst part of the day. However, you might not realise that a long commute (and therefore less time away from work) can increase stress, reduce productivity, and worsen health outcomes.

In the cities we currently live in, not all of us can access efficient public transport, realistically walk or cycle to work, or afford an electric car. But what we can do is eliminate the time that we spend circling the block, searching for a parking spot.

At 

, we want every parking space to be book-in-advance, so there’s less congestion, and less of all the bad stuff that comes with it. Reducing parking-related congestion may be a small step, but it’s a step in the right direction, and one that we’re proud to be part of.

Know someone who may want to share their parking space with the community?

 and earn income when they’re not using their space, and get a dose of dopamine for being part of the solution!

A 227kg reduction in GHG is based on 5 minutes spent searching for a parking spot each day, 260 times per year.

academic article, in congestion the average driving speed is 35.5km per hour, and the average fuel consumption is 11.8l per 100km.

In five minutes of driving through congestion, that’s 2.95km driven and 0.348l of petrol used.

litre of petrol produces 2.5kg of greenhouse gases. That means that 0.348l of petrol creates 870g of GHG.

Over one year (260 days) of commuting, that’s 227kg of GHG produced while searching for a car park.

Circling the block for a park, is also doing something else - polluting our environment. 30% of urban congestion in major cities is caused by searching for a park. That’s a lot of time & fuel spent on a totally joyless activity.

The environmental cost of congestion

That turn wasted time into time well-spent

For many of us, the morning commute just sucks. Commuting 

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to improve your commute, and turn time wasted into time well spent. Here are our 8 simple suggestions for commuters of every kind...

1. Transition into your next role of the day

We all juggle a number of roles - at home you might be a partner, a parent, a flatmate, or a caregiver, while at work or university you’re an employee or student. Because of that, one of the most positive ways of looking at the commute is seeing it as a transitional period between your home life and your work life.

 that people who use their commute to mentally prepare for their next roles - by planning what they would do that day or week, and thinking about how those actions would help them to achieve their goals - were less likely to suffer the negative effects of a long commute.

Try it out and see if you feel an improvement to your work-life balance. On your way to work or study, plan out the major work tasks of the day. On your way back home, think about personal plans that you want to achieve, whether that may be going for a workout, cooking something new, or spending time with your family.

 to be the most stressful mode of travel, so one way to improve your commute (and help the planet) is to swap the car for a bike or a pair of walking shoes.

You may baulk at the thought of how much extra time walking or cycling would take, but 

 has found that about 90 percent of people overestimate the time it takes to cycle or walk to work by at least 10 minutes.

For those with long commutes, cycling to a bus or train station can give you the benefits of some morning exercise without the two-hour urban hike.

Most importantly, an active commute will make you feel more 

 - and that’s well worth the extra minutes.

A bunch of studies have found that the commute is better when you have someone to share it with, or when you make a social connection during your journey.

 to create more negative feelings than any other daily activity, that negativity is significantly reduced when you travel with another person

, even people who said they prefer to sit in solitude during their train commute actually had a better experience if they connected with a fellow passenger

 from the University of Chicago found that people reported having a much more positive public transport commute when they spoke with strangers

So, next time you take a bus, train, or ferry, why not strike up a conversation with someone new?

If you’re driving, you can also organise a carpool with colleagues who live nearby. You’ll get the benefit of being social, plus you only have to drive part of the time and save on fuel.

Regardless of whether you’re walking, driving, or taking public transport, the commute can be a great time to plug into some music, an audiobook, or your favourite podcast. Whether you want to relax, pep yourself up for the day, learn something new, or escape into a story, your stereo or earphones are there for you.

For those with available hands (aka sitting on public transport - please don’t SuDoKu and drive), it’s also a great time to break out the crossword puzzles, read, or get in touch with friends.

If you have a busy home and social life, your commute may be some of the only consistent quiet time you have. Instead of filling it with work or endless news articles, use that time to focus on your wellbeing and take a breath. Here are a few thoughts:

 simple meditation or deep breathing exercises

Put everything away - your phone, music, reading material - and just sit quietly

By putting yourself first, your commute could transform from another busy, rushed part of your day to a calming period that you (maybe) even look forward to.

The commute is way more stressful when you’re running late. By getting up a little earlier and preparing the night before, you’ll be able to add some enjoyable elements to your morning rather than seeing the early part of your day as a stressful ordeal.

Make yourself a coffee or tea and sit quietly while you enjoy it, or even pop into your favourite cafe and take fifteen minutes to read the paper

Absorb the interesting and lovely aspects of your surroundings, especially as you walk or cycle

Literally smell the roses (it’s a cliche for a reason)

For more of our tips on how to create less stressful mornings, 

The morning commute is always worse when you’re driving with the question ‘Where am I going to park?’ hovering over your head. It can also add precious minutes to your drive as you circle the block searching for a place to park - especially frazzling when you’re already on the late side.

Remove that extra layer of stress and uncertainty by reserving a parking spot 30 minutes in advance with an app like 

. Simply choose where you want to park and tap ‘Reserve park’. You can also get a Parkable parking subscription, letting you park in the same place every day. Then all you have to do is drive directly to the parking spot waiting for you!

It may be (okay, it is) less fun that reading the new Lee Child thriller, but sometimes the commute is the perfect time to catch up on some emails or think through the issues you’ll have to solve later in the day. You’ll get into the right mindset while you travel, plus you’ll make the rest of the workday more manageable if you get started early.

On your way home, however, try to use the commute to transition from your work life to your home life - yes, read that Lee Child! That way your head won’t still be full of accounts when you’re trying to enjoy dinner or ask your partner about their day. It will just be full of Jack Reacher.

For many of us, the morning commute just sucks. They’re so bad that we leave jobs and turn down pay rises over them. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to improve your commute - here are our 8 simple tips.

Improve your commute

8 simple ways to improve your morning commute

Even if you’re a regular Parkable user, you might not know the full extent of what that nifty blue app can do. Here are 5 features of Parkable that could make your parking experience, well, probably not awesome, but definitely well-removed from Suckville.

1. Make your favourite parking spot permanent

If you have a favourite parking spot and want to make the relationship official, or if you’re looking for a long-term park, this one’s for you.

By tapping on your orange pin of choice and purchasing a weekly or monthly subscription, you can relax in the knowledge that the same bay will always be there waiting for you.

Subscriptions are automatically renewed, so remember to cancel in advance if you want to call it quits!

Depending on how you use Parkable, it might be more useful to view parking prices as per hour or per day, and sometimes you may only want to see what subscription parks are available.

To only see the information that’s most relevant to you, use the filter by tapping on the menu icon at the top right and selecting ‘Map filter’.

For those with parking anxiety (aka anyone who has ever experienced weekday city parking), ease your mind by reserving a parking bay in advance. The reservation lasts for 30 minutes - and it’s free.

Simply tap the parking pin you want and select ‘Reserve Park’. If you think you’ll take more than 30 minutes to reach your park (I’m sorry), you can also hit ‘Start Parking’ before you leave the house to secure a bay.

4. Switch between vehicles on the same account

If you use more than one vehicle, simply add each registration number to your Parkable account so that you can easily select which vehicle you are parking on a given day. This makes sure that we know it’s you who’s parking, regardless of the vehicle, and not someone else who has taken your parking spot.

We wish we were mind-readers who could see these things and say ‘Hold on, that’s just Jim’s other car, the blue Honda - leave it be!’ but our attempts have so far only produced headaches.

Sometimes, staring at a map on your phone full of blue and orange dots can feel overwhelming. All you need is one park right here, not thousands all over the place.

To view available car parks near your current location, simply tap on the blue Parkable circle (aka the Biggest Blue Dot) located on the bottom centre of the map. Presto - you’ve got what you need.

Even if you’re a regular Parkable user, you might not know everything that nifty blue app can do. Here are 5 features that could make your parking experience, well, probably not awesome, but definitely well-removed from Suckville.

Parkable user experience

5 ways to make the best of Parkable

On a rainy day in the Parkable office, when there are no treats in the kitchen and we’re already up to our eyeballs in coffee, there’s nothing better for lifting our spirits than a really terrible joke about parking (of which there are many). Here are some of our infamous favourites to get you through the day - we tried to rank them from bad to absolute worst, but realised there are no winners here.

I was getting in my car when a friend asked for a lift. So I said, “OK, you look amazing tonight”, and off I drove.

The other day, an attendant stopped me in a hospital car park and said, “You can’t park here. It’s badge holders only.” I looked them in the eye and said, “I do have a bad shoulder.”

"Will you validate my parking?"
"You did a great job. Evenly spaced and the perfect distance from the kerb."

I was complimented on my parking today... someone left a note on my car saying "Parking Fine."

Q. When is a car not a car?
A. When it’s turning into a driveway.

Q. What do you do when you see a spaceman?
A. Park in it, man!

Q. What driver never gets a parking ticket?
A. A screw-driver.

Policeman: What do you think you are doing parking your car there?
Driver: I thought it was good place to park. It says "Safety Zone."

Q. What happens when a frog parks in a no-parking space?
A. It gets toad away.

I couldn’t back out of the car parking space so I used my back-up plan.



If you’re still reading this… well done. You made it!

On a rainy day in the Parkable office, when there are no treats in the kitchen and we’re already up to our eyeballs in coffee, there’s nothing better for lifting our spirits than a really terrible joke about parking (of which there are many). Here are some of our infamous favourites to get you through the day.

Bad jokes about parking

Really (really) bad parking jokes

Even if you don’t have extra money to spend right now

Many of us are needing to be frugal at the moment, but we still want to support small local businesses where we can. After over a month without cash flow, many cafes, restaurants, bars, studios and retail stores are hurting, and without some love and loyalty we may see a lot of great places in our communities closing their doors.

The good news is that you can show your support in lots of different ways, no matter your budget. Here are six ways to support local businesses (and for some of them, you don’t have to spend a dime).

1. When you are going to spend, check local first

Plenty of cafes, restaurants, and local shops have now opened their doors (or windows) for click-and-collect or delivery. While you’ve probably got the takeaway dinners down, you might not have considered the retail shops that are now open for business. Plenty of bookshops, clothing stores, and others have collection and delivery options - so before you go to Amazon or Alibaba, check what your local stores are offering.

 to find over 1000 independent food businesses that are delivering during lockdown, and 

 has a list of the best restaurants in NZ that are now offering takeaways

 has a great tool (constantly being updated!) that lists local restaurants open for takeaways, and 

 has produced a list of fifteen local grocery stores that are now delivering

, are open for both click-and-collect and delivery, while in Brisbane, 

 (our colleague Emily’s favourite!) is open to 10 visitors at a time

If you have a favourite hairdresser, massage therapist, beautician or any other business that can’t open up right now, why not buy a voucher for later? You’ll be giving that business some revenue as well as the security of knowing that their customers will return when they can. Plus, you’ll have something to look forward to later on.

Another great option is to buy gift cards as presents. Not only will you be supporting local businesses and making sure that your loved ones have something exciting on the horizon, but you’ll also introduce new customers to the businesses you want to support.

If your favourite store or cafe doesn’t have an online voucher system, try looking for them (or recommending that they list) on 

, a NZ not-for-profit platform where small businesses can sell digital vouchers to their customers

For kids activities, a similar platform has just cropped up called 

 which allows you to purchase gift cards for shops and restaurants in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT

Gyms, yoga studios, and other fitness centres have been hit hard, and it’s uncertain how they’ll fare once they open up again. However, you can support your local by seeing if they have online classes or are offering Zoom workouts.

Many studios and fitness instructors have set up affordable subscriptions on platforms like 

, where you can watch as many video classes as you like for a monthly fee. Some have signed onto 

, where you can do a range of live classes and then donate to the teachers. Other personal trainers are offering individual or group training sessions so you can do a supervised workout from home (for example, at Parkable we have a weekly Zoom bootcamp set up with our favourite PT, so we can all see each others’ lovely, sweaty faces).

4. Use tech platforms that support local businesses

The phrase ‘local business’ often conjures up images of cute stores and cafes, but you can also make the choice to support local when you use the apps on your phone. Here are a few examples:

When you can, support local businesses and people in your community by parking with 

 rather than big international companies. Up to 80% of the profit goes back to locals who have the parking space, and since Parkable is an NZ company, the rest is going to locals, too

When you’re ordering food for delivery, consider a local service like 

. They only charge a 5% commission, rather than the 35% that Uber Eats 

 from businesses, so we’re big supporters!

 has created an interactive map so you can find the opening hours and purchase options for shops, services, restaurants and cafes, while new platform 

 connects people with local restaurants newly offering takeaway and delivery

If you’re getting a taxi, try a local platform - like 

 (currently giving their drivers 95% of the riding fee) in Australia

If you don’t have a spending budget, you can still do a lot of good for local businesses by sharing your appreciation and sending new customers to their doors. This could include leaving a great review for your favourite haunts, liking or sharing posts from brands you support on social media, or telling other people that they should try them out. If you’re not one for public displays of affection, even sending a positive private message could really improve the day of local business owners.

Your sharing will bring new eyes to those businesses and make them feel supported - and who doesn’t need a boost of love and appreciation these days? Our Marketing Manager Michaela has been really grateful to have online classes from her gym, 

Parkable's Marketing Manager Michaela sharing some love for her local gym, Sala

6. If you’re an expert, share your time

It’s not only through our dollars and voices that we can support local businesses - we can also give our time. If you have a background in law, accounting, insurance, marketing or design (to name a few) and have some spare time, why not volunteer your services to your favourite small business?

You may have ideas about how a business could do more to promote themselves, or be able to answer questions about finance. By helping businesses to improve their strategies now, they’ll be able to hit the ground running once things return to normal.

If you aren’t sure where to start, sign up to the great free platform 

. It’s a forum which allows small businesses to ask questions and has a network of experts who can then offer advice.

As things edge toward normal, let’s all keep supporting local businesses in whatever ways we can.

And what a great time to do it! We’d like to give a huge thank you to all the amazing platforms that have cropped up, allowing us to easily support local - a big shout out to the people behind Delivereat, SOS Business, LocalSpots, Saving Plates, Give Fit Back, Eat Local NZ and Manaaki, who have put their time and passion into helping local businesses during Covid.

And for all of you who continue to support Parkable and the local hosts who share their space with us, a big thank you - we couldn’t get through these trying times without you!

Many small businesses are hurting right now, and without some love and loyalty we may see a lot of great places in our communities closing their doors. The good news is that you can show your support in lots of ways, no matter your budget.

Support local businesses during Covid-19

6 ways to support local businesses during Covid-19

The lead up to the holiday season can feel unexpected and overwhelming. Suddenly the decorations are out, the shops are playing Christmas carols, end of year parties are around the corner, and there’s a bunch of planning and shopping and organising to do.

With all of that going on, it can be easy to forget that the holiday season is also a great time to give back to the community and make everyone else’s lives that much better. So if you’re wanting to make a positive difference for someone else this holiday season, here are a few easy steps that will put you on the right track.

1. Swap Secret Santa for charity donations

The workplace or family Secret Santa is a time-honoured tradition. However, it’s also a source of stress, and all too often leads to blind and unnecessary buying of things that no one really wants.

It’s hard to find a useful or heart-felt gift for the usual ten dollar Secret Santa budget, especially when you don’t really know the person you’re buying for. The result? Anxiety, mild disappointment, and a lot of random knick knacks that get tossed in a drawer.

Instead of spending your ten dollars on a crappy novelty item or another cheap box of chocolates, why not put everyone’s efforts (and extra cash) into a good cause?

This year, for example, Parkable’s Auckland office is taking part in 

. We’ll be donating food, toiletries, and gifts to people struggling to provide their families with the simple joys that many of us take for granted over the holidays.

Wherever you live, there will be plenty of opportunities to spend your ten dollars well and add a bit of joy for someone who might otherwise go without.

For many of us, the holiday period is as associated with stress as it is with happiness or celebration. We expect ourselves to buy amazing gifts, cook piles of food, celebrate with colleagues and friends, keep the peace at family gatherings… and all of that pressure can take a toll, especially when we’re going through something difficult at the same time.

That can make it easy to be impatient with the retail assistant doing your gift wrapping, or brusque with the courier who can’t guarantee a delivery date. Instead of lashing out, when you feel the stress getting to you try one of these 

controlled breathing and meditation exercises

. You’ll feel better, and your calm and kindness will contribute to a better holiday period for those around you.

3. Donate your Parkable proceeds to charity

If you’re a Parkable host or use Parkable to manage staff parking, you can do something extra to give back to the community. Make December a month to donate your Parkable income to a charity of your choice, and if you have staff, let them know that this is something that you’re all contributing to as a team.

Of course, this isn’t something that has to be limited to the holiday season. 

 have been choosing to donate their proceeds to the Red Cross since their Parkable launch in June, and have since raised thousands for the charity. A few dollars a day can really add up!

4. If you can’t give money, give some time

If you have some time on Christmas Day to spend giving back, volunteering at a local soup kitchen or meal centre is a great way to channel your community spirit and connect with new people.

Spontaneity is the key to efficiency

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