I’ve learned well from the lessons of experience the importance in commuting, as in so much else in life, of effective communication.

Every Tuesday, Thursday and occasionally Friday, a high school friend of mine and I trade off making the drive from Joshua to Arlington. We save money on gas and ease the travel burden on our vehicles. Thanks to conveniently synchronized schedules, the system works out perfectly — usually.

But conflicts, of course, can and do arise. Last Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, was an instructive example. I carpooled with my friend. As we shuttled down Cooper Street, he realized he forgot to tell me that he needed to pick up an Edible Arrangement bouquet for his girlfriend that afternoon. The line to pick up orders stretched out the door. When we finally reached the counter, we discovered that no one had even started to make his order. Two hours later than usual, after a great deal of frustration and impatience, we dragged ourselves back to Joshua. The miscommunication over the errand he needed to run turned out costly.

I stand as guilty of the crime as him, however. We meet at his girlfriend’s house each commuting morning. Early on in the semester, I didn’t inquire as much as I should have about where I ought to park. As a result, I ended up blocking the driveway one morning and received a call informing me that my vehicle was blocking people from leaving for a funeral. Luckily, my dad didn’t work that day and had a spare key he could rush over and move the car with. However, my ignorance about exactly where I ought to park had brought embarrassment (and almost catastrophe.)

Commuting without communication breeds trouble. I’ve tried to avoid the latter by texting my carpooler each day before we leave, confirming what time we need to meet and asking about any possible conflicts that may arise. That means I need to keep my planner more up to date than I currently do, as juggling various appointments and times on a calendar in my head has not turned out to work well as a time management system.

In short, be proactive about planning — figure out the whens and wheres, then stick to them.