Originally Posted by
noglider
My advice is to do whatever you want to do.
I often ride to work hard. It gets me excited and happy, and it's good for my mood once I arrive.
On the way home, I often roll very gently, hardly pedaling at all. My commute is about 6.8 miles (10.9 km) long.
This. I do whatever I want which usually ends up being ride as hard as I can when I can change/shower, doddle when I don't want to or can't shower, and go with the flow when I am commuting with my wife, friends, or coworkers. I almost never go to sleep with a plan for the next days commute.